Tenant's improvements · clearance costs · outdoor storage
Business contents and goods insurance through a.s.r.
A business contents policy covers what stands within the walls. The items that create the gap after a major fire lie just outside them: your own fit-out, the removal of the rubble and everything standing on the site.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Inventaris- en goederenverzekering via a.s.r..
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The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert.nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
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- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
A business contents and goods insurance pays for material damage to your business assets and your stock. Finass arranges cover through providers including a.s.r., which we apply to for SME risks where business contents, building and liability run in one commercial package. We compare that objectively with the offering of more than thirty companies; the choice follows from your cover requirements and the conditions, not from the name on the policy schedule.
The item most often missing from this policy is tenant's improvements: everything you have had installed in rented premises that has become fixed to the structure. A suspended ceiling, a kitchenette, partition walls, floor coverings, an adapted electrical circuit or a shop frontage are legally part of the building and therefore do not automatically belong to your business contents. The owner insures the shell on his buildings insurance, and that covers the structure as he let it, not your investment in it. Also note Article 7:218 of the Dutch Civil Code: as a tenant you are presumed liable for damage to the property let, unless it cannot be attributed to you.
Two other items carry their own maximum. Clearance costs — demolition, removal and disposal of what is left standing after the fire — are usually capped at a percentage of the sum insured and cover only the rubble, not the cleaning of soil or water; there is a environmental damage insurance. And property outside the building, such as containers, pallets, a bicycle shelter, site lighting or fencing, is often covered only against fire and storm and not against theft or vandalism.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare business contents insurance.
What to look out for
Four items that only turn out to be missing after a loss.
What you have built yourself in the rented premises
Go through the fit-out you paid for when the lease began and add later alterations to it: air conditioning, an extraction system, data cabling, an insulated cold room. Have that amount put on the policy as the tenant's improvements section. Without that section you face the cost of a second fit-out after a fire, while the landlord only rebuilds the shell.
Clearing up costs more than you budget for
After a workshop has burnt out, the structure has to be demolished, sorted and removed. If the building contains asbestos-containing material, stricter rules apply and removal is considerably more laborious; most policies exclude asbestos removal or set a separate maximum for it. Check the percentage for clearance costs and whether it sits alongside or within the sum insured.
Everything standing on the site
Outdoor storage, wheeled bins, a shipping container used as a store, loading pits and site furniture do not automatically belong to the business contents. Some items in fact move to the buildings policy, such as solar panels on the roof and a fixed charging point. Decide for each object which policy it sits on, because an object declared on neither is insured by nobody.
Three groups that fall outside as standard
On almost every variant, cash, negotiable paper and third-party property remain uncovered, as do motor vehicles, trailers and plant with their own registration number. The policy also does not pay for damage arising from within: inherent defect, wear and tear, corrosion and the gradual effects of damp. Damage caused deliberately by the insured is excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
What does your premium depend on?
- Sum insured for business contents and goods — replacement value as new and cost price respectively
- Extent of the tenant's improvements — what you have had installed in the premises yourself
- Construction type and layout of the building — fire compartmentation and neighbouring occupiers
- Work involving fire or dust — welding, grinding, deep-frying or woodworking weigh heavily
- Security and detection — alarm class, response, firefighting equipment and inspection of the electrics
- Perils chosen and excess — from fire and storm only to extended cover
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
What is covered
| Situation | Extended | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| A fire in the meter cupboard in which the whole workshop fit-out is lost | Yes | Yes |
| A burglary with signs of forced entry in which your stock is taken | Yes | Yes |
| A forklift hits a racking unit and the goods fall and break on the floor | No | Yes |
| An employee knocks a case of measuring equipment off the workbench | No | Yes |
| The cold room fails because of a faulty thermostat and the stock spoils | No | Provided that |
| After months, your stock turns out to have been affected by damp in the warehouse | No | No |
Comprehensive cover mainly widens the cover for sudden accidents inside the building; damage arising from within remains excluded in both forms.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
I rent my business premises. What do I have to insure myself?
Your business contents and stock, and in addition the tenant's improvements: the fixed installations you have had put in yourself. The landlord insures the building as he made it available to you. Ask him which parts appear on his buildings policy, and you will know where his cover stops and yours has to begin.
Do clearance costs fall within or above the sum insured?
That differs per set of conditions and is worth checking. If they fall within the sum, clearing up eats into the amount you need to fit out again. If a separate percentage sits above the sum, the payment for the business contents stays intact. Remediation of soil or surface water falls outside this policy in both cases.
Are customers' items being worked on at my premises covered?
Not without a separate arrangement. Third-party property calls for its own item on the policy with a realistic maximum, for which you declare what is with you on average and at most. On the public and employers' liability insurance , the care, custody and control exclusion also applies to this, so that route does not work either without an extension.
What happens if I have to work elsewhere temporarily after a loss?
Business contents cover pays for the property, not for the detour. Hire of replacement premises, double transport costs and temporary equipment fall under an additional costs insurance; the loss of your gross profit under a business interruption insurance. Report the claim as soon as is reasonably possible, because Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to do so.
Read more
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