There is a retention requirement for your tax records, and for your insurance the requirement is practically the same. After a theft or fire the loss adjuster asks for purchase invoices, serial numbers and photographs in order to establish ownership and value. Digital copies are usually enough, provided they are not solely on the device that was stolen or burnt. Keep them away from the business premises.

At the outset on the basis of your annual figures, and when paying again on the basis of the records for the preceding years. A separate business account makes that easier, because income from the business is immediately visible. If your actual income differs greatly from the sum insured, report it; a sum insured that is too high does not produce a higher payment.

No. Virtually every policy sets requirements on the time of day, on where the vehicle is kept and on signs of forced entry. Materials left in a van on the street overnight are usually excluded or covered only to a limited extent. Check the clause before you rely on it, and always report the theft to the police. Without a police report a theft claim rarely results in payment.

Report it before you start. The policy covers the insured capacity stated on the policy schedule, and work outside it is not insured, even though the same business invoices it. Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report changes in the risk. A new discipline often calls for different cover as well, for instance professional indemnity alongside public and employers' liability.