Business contents
- At replacement value as new
- Fire, water and burglary
- Tenant's improvements separately
Beer dispense · glassware · the small hours
Business contents insurance for pubs and bars
In a bar the money is in the dispense system, the refrigeration under the counter and the fixed fit-out; the risk lies mainly in the hours when the public is inside.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Inventarisverzekering voor cafés.
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A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
The business contents of a bar consists of the dispense system with its pipework and cooling, the bar, the furniture, the lighting and sound system and the till. The goods cover the stock of drinks and the kegs. Glassware and small bar equipment belong there too and are almost always declared too low, because they turn over quickly.
What sets a bar apart from other hospitality businesses is the time of day. If you are open into the small hours, clauses appear on the policy about security, about supervision behind the bar and about banking the takings. If your closing time changes or you start offering dancing, the risk changes and you must report it; that touches on Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code and the consequences of this are set out in Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Excluded as standard remain terrace and garden furniture in the open air, guests' coats, bags and phones, money and negotiable paper, spoilage of kegs and chilled stock without the spoilage section, and glass breakage without a glass section. Wear and tear of bar stools and floor coverings is also not an insured loss.
What does business contents insurance cover for pubs and bars?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Goods
Trading stock, raw materials and finished products.
- Purchase value or cost price
- Declare seasonal peaks
- Spoilage as an extension
Extensions
What is excluded as standard.
- Third-party property
- Money and securities
- Business interruption
What is covered
| Situation | Business contents | Goods |
|---|---|---|
| Fire and smoke damage | Yes | Yes |
| Burglary with signs of forced entry | Yes | Yes |
| Water damage from a burst pipe | Yes | Yes |
| Customers' property being worked on | No | No |
| Spoilage due to refrigeration failure | Sometimes | Sometimes |
| Wear and deferred maintenance | No | No |
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Opening hours determine the clauses
For an insurer, a bar that closes at six is a different risk from one that is open until four in the morning. Late opening usually carries requirements about roller shutters, alarms, cameras behind the bar and about how and when the till is banked. If you change the hours or the nature of the business, report it in writing; an unreported change of use can affect payment.
Dispense system, beer cooling and the cellar
The cooling motor, the pipework, the carbon dioxide supply and the dispense fonts together form an expensive item that belongs at replacement value as new. Two things are often forgotten here: frost damage to pipes in a poorly heated cellar, and the fact that a cooling motor failing through inherent defect is not an insured peril. The latter is machinery breakdown, and the spoiled kegs fall under the spoilage section.
Glassware and small equipment grow unnoticed
Glasses, fridges behind the bar, dispense couplings, stools and poseur tables are topped up bit by bit and rarely counted again. The sum insured then dates from the year of the takeover while the fit-out has been extended twice since. With underinsurance, settlement is proportionate, so even minor water damage produces only partial payment. Go through your inventory list each year.
What is not included
Terrace furniture, parasols and heaters are outside and therefore fall outside the property cover for your premises. Guests' belongings are not your property, even if you hang them on the coat rack. Money in the till remains outside the cover, as does spoilage without the section and glass breakage without glass cover. Damage caused by staff falls under liability, not here.
What does your premium depend on?
- Closing time and night opening — Whether the public is in the premises at night weighs more heavily than the size of the business contents.
- Presence of a kitchen — A fryer or cooking line next to the bar changes the fire risk and therefore the risk class.
- Value of the dispense, cooling and sound systems — In a bar, the fixed installations form the largest part of the business contents item.
- Security after closing time — Roller shutter, alarm with a monitoring centre, camera surveillance and how the till is banked.
- Location of the building — A nightlife area, adjoining premises and a flat above weigh in acceptance.
- Sections chosen and the excess — Glass, spoilage and money are separate choices; the excess per event drives the premium.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your 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.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
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.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
Is my terrace furniture included?
Usually not. Property cover applies to what is inside the building. Furniture, parasols, heaters and screens standing permanently outside fall outside it, even if the terrace forms part of your lease. Some insurers offer a separate section for it, usually with a limit and with requirements about securing it or bringing it in after closing time. Ask about this expressly.
A guest wrecked the fit-out. Is that covered?
Wilful damage is covered in many policies where the perpetrator entered the premises unlawfully. With a guest you let in yourself, that usually does not apply. You can hold the person responsible liable under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code, but that is recovery and not cover. Record the damage with photographs and report it to the police.
Is spoilage of kegs and chilled stock covered?
Only with the spoilage section. It contains requirements about temperature monitoring and about the minimum duration of the failure, and often a distinction between a fault in your own refrigeration plant and a failure of the public supply. Without that section the policy does pay for the broken cooling motor if the peril is covered, but not for the contents that became unsaleable as a result.
Do I have to report that I am opening later?
Yes. Opening hours and the nature of the business are acceptance details. If you start closing later, programming music or offering dancing, the risk changes. Report that in writing to your insurer. If you do not, the insurer can rely on Articles 7:928 and 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code when you claim and reduce or refuse payment.
Read more
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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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This page was written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.