In a garage business there is at any moment more of the customers' value in the workshop than of your own, and those vehicles do not fall under your business contents.
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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 garage business consists of vehicle lifts, an alignment rig, tyre changer, diagnostic equipment, compressor, tool trolleys, any spray booth and the fit-out of the reception and workshop. The goods are parts, tyres, oil and consumables. Used cars you bought in yourself are trading stock and do not belong on this policy but on a garage insurance.
That distinction is the whole story in a garage. You have customers' cars in your in your care, and items in your care, custody and control are excluded on the public and employers' liability insurance. If you take a customer's car or a used car onto the road, the compulsory insurance requirement in Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) also applies and the question arises under which registration you are driving.
Also outside the cover of this policy remain: soil and environmental contamination from oil, brake fluid or coolant, machinery breakdown of a vehicle lift or compressor through inherent defect, wear and tear and deferred maintenance, and money from the till. Report claims within the period stated in the conditions; that follows from Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code.
What does business contents insurance cover for garage businesses?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Your business assets
Business contents
Machinery, equipment, furniture and fixed fittings.
At replacement value as new
Fire, water and burglary
Tenant's improvements separately
Stock
Goods
Trading stock, raw materials and finished products.
Purchase value or cost price
Declare seasonal peaks
Spoilage as an extension
Optional
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.
Customers' cars are in your care, not business contents
A car with you for repair, waiting on the site or just collected for servicing remains the customer's property. If the workshop burns down, your business contents insurance pays for your own property and not for the vehicles. A motor trade policy with a care, custody and control section is needed for that, with a limit matching the number of cars on a busy day, not the average.
Key management and theft without forced entry
In a garage, the keys to other people's cars hang on the board. If a vehicle disappears with its own key, there are no signs of forced entry and for almost every property policy that is a reason not to pay. Insurers therefore set requirements for a lockable key cabinet, for the number of keyholders and for recording key issue. Set that process down and stick to it.
Hot work, flammable liquids and the spray booth
Welding, grinding and flame cutting are, together with the storage of oil, brake cleaner and aerosols, the main causes of fire in a workshop. Insurers put clauses on this: a hot work regime with a follow-up inspection, a separate storage facility for flammable liquids, and a maintenance and filter regime for the spray booth. Anyone not complying with those requirements risks the insurer relying on them after a fire.
What is not included
Soil contamination and remediation costs after spilled oil belong on environmental damage insurance, not here. A vehicle lift that collapses through inherent defect is machinery breakdown, and the car that was on it is in your care. Used car stock, money in the till and wear and tear of tools also remain outside the cover. If the workshop stays shut for weeks after a fire, business interruption needed.
What does your premium depend on?
Nature of the work. Servicing, accident repair, spraying or dismantling each produce a different risk class.
Hot work and spray booth. Welding work, the presence of a booth and its maintenance weigh heavily.
Value of lifts and equipment. Vehicle lifts, alignment, diagnostic and tyre equipment form the bulk of the business contents.
Stock of parts, tyres and oil. Tyre storage and how flammable liquids are stored count separately.
Security of the workshop and outdoor area. Fencing, lighting, an alarm with a monitoring centre and management of the key cabinet.
Layout of the premises and excess. Separation between workshop, showroom and any flat above, plus the excess chosen.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
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.
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.
No. Business contents insurance covers your own business assets and stock. Customers' vehicles are in your care, custody and control; they belong on a motor trade policy with care, custody and control cover. On your liability insurance, items in your care are in fact excluded. Choose a limit matching the maximum number of vehicles in the workshop and on the site at the same time.
Do my used cars fall under the goods item?
Not on this policy. Motor vehicles are excluded from ordinary goods cover, even if you bought them in to resell. Trading stock belongs on a motor trade policy, which also sets out how you may take to the road on trade plates. Do not forget the compulsory insurance requirement in Article 2 WAM for vehicles taking part in traffic.
A vehicle lift has collapsed. What does this policy pay for?
In principle nothing, because a lift collapsing through inherent defect or wear and tear is machinery breakdown and not an insured peril. The damage to the car on it falls under care, custody and control and therefore under the motor trade policy. Keep the statutory inspection of lifting equipment up to date. An expired inspection makes both the claim settlement and any liability claim considerably harder.
Is spilled oil in the soil covered?
No. Investigation and remediation of contaminated ground do not fall under business contents insurance. There is environmental damage insurance for that, which can cover both your own site and the surrounding area. Also note the storage requirements for waste oil and filters. These often appear as a clause on your property policy too, because they affect the fire risk.
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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