Contents or business contents · working from home · sub-limit
Insuring business contents through Avéro Achmea
Anyone working at home or in an extension usually assumes that their home contents insurance also covers the laptop, the equipment and the stock of the business. That is precisely where policies draw a line.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Inventaris verzekeren via Avéro Achmea.
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.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
- 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 insurance covers items you use for your work: equipment, furniture, tools, fittings and stock. A home contents insurance covers your household goods. Finass arranges cover through providers including Avéro Achmea and sets the proposal objectively alongside that of more than thirty companies. Which policy you need does not depend on where the items are but on what you use them for.
Contents conditions almost always contain a provision about items used for a profession or business. Sometimes these are excluded entirely. More often a low sub-limit applies, intended for a single work laptop and not for a complete workplace, a stock of webshop items or a set of photographic equipment. If your work moves to a shed, a garage or a garden room, there is also the question of whether that space counts as part of the home under the conditions; outbuildings usually have their own, lower maximum.
If you work from home on a structural basis, that is a circumstance the insurer wants to know about. The duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code applies at inception of the insurance, and Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code determines what happens if it later turns out that the risk was different from what was declared: the payment can be reduced or lapse. For activities with a clearly increased fire risk, such as charging battery packs, soldering or working with paint and solvents, an insurer may set additional requirements or decline the risk.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare business contents insurance.
What to look out for
Four questions that determine whether your work equipment at home is insured.
The line is drawn by use, not by the room
A desk at which you also do your household paperwork remains contents. A second monitor, a printer, a sewing machine or an espresso machine you generate turnover with is business equipment. When handling a claim, insurers look at invoices and accounts: if it is recorded as a business asset in your books, it is treated as a business asset.
Stock in the home changes the risk
Boxes of trading goods in a bedroom or shed increase both the fire load and the attraction for burglars. Almost no contents policy is designed for that. State how much is there on average and at most. On business contents and goods cover, stock is settled at what you paid for it, not at the price you would sell it for.
Customers or pupils on the premises
If a visitor trips over your threshold, the question is whether they came as a private guest or as a customer. Personal liability insurance excludes liability connected with a profession or business. That claim runs through Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code and belongs on a public and employers' liability insurance.
What appears on neither policy
Cash and negotiable paper carry at most a token amount under business contents cover. Files, software and customer data are not property and are not paid for, even where the computer is replaced; there is a cyber insurance. And damage from wear and tear, inherent defect or slowly penetrating damp falls outside the cover on both policies.
What does your premium depend on?
- Value of the business items: what it costs to buy everything again
- Nature of the work done at home: administrative work weighs differently from processing or storage
- Space in which you work: home, extension, garage or detached outbuilding
- Stock present: quantity and type of goods in the home
- Security of the home: locks and fittings, smoke alarms and an alarm system
- Cover and excess chosen: fire and storm only, or theft and damage as well
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
Which policy covers your work equipment at home
| Situation | Home contents insurance (inboedelverzekering) | Business contents insurance |
|---|---|---|
| A fire in the garden room housing your workshop. The machinery is lost | No | Yes |
| Your work laptop disappears in a burglary with signs of forced entry at the back door | Provided that | Yes |
| A burst pipe damages the washing machine and the floor covering in the living room | Yes | No |
| A pallet of webshop stock in the shed is lost in a fire | No | Yes |
| The roof of that same shed has to be repaired after storm damage | No | No |
| The turnover you lose in the weeks you are unable to work | No | No |
When a claim arises, the insurer looks at what you use an item for, not at the room it stood in.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
My company laptop was at home and has been stolen. Who pays?
That depends on who owns it and on your policy. If the laptop belongs to your employer, he claims on his own business cover. If it is yours and you use it for your business, it falls under the provision for professional items and a low sub-limit usually applies on the contents policy. Without signs of forced entry, theft is also almost never paid for.
Do I have to report that I work from home?
Yes, if it is more than occasional home working for an employer. A practice at home, a studio, storage or receiving customers changes the risk the insurer assessed. If you do not declare it, the insurer can rely on Articles 7:928 and 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code when you claim and reduce or refuse payment.
Can I keep everything on one policy?
With a small workplace and a limited value, an extension to the home contents insurance is sometimes enough. As soon as there is stock, customers come to the premises or the equipment represents a real replacement value, separate business cover is clearer. You then avoid argument about which items belong in which category.
Will I be paid replacement value as new or market value?
Business assets are in principle settled at replacement value as new. If a device has fallen so far in value that it drops below the limit stated in the conditions, or you no longer used it, the market value applies. You never receive more than your actual loss: Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code prohibits insurance leaving you better off than you were before.
Read more
Within Inventarisverzekering
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