I have recently began jumping through the many hoops to start a Power Washing/Soft Washing business in MD. However, I am unable to find much information on what licenses are needed, and have some insurance questions.
My questions are as follows:
Do I need a Maryland Business License, Home Improvement Commission License, neither, or both? (I do plan to use SH for softwashing)
What company do you recommend for insurance? Bibek quoted me at $5500 p.y. (seems very high. And NEXT quoted me around $3600 p.y. (still seems a bit high compared to what I’ve been reading
I often see “Bonded & Insured” How important is it to be bonded? After a little research it appears to only be needed for very large jobs/commercial. Planning to stick to mainly residential in the beginning.
It’s going to vary based upon your age, years of experience, which state and a host of other things like…what exactly is it you are wanting to be covered for…? Again, pick up the phone, get online, jump through the hoops.
If your state requires you to collect and remit sales tax you will probably need a vendors lciense… there is no other license that I know of for the industry, maybe mold remediation if you want to use the “M” word in advertising. You can get other certifications and classes to help improve your knowledge, but it’s not required for most states.
Shop around and search this site, there are a handful of companies that people use here and usually after the first year or two without claims the rates drop dramatically. You could also start with something like Thimble and just pay for insurance per job and then once you cross the threshold where it makes more sense to pay monthly/yearly as a cost saving measure find a insurance company once established.
Bonded and Insured resonates with older generations. They just want to know that your works is backed and guaranteed… either through you or a third party… I’ve seen plenty claiming to be “bonded & insured” but when I looked into it I just didn’t see the logic to paying for it, I have had no kickback from customers by not being bonded… your mileage may vary.
I’m in Louisville, pay about $400/mo which covers all PW/WC insurance, vehicles and equipment. Broker has me with Erie, other famous’ pressure washer’ insurance companies weren’t a good fit.
