Oven cleaner insurance: key facts
- Public liability is not a legal requirement for a sole-trader oven cleaner, but most customers, letting agents and franchises expect it.
- Many standard policies exclude damage to the item you are working on. Look for cover that includes the ovens, hobs and range cookers you clean.
- Oven cleaner insurance for a sole trader costs roughly £60 to £300 a year, depending on the extras you add (rough guide, including IPT).
- Employers' liability is a legal requirement once you employ anyone, with at least £5 million of cover.
- You must not disconnect or reconnect a gas cooker unless you are Gas Safe registered, under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.
- Using your van for oven cleaning needs business use on your motor insurance, and the insurer should know about the fitted dip tank.
- Franchise owners should check exactly what the franchise's policy covers before buying their own.
What does oven cleaner insurance cover?
Oven cleaner insurance is a bundle of covers rather than one fixed policy. The core parts are public liability (injury or damage to customers and the public) and cover for damage to the appliances you clean. Most oven cleaners also add cover for their dip tank, tools and customers' keys.
| Cover | What it protects | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Public liability | Claims from customers or the public for injury or damage to property, for example caustic solution marking a kitchen floor or a child touching a hot part you left exposed. | Every oven cleaner. This is the core of any policy. |
| Damage to property worked upon | The oven, hob, extractor or range cooker you are cleaning, for example cracked door glass, a broken thermostat or a damaged element. | Every oven cleaner. Many basic policies exclude it, so ask for it by name. |
| Dip tank and equipment cover | Your heated dip tank, steam cleaner, tools and stock if they are stolen, damaged or lost, including from your van. | Anyone with a fitted tank or expensive kit. |
| Key cover | The cost of replacing locks and keys if you lose a customer's house key. | Anyone who holds keys or cleans while customers are out. |
| Employers' liability | Claims from your staff if they are injured or made ill at work, for example a chemical burn or a back injury. | A legal requirement as soon as you employ anyone, including part-time help. |
| Personal accident | A payment if you are injured and can't work, for example after a caustic burn or a back injury from lifting oven parts. | Sole traders with no sick pay to fall back on. |
| Business vehicle use | Using your van to travel to jobs and carry the dip tank and chemicals. | Every mobile oven cleaner. Arranged through your motor insurer, not the oven cleaning policy. |
"Property worked upon" and "faulty workmanship" exclusions
- Property worked upon is the item you are working on: the oven, hob, extractor hood or range cooker. Some policies exclude it, others cover it up to a set limit.
- Faulty workmanship is the cost of putting right a job done badly, such as a wrongly refitted door seal. Policies rarely pay to redo the work, but may pay for damage it caused, such as a scorched worktop.
Damage to the customer's floor or cupboards is usually standard public liability. Damage to the oven itself is where policies differ.
Is oven cleaning insurance a legal requirement?
If you work alone, oven cleaning insurance is not a legal requirement. Once you employ anyone, even one part-timer, employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement, with at least £5 million of cover. Employers without it can be fined up to £2,500 for every day they are uninsured.
In practice, it is very hard to run an oven cleaning business without insurance:
- Customers ask for it. You are using strong chemicals in their kitchen, often on an expensive cooker.
- Letting agents and landlords require it. End-of-tenancy work often needs £1 million to £5 million of public liability.
- Franchises require it, either through a block policy or one you buy.
- One claim can be expensive. A damaged range cooker or marked stone floor can cost thousands.
Employers' liability is required across Great Britain under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969. Northern Ireland has its own equivalent law with the same basic requirement.
How much does oven cleaner insurance cost?
Oven cleaner insurance for a sole trader costs roughly £60 to £300 a year. Public liability alone sits at the lower end; adding dip tank, tools and key cover takes you towards the top. Businesses with staff pay more because of employers' liability. These are rough guide figures and include Insurance Premium Tax at 12%.
| Typical set-up | Rough guide price per year |
|---|---|
| Sole trader, public liability only | £60 to £160 |
| Sole trader adding dip tank, tools and key cover | £130 to £300 |
| Oven cleaning business with staff (adds employers' liability) | £350 to £800 |
Your price depends on:
- Your level of public liability cover. £1 million, £2 million and £5 million are common. Letting agents and commercial clients may insist on a minimum.
- The limit for damage to appliances you work on. A higher limit for range cookers and AGA-style cookers costs more.
- The value of your dip tank and kit.
- Extras and staff, such as key cover, personal accident and employers' liability.
- Other services, such as commercial kitchen or BBQ cleaning, and your claims history.
What to check before buying oven cleaning business insurance
Two oven cleaning business insurance policies at the same price can cover very different things. Check these points in the policy wording before you buy, especially the cover for appliances you work on.
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Property worked upon | If it is excluded, damage to the oven or hob you are cleaning is not covered at all. |
| Limit for appliances | A low limit may not cover a high-end range cooker or an AGA-style cooker. |
| Heat and chemical exclusions | Some policies restrict cover for work involving heat or corrosive substances. Make sure dip tank work is included. |
| Gas and electrical work exclusions | Many policies exclude disconnecting or reconnecting appliances unless you are qualified to do it. |
| Tools in vehicles | Theft from an unattended van is often only covered if the van is locked, or not covered overnight. |
| Key cover limit | Changing the locks for several customers after losing a key ring adds up quickly. |
| Excess | The amount you pay towards each claim. On appliance damage, it can be higher than the standard excess. |
Rules oven cleaners should know about
The main rules for oven cleaners cover gas appliances, electrical work and hazardous chemicals. Breaking them can put customers at risk and may give your insurer grounds to refuse a claim, because many policies exclude work done unlawfully or by someone not qualified to do it.
Gas cookers
Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, anyone who works on a gas fitting for payment must be Gas Safe registered. Disconnecting and reconnecting a gas cooker counts as work on a gas fitting. If you are not Gas Safe registered:
- Clean gas hobs and ovens in place, without breaking any gas connection.
- If the cooker needs pulling out, the customer should book a Gas Safe engineer.
- If you smell gas, stop work and tell the customer to call the gas emergency number.
Northern Ireland has its own equivalent gas safety regulations, and Gas Safe registration is required there too.
Electric cookers
Hard-wired electric cookers carry their own risks. Isolate the appliance before you work and only do what you are competent to do. Disconnecting a cooker is electrical work, and a poor reconnection can cause a fire or a shock. If you are not qualified, leave it to an electrician.
Chemicals and the dip tank
Most professional oven cleaning uses a heated dip tank of caustic, alkaline solution. Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH), you should:
- Do a COSHH assessment for each product, using the safety data sheet from the supplier.
- Wear PPE: chemical-resistant gloves and eye protection. Caustic solution can cause serious burns.
- Keep children and pets out of the kitchen, and protect floors with sheets.
- Keep the tank lid secure in transit and plan for spills in the van.
Your van
Driving to jobs and carrying the tank is business use. Your motor insurance must include it, and you should declare the fitted dip tank as a modification. The van policy usually won't cover the tank and tools themselves; they need equipment cover.
Common claims for oven cleaners
Most oven cleaner insurance claims come from damage to the appliance being cleaned, chemical damage to the kitchen, and lost keys. Here are realistic examples of the claims oven cleaners make.
- Cracked door glass. An inner glass panel slips while you refit it and cracks on the worktop. Covered only if your policy includes property worked upon.
- Broken thermostat or element. A fan element or thermostat probe is damaged when you remove or refit it, and the oven needs an engineer.
- Marked kitchen floor. Caustic solution drips from a rack you are carrying and stains a solid wood, vinyl or natural stone floor.
- Range or AGA-style cooker damage. Enamel is chipped during cleaning, with a high repair bill.
- Injury to a customer or their child. Someone touches a chemical-coated part or a hot tank component and is burned.
- Lost keys. You lose a customer's key after a job done while they were at work, and the locks need changing.
Oven cleaning franchise insurance: what you need to check
If you run an oven cleaning franchise, the franchisor may provide a block insurance policy or require you to buy set covers yourself. Check exactly what the franchise policy covers before you assume you are fully insured.
Ask the franchisor for the policy schedule and wording, and check:
- Whether you are named on the policy.
- The public liability limit and whether damage to appliances you work on is included.
- Your van, tank and tools. These are often your responsibility, not the franchise's.
- Employers' liability. If you take on staff, you are usually the employer and need your own policy.
- Personal accident, which franchise policies rarely include.
A broker can fill any gaps without you paying twice for the same cover.
Starting an oven cleaning business: checklist
Before your first paid job, register your business, get insured, sort your van cover and put basic safety paperwork in place. These steps cover the essentials.
- Register as self-employed with HMRC, or set up a limited company.
- Get trained in dip tank safety and refitting oven parts.
- Get insured: public liability including damage to appliances you work on, equipment cover for your tank and tools, and key cover.
- Add business use to your van insurance and declare the fitted tank.
- Write your COSHH assessments and keep the safety data sheets in the van.
- Set your rules on gas and electrics. Decide what you will and won't do, and don't disconnect gas appliances unless you are Gas Safe registered.
- Take before and after photos of each appliance to record existing damage.
- Add employers' liability before you take on any help.
Why use a broker rather than buying online?
Off-the-shelf online policies suit some oven cleaners. A broker is useful when you need cover for the appliances you work on, a fitted dip tank, staff, or franchise requirements, because these are the areas where cheap policies often fall short.
Online cleaning policies are often written for domestic cleaners and may exclude heat, corrosive chemicals or property worked upon. A broker who arranges cover for oven cleaners can compare insurers, explain exclusions and help if you claim.
For a wider guide to every type of business cover, see our small business insurance guide.
Related guides
Oven cleaner insurance: frequently asked questions
Is oven cleaner insurance a legal requirement in the UK?
Public liability insurance is not a legal requirement for a sole-trader oven cleaner, but most customers, letting agents and franchises expect it. Employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement as soon as you employ anyone, with at least £5 million of cover.
How much does oven cleaner insurance cost?
As a rough guide, oven cleaner insurance for a sole trader costs roughly £60 to £300 a year, including Insurance Premium Tax at 12%. Businesses with staff pay more because employers' liability is added.
Does public liability insurance for oven cleaners cover damage to the oven I'm cleaning?
Not always. Many public liability policies exclude damage to property worked upon, which for an oven cleaner means the oven or hob itself. Ask for cover that includes the appliances you work on and check the limit is high enough for range cookers.
Am I covered if I crack an oven door glass?
Only if your policy covers damage to property worked upon, or appliances being cleaned. If it doesn't, you would usually pay for the replacement yourself.
Can I disconnect a gas cooker to clean behind it?
No, not unless you are Gas Safe registered. Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, disconnecting and reconnecting a gas cooker for payment is gas work. Many insurers will refuse claims arising from gas work you weren't qualified to do.
Can I disconnect an electric cooker to clean it?
Only if you are competent to do it safely. Disconnecting a hard-wired cooker is electrical work and a poor reconnection can cause a fire or shock. If you are not qualified, leave it connected.
Does oven cleaning insurance cover my dip tank?
Not automatically. Public liability does not cover your own equipment. You need equipment or tools cover on your business policy, and you should check whether it covers the tank while it is in the van overnight.
Do I need to tell my van insurer about my dip tank?
Yes. Driving to oven cleaning jobs is business use, and a fitted dip tank is a modification. If you don't declare both, your motor insurer could refuse or reduce a claim. The van policy usually won't cover the tank itself, so insure it separately as equipment.
Do I need a COSHH assessment as an oven cleaner?
Yes, in most cases. Caustic dip tank solution and many oven cleaning products are hazardous substances, so the COSHH Regulations 2002 apply to employers and to self-employed people whose work could put others at risk.
What is oven cleaning franchise insurance?
It is the insurance you need to run an oven cleaning franchise. Some franchisors provide a block policy, while others require you to buy set covers yourself. Check whether you are named on the policy and whether your van and tank are covered.
Am I covered if I lose a customer's keys?
Only if you have key cover. It pays to replace locks and keys if you lose a customer's key, for example after cleaning while they were at work.
What happens if a customer's child or pet is hurt by my cleaning chemicals?
Public liability insurance normally covers injury to customers, their family and visitors, including pets in some policies, as long as you followed the policy conditions.