Business contents
- At replacement value as new
- Fire, water and burglary
- Tenant's improvements separately
Workshop · tools · van
Business contents insurance for installation companies
In an installation business the expensive equipment is rarely in the workshop: it is in the van, and that van stands in the street overnight.
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- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Inventarisverzekering voor installatiebedrijven.
Calculate your premium or request a quote
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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 your own premium with the calculator.
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 activities
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
The business contents of an installation business consists of press tools, core drilling equipment, welding and soldering equipment, measuring and test equipment such as leak detectors, insulation testers and thermal imaging cameras, plus the fit-out of the workshop and stores. The goods are pipework materials, copper, cable, fittings and appliances in stock. The catch is that most of it is not at the business address on working days.
Business insurance covers the risk address stated. Tools in the van and materials you drop off at a customer's site in advance do not fall under it unless you include cover away from the address. That extension usually has tight conditions: demonstrable forced entry to the vehicle, sometimes a time window within which the cover applies and sometimes a maximum per event. Read that provision before you sign.
Not covered are theft from an unlocked or undamaged van, materials left unattended at a customer's site, wear and tear and inherent defect of tools, and the installation you fit yourself. A badly pressed joint and the leak that follows belong with the public and employers' liability insurance, not here.
What does business contents insurance cover for installation businesses?
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.
The van is the real risk address
Most installation tools disappear not from premises but from a van. Insurers know that and attach conditions to it: a certified tool chest, an alarm, parking on a locked site or in a garage outside working hours, and in some policies cover only during the day. Take out of the van what you can in the evening and record which machines stay in it permanently, including serial numbers.
Materials already delivered to the customer
Boilers, radiators, pipework and units are often delivered to the customer's site days before installation. As long as those items have not been handed over and paid for, they are yours, but they are not at your address and the customer has no cover for them. Arrange this in advance: set out in the order confirmation when the risk passes and include temporary storage in the policy where necessary.
Copper, cable and cordless tools attract thieves
An installation business's stock consists largely of immediately saleable material. That makes both the stores and the van attractive. Mark your machines, record serial numbers and keep the purchase invoices digitally. It speeds up claims handling and is often the condition for showing what has gone. Report theft within the period stated in the conditions and go to the police (Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code).
What is not included
Outside the cover remain: the installation you fit and the consequential damage from an installation error, tools you hire or lend to someone else, wear and tear and inherent defect of machines, and money. A van that has not visibly been broken into also usually produces no payment. Work you carry out on a construction project may in addition fall under the Construction all risks (CAR) insurance of the main contractor.
What does your premium depend on?
- Value of measuring, pressing and drilling equipment — Specialist equipment weighs more heavily than the size of the workshop.
- Number of vans and where they stand at night — In the street, on a locked site or in a garage makes a difference to acceptance and premium.
- Security of the vehicles — Certified chests, alarm, extra locks and tracking determine the conditions for cover away from the premises.
- Stock of copper, cable and appliances — Immediately saleable material in the stores raises the theft risk.
- Nature of the work — Domestic maintenance, commercial work or new-build projects produce a different pattern of storage on site.
- Cover away from the address and the excess — The extension chosen for the van and customer sites, and the excess per event.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
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.
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.
Are tools in the van insured at night?
Only with an extension for cover away from the address, and even then subject to conditions. Many policies require demonstrable forced entry to the vehicle, apply a time window within which cover exists or set a maximum per event. Some insurers require the van to be in a locked space. Look up that provision; it is the most common disagreement with this policy.
Are materials I drop off at a customer's site covered?
Not automatically. They are not at your insured address, and the customer has no cover for property that is still yours. Include temporary storage on site in the policy, or set out in the order confirmation that the risk passes to the client on delivery. Without one of the two, you carry the risk yourself.
I pressed a pipe joint incorrectly. Does this policy cover that?
No. Business contents insurance is about your own property, not about the work you deliver. Damage at the customer's premises from an installation error is liability and runs through your public and employers' liability insurance. Watch there for the exclusion of the cost of putting right your own work: the water damage is paid for, re-pressing the joint usually is not.
What should I do after a theft from the van?
Report it to the police immediately and notify your insurer as soon as possible; that duty to notify is set out in Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code. Provide a list of makes, types, serial numbers and purchase invoices, and photographs of the break-in damage to the vehicle. Without visible signs of forced entry and without evidence of what has gone, a payment is almost never made.
Read more
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Ready to compare?
Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
About our service
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.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
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.