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Construction & Trades
Liability rated to the height you really work at, from the first-floor sill to the rooftop davit.
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A window cleaning business in Canada needs commercial general liability rated for its maximum working height, covering dropped objects, damaged glass and injuries to the public. Add tools and equipment cover for ladders, water-fed poles and rope access gear, commercial auto for the vehicles, and workers' compensation where provincial law requires it. In Ontario, window cleaning businesses must register with the Ministry of Labour under Regulation 859 within 30 days of starting.
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Window cleaning claims come from height: a dropped squeegee that cracks a windshield, a ladder that slides into a car, a pedestrian struck below a suspended stage. They land on commercial general liability, and the policy's height limit and description of operations decide whether you are covered. We record your real maximum height and every access method, then add tools and equipment cover for ladders, water-fed poles and rope gear.
In Ontario, Regulation 859 requires window cleaning businesses to register within 30 days, sets fall arrest, ladder and suspended equipment rules, and makes building owners provide anchor sketches before suspended work. We use those records to reach more insurers. See the construction and contractors guide for the wider sector view.
Window cleaning covers two very different businesses under one name. A residential crew with ladders and water-fed poles works on bungalows and storefronts. A high-rise operator works from suspended platforms, boatswain's chairs and rope access systems on towers. Insurers treat them as separate risks, and a policy written for one will not reliably cover the other.
The key underwriting question is your maximum working height. Many window cleaning liability policies are written with a height limit or a description of operations that names the equipment you use. A fall, a dropped squeegee or a swinging stage above that limit can leave you without cover. Tell the underwriter your real maximum, not your usual job. Window cleaning sits under our construction and contractors sector because of the height and building access involved.
Most programs have four to six parts. Liability carries the largest risk.
| Coverage | What it answers | Points to check |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial general liability (CGL) | Dropped tools striking people or cars, scratched glass, water entry and injuries to the public | Height limit, equipment named, completed operations; see commercial general liability |
| Tools and equipment | Ladders, water-fed poles, pure water systems, harnesses, ropes and descent devices | Theft from vehicles, replacement cost; see tools and equipment |
| Commercial auto | Vans and trucks carrying ladders and water tanks | Business use declared, roof racks and tank weight; see commercial auto |
| Rented equipment | Rented lifts or suspended platforms | Rental contracts usually make you responsible |
| Workers' compensation and employer's liability | Falls and injuries to your own workers | Provincial board rules, plus employer's liability |
| Umbrella liability | Contract limits above the CGL | Often needed for high-rise and commercial property contracts |
Crews that also wash siding, decks or solar panels should declare it. See our pressure washing insurance page for that side of the work.
Ontario regulates window cleaning through R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 859, made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It applies to employers who supply window cleaning services, including contractors and subcontractors, to workers who clean windows, and to owners of buildings where a window cleaner may fall three metres or more. Window includes skylights, canopies and glass roofs.
| Rule | What the regulation says | Why it matters to your insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Every person carrying on the business of window cleaning, or of supplying window cleaners, must register with a Director within 30 days of starting business, and report changes within 30 days | Compliance records are part of a clean underwriting file |
| Notice before suspended work | Before using a suspended scaffold, boatswain's chair or single-point suspension equipment, the employer must notify a Ministry inspector by telephone | Shows the job was planned; insurers ask about it |
| Minimum age | Every person who cleans windows must be at least 18 | Young workers are a hard no for most insurers in this class |
| Fall arrest | A worker not on a ladder exposed to a fall of more than 3 m must use a fall arrest system that limits free fall to 1.5 m | Fall protection failures drive the largest claims |
| Ladders | Maximum lengths of 6 m for a stepladder, 9 m for a single ladder and 13 m for an extension ladder; ladders over 9 m must be secured | Ladder work above those limits is outside the rules and likely outside your policy |
| Boatswain's chair | Not to be used where the descent exceeds 90 m, or with corrosive cleaning solutions | Your liability height limit should match the equipment you use |
| Building owner's anchor sketches | Owners must give the window cleaning contractor a sketch of anchor points before suspended or sill work begins; the employer may not start until it has one | Missing anchor documentation is a reason to refuse a job |
| Overhead work | Where practicable, post warning signs and use barriers to protect pedestrians and traffic | Dropped-object claims are the main third-party exposure |
Reg. 859 also bans using a platform or bucket carried by a forklift or front-end loader as a workplace for window cleaning. Other provinces have their own occupational health and safety rules for work at height, and requirements vary. Check with your provincial regulator before taking work there.
Ontario's mandatory working at heights training under O. Reg. 297/13 applies to workers who are required to use fall protection under the construction projects regulation. It is valid for three years. Window cleaning has its own regulation, so whether that training is legally required depends on whether the work is part of a construction project. Insurers do not draw the line so finely. Many will ask for proof of fall protection training for every worker who works above ground level, whatever the legal minimum.
Rope access and suspended work need more. Reg. 859 requires daily inspection of lifelines and suspension lines by a competent person, retirement of any harness, lanyard or lifeline that has arrested a fall, and an effective means for a suspended worker to summon help. Keep inspection logs and training records; our risk management team can help you build that file. They are the first documents a claims adjuster or Ministry inspector will ask for.
The scenarios below are hypothetical. They reflect the patterns underwriters ask about on window cleaning applications.
| Hypothetical scenario | What went wrong | Policy that responds |
|---|---|---|
| Squeegee falls from the eighth floor and cracks a windshield below | Tool not tethered | CGL property damage, if the height is within your policy |
| Scraper leaves permanent scratches on tempered glass in a new condo | Blade used on coated glass | Disputed; damage to the glass you were working on may fall under faulty workmanship exclusions |
| Water forced past a failed seal soaks a tenant's flooring | High-pressure rinse on an old window | CGL property damage |
| Ladder slides on wet interlock and damages a client's vehicle | Ladder not footed or secured | CGL property damage |
| Pedestrian walks under a suspended stage and is struck by a dropped bucket | No barrier at street level | CGL bodily injury, often with the building owner as co-defendant |
| Worker falls from a ladder and breaks a leg | Injury to your own worker | Workers' compensation where it applies; CGL excludes it |
Glass scratching claims are common in this class. Document existing scratches and fabrication debris before you start, and test cleaning methods on new construction glass in a small area first.
Most window cleaning claims are third-party property damage: cars below the work, landscaping, interiors soaked by water and the glass itself. CGL pays for damage your work causes to other property. Damage to the specific part of the property you were working on, such as a scratched pane, may fall under a faulty workmanship or your work exclusion, depending on the wording. Read it before you take on new construction cleans, where expensive glass and fabrication debris make scratches more likely.
Building owners and property managers will expect you to protect the public. Barriers, warning signs and tethered tools are not only safety measures. They are the evidence that wins a defence. Our guided tour of the CGL policy wording explains the exclusions that decide these claims.
Commercial and high-rise work is won through contracts, and contracts set your insurance. Property managers and condominium corporations usually ask for:
Our post on why every contract asks for a certificate of insurance explains each clause. Janitorial firms that subcontract window cleaning should collect your certificate; see our janitorial insurance page.
Falls make window cleaning a high-hazard class for workers' compensation. Every province runs a board, and its industry classification sets your rates and whether owners must be covered. In Ontario, Reg. 859 registration asks for your WSIB firm and rate numbers. Confirm your registration obligations with your provincial board before you hire. Our post WSIB is not enough explains why liability and employer's liability still sit on top of workers' compensation.
Equipment is the other asset to protect. Water-fed pole systems, pure water units, ladders and rope access kits are expensive and live in vans. Published Canadian tool floater wordings cover theft from an unattended vehicle only after forced entry into a locked, fully enclosed body or compartment. Ladders on an open roof rack may not meet that condition, so discuss it when we set up the floater.
Window cleaning liability is usually rated on revenue or payroll, with the maximum working height as the biggest single factor. Ground-level and ladder work rates much lower than suspended or rope access work.
The wider market is favourable for buyers. Marsh put overall Canadian commercial insurance rates down 6% in the third quarter of 2026. Height work is still a specialist class, so the number of insurers willing to quote narrows as your maximum height rises.
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This page is general information, not insurance or legal advice. Coverage depends on your policy wording and the insurer. Speak with a licensed broker about your situation.
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