Are you getting ready to hire a professional service to come to your house and do work? Regardless of what type of service you are hiring (Window Cleaning, Power Washing, Solar Panel Cleaning, Construction, Landscaping, etc) you should ALWAYS ask these three questions. Not asking these three questions could cost you a lot of money.
1) Do you have a business license?
Any company that is doing business should have a valid business license. If the person you are about to hire is not able to supply you with a copy of their business license there is a good chance they are not quite as legit as you may have thought.
2) Do you carry General Liability Insurance?
It is important that whoever you select carries a minimum of a $1,000,000 general liability insurance policy. This is key to making sure that you are protected against anything that they may do while on your property. Window Cleaning can be an inherently dangerous activity. If you choose a company that is not properly insured, you can end up getting stuck with the bill should they accidently cause damage to your neighbor's house or someone walking by. Don't just take their word for it. Ask them to supply you with a certificate of insurance. (extra points if you have them add you as an additional insured). Any business that has the proper coverage should be able to supply you with this information.
3) Do you carry Worker's Compensation Coverage?
Many homeowner's policies contain some type of coverage for occasional workers and you can always check with your broker to see if you have this coverage, but do you really want to be the one responsible if a worker hurts themselves on your property? Like we said before, Window Cleaning and Solar Panel Cleaning can be an inherently dangerous activity. If the person you are hiring is properly insured they should be able to have their carrier send you proof of their policy. We don't suggest letting anyone work on your property without make sure they have the proper coverage.