Las Vegas House Cleaning

A trade Nevada does not license

Cleaning is not contracting. NRS 624 covers building, altering and repairing structures, so the Nevada State Contractors Board neither licenses nor tests house cleaners — there is no exam, no recovery fund and no license number to look up. The one edge worth knowing: fire or water damage restoration that tears out and rebuilds drywall or flooring does cross into licensed contracting. Ordinary cleaning does not, which means the vetting here falls to you.

What is required is duller but checkable. Anyone conducting business in Nevada needs a state business license from the Secretary of State — $200 a year for most entities, $500 for corporations — plus a license from each jurisdiction they work in. The valley has five: unincorporated Clark County, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City. A company cleaning across the whole valley may hold several.

“Bonded and insured” is a marketing phrase, not a regulatory status; Nevada requires no bond of a cleaner. The two things behind it are different. A janitorial or fidelity bond reimburses you if an employee steals — and many pay only after a criminal conviction, which is a high bar for a missing watch. General liability insurance covers the likelier event: the knocked-over television, the acid cleaner on a stone counter. Ask for a certificate of insurance naming coverages and limits rather than accepting the phrase.

The coverage that protects you most is the one Nevada does mandate. Under the Nevada Industrial Insurance Act a business must carry industrial insurance for the people it employs (NRS 616B.612) — that is what stands between you and a claim when someone is hurt in your home. Companies often answer that their cleaners are independent contractors. In this trade that rarely holds: Nevada’s test (NRS 616B.603) requires both that the worker runs a genuinely independent enterprise and that the hiring business is not in the same trade. A cleaning company hiring cleaners fails the second half. The Nevada Division of Industrial Relations publishes the coverage rules.

What hard water and desert dust do to the job

The Las Vegas Valley Water District puts valley tap water at 291 parts per million, about 17 grains per gallon — “very hard” on the LVVWD’s own scale. Every droplet that dries leaves its minerals behind, so glass, chrome and tile rebuild a film continuously. That is a maintenance reality, not a sign the last clean was bad.

Here is the distinction worth having before you are disappointed. A recurring clean removes soap scum and fresh mineral film. It does not remove etching. Where hard water has been drying on untreated shower glass for years, the minerals have pitted the surface itself; restoring it is polishing work, priced separately, and sometimes the glass is simply replaced. No cleaner scrubs that out, and one who promises to is telling you what you want to hear.

Dust is what separates a recurring clean from a deep clean here. Fine wind-blown desert dust loads ceiling fan blades, vent registers, plantation shutters, baseboards and window tracks far faster than it would elsewhere. Ask which of those sit in the recurring price and which are deep-clean line items — that single question explains most of the gap between two quotes.

Move-out cleans and your deposit

The most common reason people book a one-off deep clean in this valley is a move-out, so it is worth knowing what the law actually permits. NRS 118A.242 caps the deposit — including any surety bond and any prepaid last month’s rent — at three months’ rent, and requires the landlord to give an itemized written accounting and return the balance no later than 30 days after the tenancy ends.

Read the deduction rule closely, because it is widely misquoted. The statute allows unpaid rent, the cost of repairing damage the tenant caused “other than normal wear”, and “the reasonable costs of cleaning the premises”. The normal-wear limit attaches to the damage, not to the cleaning: cleaning only has to be reasonable. A professional move-out clean with an itemized receipt is the practical answer, because it makes an unreasonable charge visible.

Check the lease as well. The same section permits a separate nonrefundable cleaning charge in a reasonable amount where it was agreed up front. If you have already paid one, the 30-day accounting is what shows you were not charged for the same work twice.

Frequently asked questions

Does a house cleaning company need a license in Nevada?

Not a contractor's license - cleaning is not construction, so the Nevada State Contractors Board does not license or test it, and there is no license number to verify. What is required is a Nevada state business license from the Secretary of State plus a business license from each valley jurisdiction the company works in. Fire or water damage restoration that tears out and rebuilds structure is different and does need a licensed contractor.

What does bonded and insured actually mean?

Two different things, and Nevada requires neither of a cleaner. A janitorial or fidelity bond reimburses you if an employee steals, and many such bonds pay only after a criminal conviction. General liability insurance covers accidental damage, which is far more likely to be what you need. The coverage Nevada does mandate is industrial insurance for employees. Ask for a certificate of insurance listing coverages and limits instead of accepting the phrase.

Why does my shower glass stay cloudy after a cleaning?

Valley tap water is very hard, about 291 parts per million, so minerals stay behind every time a droplet dries. Routine cleaning removes the fresh film, but water left on untreated glass for years etches the surface, and etching is polishing or restoration work rather than cleaning. Squeegeeing after each use and sealing the glass slow down how fast it comes back.

Can a landlord take cleaning costs out of my security deposit in Nevada?

Yes. NRS 118A.242 allows deductions for unpaid rent, repair of tenant-caused damage beyond normal wear, and the reasonable costs of cleaning the premises - reasonableness is the only test applied to the cleaning. The landlord must provide an itemized written accounting and return the balance within 30 days after the tenancy ends, and the deposit including any prepaid last month's rent cannot exceed three months' rent.