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Don't Invite This Business Into Your Home!

By Holly Christy November 4, 2021

I'm prompted to share this article again after learning about a terrible incident that happened here in our community recently. In a nutshell, a member of a cleaning crew was badly injured while cleaning someone's home. Her employer isn't fully insured for workman's comp claims, and the injured cleaner is now suing the homeowner! It's not worth saving a few dollars by hiring uninsured, unlicensed workers.


You've seen them posting in all the local Facebook groups. Maybe there was a flyer up at Starbucks or a business card stuck in your mailbox. It's a cleaning service or a painter or a landscaper or any other sort of home improvement service with a price that seems too good to be true. You never considered hiring that work out, but once you saw how reasonable their price was ... well ... it seemed worth a try. What do you have to lose?

A lot! Unfortunately, many of these services are out there operating without being fully and legally licensed, bonded, or insured. It's how they keep their costs down, and how they're able to offer their services so cheaply. But it's a major violation and can leave you, as the homeowner, with no recourse if something goes wrong. Or worse, if that service provider happened to get injured while working on your property, you could even be liable for damages! It's SUPER important that you make sure anyone you bring in to work on your home in any capacity has all the proper licensing, bonding, and insurance.

Let me tell you about my own experience working with a local business who makes sure that they are fully covered against any incidents. You know I've been a client of Maryland Gleam Team for several years. They do phenomenal work cleaning my home, they're responsive, flexible, and pay close attention to detail. But once, years ago, one of the crew accidentally broke a crystal champagne flute while cleaning my kitchen. It could have happened to anybody, and I wasn't upset about it at all. Nevertheless, Maryland Gleam Team's Owner Melany Knott insisted that this is exactly why they carry a huge insurance policy and why they are fully bonded - because no matter what, if there's an accident on their watch, she's going to make it right. She tracked down the same crystal champagne flute at Macy's and sent me not one but TWO. Just like the way they clean above and beyond what's expected, her level of customer service exceeded my expectations too.

Melany explained to me, after that incident, that it's tough for businesses who pay a fortune for full insurance coverage to compete with the small one or two person teams who have an unbeatable price but no safety net. But when you consider what could have happened if it was a big screen TV that got broken, or a window, or some other majorly expensive item - then it's a no-brainer. Hiring a crew that's cheap but isn't fully bonded and insured is a giant risk. And it's just not worth it! For an immaculate clean and service that will exceed your expectations, call or text Melany for a free estimate: 301-305-9814!