How to vet a cleaning service in New York

Insurance is the question that matters

General liability insurance covers damage to your home. Workers' compensation covers injury to the cleaner while they are in it. Without the second one, an injury in your apartment can become your financial problem, and most renters' and homeowners' policies are unhelpful about this.

Ask directly whether they carry both, and whether they can send a certificate of insurance. A legitimate company produces one without friction, because they do it constantly for building managers. Hesitation or a vague answer is the answer.

Employees or contractors

Companies using W-2 employees generally screen, train, and supervise them, and the company carries the insurance. Companies routing work to independent contractors are a booking layer, and the coverage question moves to each individual cleaner.

Neither model is automatically worse. Plenty of excellent cleaners in New York work independently. But you should know which one you are hiring, because it determines who is accountable when something goes wrong.

Reading reviews without being misled

A star average on its own is a weak signal. A 4.9 from twelve reviews tells you much less than a 4.4 from four hundred.

Read the three-star reviews. They tend to be the most specific and the most honest, because the writer has no reason to exaggerate in either direction.

Look for patterns. Any company with volume has an angry review. What matters is whether the same complaint repeats: cleaners arriving late, scope creeping, a different person every visit, or nobody answering the phone after payment.

Check how the company replies to criticism. A defensive or boilerplate response to a specific, detailed complaint tells you what a dispute with them would feel like.

Before the first visit

• Confirm in writing what is included and what costs extra
• Confirm how long the visit is booked for and what happens if it runs over
• Confirm the cancellation window and the fee
• Ask whether the same cleaner comes each time
• Agree how they get in: buzzer, doorman, lockbox, or key handoff
• If you hand over a key, write down who holds it

Getting the same person each visit matters more than most people expect. A rotating cast means re-explaining your preferences every time, and it is the most common reason people quietly stop using a service.

See insured, background-checked cleaners