Construction all risks (CAR) insurance for structures through Nationale-Nederlanden
On structural work the risk is not the finishing but the load-bearing capacity. A mistake in the calculation costs more than a storm, and it is precisely that mistake which is excluded as standard.
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In brief
Structural works insurance is the heaviest variant within this type of policy: foundations, sheet piling, concrete and steel structures, floor fields and load-bearing structures. The damage is rarely small, because if something gives way the surrounding works almost always goes with it. What the cover provides in outline is set out on the hub page Construction all risks (CAR) insurance. Finass compares the offerings of more than thirty companies for this; Nationale-Nederlanden is one of them and comes into view for businesses that want the construction risk to fit with their other commercial policies.
On this type of work the discussion is almost always about the design and structural fault. Wrongly calculated reinforcement, a beam sized too lightly, incorrectly assumed ground conditions: as standard that is not an insured event. Insurers offer clauses for it that differ in scope. One pays only for the damage to the rest of the works; another also pays for replacing the defective component itself, less the cost of the improvement. Have that wording set out, because the difference determines whether a cracked floor is a repair or a reconstruction.
The second heavy element is the surroundings. Piling, vibrating, dewatering and excavating a pit have effects reaching into the adjoining buildings. Settlement and vibration damage next door is not damage to the works but liability, to be assessed under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code, and the owner of a defective building can also be held liable under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code. Have a structural survey of all buildings in the zone of influence carried out before work starts. Without a baseline survey it cannot be determined afterwards which crack came from your project, and you end up contributing to damage that was already there.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare construction all risks (CAR) insurance.
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Construction all risks (CAR) insurance
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What to look out for
Four subjects that determine the size of a claim on structural works.
Water in and around the excavation
Dewatering that fails, a leaking sheet pile wall or a pit that fills after heavy rain is one of the most expensive types of loss in groundworks. Check whether failure of dewatering and uplift are insured or are in fact excluded in as many words. Damage caused by flooding and the failure of a flood defence falls outside virtually every policy, including on work at or near water.
Temporary works are not the works
Formwork, props, sheet piling sections, lifting beams and scaffolding serve the works but are not part of it. They are only insured through a separate ancillary plant section, with limits of their own. If a propping frame fails and the concrete below goes with it, the concrete can be covered while the propping material itself is not. Put a realistic value for this plant on the policy schedule.
What is not paid out
Outside the cover are the cost of improving a faulty design, loss due to delay and contractual penalties where the completion date is exceeded, damage caused by earthquake, nuclear reaction and war conditions, asbestos and the remediation of contaminated soil. For the last of these there is separate environmental damage insurance. Intent and wilful recklessness fall away under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
The sum insured is the contract sum, not the loss
The sum insured follows from the contract value of the works, including materials supplied by the client and including associated costs. If additional work is agreed during construction, that amount belongs with it. If that does not happen, underinsurance arises and the insurer pays proportionately. So report additional work above the agreed threshold immediately.
What does your premium depend on?
- Contract sum including additional work: the basis for the sum insured on the works
- Construction method: precast, in-situ concrete or steel construction
- Soil and groundwater level: decisive for dewatering, sheet piling and settlement risk
- Adjoining properties: distance to existing buildings and their structural condition
- Clause chosen for design faults: the scope differs considerably by insurer
- Construction time and maintenance period: longer exposure means a higher risk
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Basic | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| A tower crane drops a precast wall element that shatters on the structure already erected | Yes | Yes |
| A freshly poured concrete floor cracks because frost sets in while it is curing | Provided that | Yes |
| Reinforcing steel disappears from the fenced site at night | Provided that | Yes |
| A lifted load swings and damages the roof edge of the client's existing building | No | Yes |
| The excavator hits a gas pipe that was not on the drawing | No | Provided that |
| An employee of the concrete supplier is injured because a handrail is missing | No | No |
The basic section covers the works itself; existing property and liability towards third parties are separate sections that you have to have included.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is a calculation error by the structural engineer covered on this policy?
Only with a clause for design and structural faults, and then usually limited to the consequential damage to the rest of the works. The liability of the consultancy itself runs through professional indemnity insurance, because a wrong calculation is a professional error. Ask for the structural engineer's certificate of insurance at the outset and record who is answerable for which part of the design.
Who pays for the damage to the neighbours' house?
That claim does not run through the works but through liability. The neighbours have to show that the damage was caused by your work, and a pre-work survey is decisive there. Without liability cover you bear both the loss and the costs of defending the claim. Report a claim in good time; Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires notification as soon as you are reasonably aware of it.
Does the cover continue during a stoppage?
Usually yes, but often subject to conditions: the works has to be closed off, made watertight and secured, and a long standstill has to be reported. An open excavation left unused for months is an increased risk of collapse, flooding and theft. Report the stoppage in writing and ask what preventive measures you have to arrange to keep the cover in place.
Can the client be insured as well?
Yes, and on larger works that is usual. The client, main contractor, subcontractors and sometimes the supervising engineer are then named as insured on one policy, which prevents recovery between them. Check whether the insurer waives recovery and who bears the excess; the latter is often passed down in specifications to the party that caused the loss.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare construction all risks (CAR) insuranceThe main page
- Construction all risks (CAR) insurance for building in the cityAdjoining properties, vibration, confined site
- Construction all risks (CAR) insurance for self-employed professionals (zzp'ers) working in existing buildingsExisting property, testing, contract sum
- Construction all risks (CAR) insurance for foundation workSettlement damage, piling, dewatering
- Temporary construction all risks (CAR) insuranceOne project, term, extension
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