Avéro Achmea · compared independently · advice from Finass
VvE liability insurance through Avéro Achmea
Liability insurance for a VvE catches the claims the association receives as the owner of the building and as an employer: from a facade panel coming loose to injury in the shared stairwell.
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.
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A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
A VvE (Dutch owners' association) is a legal entity and can therefore be held liable in its own right. For the communal parts the association carries the liability under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code: if someone is injured by a defective walkway railing or a falling piece of facade damages a parked car, the VvE is liable, even if the board knew nothing about the defect.
This policy is exclusively about loss suffered by third parties: visitors, passers-by, suppliers and owners acting as injured parties. The insurer pays the compensation and conducts the defence, even where the claim turns out to be unfounded. That defence is often the most expensive part of an injury case.
Do not confuse this cover with the other policies a VvE holds. Damage to the building itself falls under the buildings insurance for the VvE, and complaints against the board under the directors' and officers' liability insurance. Finass compares the form of cover offered by Avéro Achmea with that of other providers, looking in particular at the limit per claim and per year.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Basic cover
The basic cover insures the core of your VvE liability insurance. We show what Avéro Achmea and other insurers offer in it.
Injury to persons
Property damage to third parties
Employees included
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Extended cover
On top of that to damage to third parties, employers' and product liability and damage during work at the client's premises.
Employers' liability at the client's premises
Product liability
Agency workers, interns & volunteers
Care, custody and control (property in your care)
Complete package
The most complete cover. We compare Avéro Achmea's extended version with the market.
Environmental impairment (unforeseen, limited)
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Higher sums insured
What is covered
Situation
Standard
With extension
Your child breaks a window at the neighbours'
Yes
Yes
Your dog bites a passer-by (6:179 DCC)
Yes
Yes
Damage to a rented holiday home
Provided that
Provided that
Damage to property in your care (care, custody and control)
No
Provided that
Damage caused with a motor vehicle (Article 2 WAM)
No
No
Damage caused intentionally (7:952 DCC)
No
No
Personal liability insurance (AVP) covers damage that you or a member of your household cause to someone else in a private capacity. Damage caused with a motor vehicle is not covered: the WAM applies to that. The care, custody and control exclusion excludes damage to property in your care, unless the policy provides an extension for it.
What we do
What we do
At Finass
Direct with Avéro Achmea
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Sometimes
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Sometimes
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether Avéro Achmea is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The VvE is the owner of the building
Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code places liability for a defective structure with the owner. For the communal parts that is the owners jointly, represented in law by the VvE. If a visitor trips over a sunken paving slab at the entrance or a roof tile lands on a cyclist, the victim does not have to prove any fault. The defect and the link with the loss are enough. This policy pays the compensation and the cost of the defence.
Caretaker, cleaner and contractors engaged
If the association has people in its employment, Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Codeapplies: the VvE has to keep the workplace safe and carries the burden of proof if there is an accident. A caretaker who falls off a stepladder holds the association liable, not an individual owner. For the mistakes of subordinates, 6:170 DCCapplies. If maintenance is outsourced, a third party can still hold the VvE liable through 6:171 of the Dutch Civil Code alongside the contractor engaged.
What this policy does not pay
Damage to the association's own building is not liability but property damage and belongs with the buildings policy. Also outside the cover are: pure financial loss caused by decisions of the board or the general meeting, soil and water contamination for which there is environmental damage insurance, and damage caused with or by motor vehicles, which falls under the WAM. Loss caused deliberately is excluded on the basis of 7:952 DCC; fines and penalty payments are never insurable.
Report claims and disclose what you know
A claim has to be reported as soon as the board knows of it (Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code). A notice of liability by letter already counts; waiting until the writ arrives can cost the cover if the insurer has been prejudiced as a result. On the application, 7:928 DCCapplies: known defects in facades, balconies or walkway railings and current disputes have to be disclosed, even if the long-term maintenance plan only schedules the repair for some years ahead.
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Retroactive cover (prior risk) Included for your staff during work.
Defence & legal costs
What does your premium depend on?
Number of apartment rights. The size of the complex determines how many people walk through the communal parts each day.
Mixed use. Shops, hospitality or consulting rooms at ground level draw in people who do not live in the building.
Staff employed by the VvE. Having your own caretaker or cleaner brings employers' liability under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code with it.
Special communal facilities. A lift, car park, roof terrace or play equipment increase the number of possible accident situations.
Insured limit. The maximum per claim and per insurance year; injury cases run on for years.
Excess per claim. A higher excess keeps small notifications off the policy and brings the premium down.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your activities, turnover and wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
The law only requires a VvE to insure the building against fire. Liability cover is not required by law, but many deeds of division and model regulations do instruct the general meeting to insure against liability. Without a policy an injury claim comes straight out of the reserve fund and therefore out of all the owners' pockets.
Who exactly is insured?
The insured are the association as a legal entity, together with the board members and the staff where they are held liable in that capacity. The owners are covered for their share in the communal parts. For loss an owner causes in their private life, for instance a leaking washing machine in their own flat, it is their personal liability insurance that responds.
Does the policy cover water damage to the flat below?
That depends on the cause. If the water comes from a communal riser or a shared roof structure, the VvE can be liable and the claim is covered. If a pipe leaks behind the upstairs neighbour's own kitchen, that is their private liability. The deed of division determines exactly where the line between communal and private lies.
What if a defect has been known about for years?
Known defects have to be disclosed at the outset under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code. If a balcony renovation has been on the agenda for years without anything happening, the insurer can rely on that when loss arises from precisely that source. So record decisions about deferred maintenance in the minutes and report the situation on your application or at renewal.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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