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9,5/ Reviews

Glass insurance for businesses

With commercial glass the first question is not which cover you choose, but who has to insure the glass under the lease: the owner of the premises or you as tenant.

  • several insurers compared objectively
  • 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
  • AFM licence 12016589
  • Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17

This page in another language: Nederlands

Work out for yourself what it would cost.

  • We compare the offerings of several insurers
  • An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
  • We arrange the switch, including cancellation

Request a quote

A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.

  • Independent advice
  • Several insurers
  • Switching arranged
  • Help with claims

In brief

In many commercial leases glass is expressly allocated to the tenant, while business owners assume it sits on the landlord's buildings insurance. The reverse also occurs. Read that provision before you take out a policy: double insurance costs premium without extra cover, and a gap only comes to light when a pane is broken.

Covered are breakage of panes that serve to admit light: shop window, frontage, doors, domes, roof lights and sometimes internal glazing and mirrors. It concerns the pane itself plus the fitting of it. Damage without breakage, such as scratches, etching or graffiti, is not included; the contents or vandalism cover deals with that.

The largest cost item with a broken shop window is often not the glass but the hour afterwards: emergency repairs outside office hours, the boarding up and the fact that a boarded-up shop takes less money. If that adds up, it affects your business interruption cover. Check whether emergency replacement and boarding up are included in the glass policy.

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We compare your commercial buildings insurance across dozens of insurers, explain where the real differences lie, and arrange the switch from start to finish — without you having to chase it yourself.

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What does glass insurance cover for businesses?

The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.

The basics

Liability

AVB for property damage and injury, BAV for professional errors.

  • Damage to third parties
  • Employers' liability
  • Care, custody and control as an extension
Your business

Assets and continuity

Business contents, goods and lost turnover during downtime.

  • Business contents at replacement value as new
  • Goods at cost price
  • Business interruption or additional costs
If you employ people

Staff

Sickness absence, accidents and the traffic risk.

  • Continued pay for 104 weeks
  • Group personal accident
  • WEGAS for traffic risks

What is covered

SituationAVBBAVCyber
Injury to a visitor or customerYesNoNo
Damage to a client's propertySometimesNoNo
Financial loss caused by an advisory or calculation errorNoYesNo
Downtime after a ransomware attackNoNoYes
Data breach involving personal dataNoSometimesYes
Damage to property in your careNoNoNo

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.

What does your premium depend on?

  • Area and type of glass. The number of square metres and whether it is single, insulating, toughened or laminated glass.
  • Position of the glazing. A shop window at street level, a frontage on a through road or windows on upper floors.
  • Location of the building. Shopping street, nightlife area or a secured business park; vandalism weighs heaviest here.
  • Extras included. Lettering, film, domes, mirrors, internal glazing and emergency boarding.
  • Tenant's or owner's interest. Whether you insure the glazing of your own premises or only the part the lease allocates to you.
  • Claims history and use. Previous breakages and the type of business; hospitality in a nightlife area carries a higher risk.

Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.

How we arrange it

  1. You request a quoteWe take stock of your activities, turnover and wishes.
  2. We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
  3. You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
  4. We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.

Request a quote

Why arrange it through Finass Verzekert?

We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.

Independent

We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.

One fixed adviser

You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.

Switching without hassle

We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.

Help with claims

We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.

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.

View the reviews at NH1816 · all reviews on our site

Where things go wrong in practice

Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.

The lease prevails over your assumption

First establish who bears which glazed areas: owner, tenant or both with a division between external and internal glazing. If glass sits with you, you insure a tenant's improvements and not the building. If you get the bill from the landlord after a breakage while you insured nothing, no policy will absorb it. Record the agreement and review it when the lease is renewed.

Emergency boarding is a separate question

A shop window broken in the evening has to be closed up the same night. The cost of an emergency fitter, temporary panels and removing the glass can come close to the new pane. Some policies pay that as costs of mitigating the loss, others only with a separate module and a maximum. Ask as well whether a national service number is included; finding a glazier yourself outside office hours costs time you do not have.

Condensation between double glazing is not breakage

When the sealant of an insulating unit fails, moisture forms between the panes and the glass goes cloudy. Nothing is broken and the policy does not pay: that is a defect in the material and a matter for a warranty or the owner. The same applies to cracks caused by stress from poor installation and to thermal cracking where the conditions exclude it.

Lettering, film and conversion work are exclusions

Business names, solar control or safety film, sandblasted logos and alarm strips are rarely covered as standard; they also raise the replacement cost considerably. Declare them and have them included. Usually excluded are breakage during conversion work, installation or transport, glass in greenhouses and vending machines, and glass in premises that stand empty for longer than the conditions permit. Report vacancy promptly. That engages the duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code.

Frequently asked questions

This is what people ask us most.

As a tenant, do I have to insure the glass myself?

That follows from your lease. In many commercial contracts glass is allocated to the tenant, but the opposite also occurs and sometimes a distinction is drawn between external and internal glazing. Read the provision before you take out a policy: without that check you pay twice or only discover the gap when a pane is broken.

Is a scratch or graffiti on the shop window covered?

No. Glass insurance covers breakage, not damage to the surface. Scratches, etching, etched tags and graffiti fall outside the cover, even where the pane has to be replaced as a result. For that damage you look to the contents or buildings cover with a vandalism section. Protective film can limit the cost, but you have to have it included separately.

Does the policy pay for boarding up outside office hours?

Only if emergency boarding is included or if the costs count as costs of mitigating the loss. That differs from policy to policy and a maximum often applies. Ask about it explicitly, because with a broken shop window the overnight boarding is a substantial part of the bill and the speed of the emergency replacement determines how much turnover you lose.

Will double glazing that has gone cloudy be replaced?

Not on glass insurance. Condensation between the panes arises because the edge seal fails. There is then no breakage and therefore no covered event. This is a defect in the material that runs through a warranty or through the owner of the premises. Cracks caused by incorrect installation or by stress in the glass are also excluded on most policies.

Ready to compare?

Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.

Request a quote

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 compiled by Finass Verzekert (LinkedIn). Last updated on .

The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.