Public and employers' liability
- Injury to customers or visitors
- Damage at the client's premises
- Damage caused by your Business equipment
Compare public and employers' liability Insurance (AVB)
The AVB covers damage to property and injury to people. Where Business owners come unstuck is two exclusions that hit the very heart of their work: care, custody and control, and motor vehicles.
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The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? E-mail info@finassverzekert.nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
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- We compare the offerings of several Insurers
- An advisor 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.
- Independent advice
- several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
Public and employers' liability Insurance covers the financial consequences when you are liable for injury to people or damage to other people's property. The AVB covers property damage and Personal injury; pure financial loss — a financial setback without anything being broken or anyone being injured, falls outside it and belongs on professional indemnity Insurance.
As an employer you have a duty of care under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code: you must arrange the working environment so that employees come to no harm. If you fail to do so, you are liable for their injuries. That employers' liability is usually included on the AVB.
But there is a gap, and it is a large one. The AVB excludes damage caused with or by motor Vehicles. It is precisely there that the Hoge Raad (the Dutch Supreme Court) recognised a separate liability, based on the duty to act as a good employer under Article 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code.
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What does public and employers' liability Insurance (AVB) cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Employers' liability
Liability towards your own employees for injury or damage during work.
- An accident at work
- Occupational disease
- Hired-in staff and trainees
Product liability
Damage caused by a product you make, supply or import.
- A defective product supplied
- Imports from outside the EU
- Recall costs often separate
What is covered
| Situation | AVB | BAV |
|---|---|---|
| Injury to a visitor on your premises | Yes | No |
| An accident at work involving your employee | Yes | No |
| Injury to your employee in traffic while working | No | No |
| Damage to the premises you are working on | No | No |
| Financial loss caused by an advisory or calculation error | No | Yes |
| Fines and damage caused intentionally | 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.
What does your premium depend on?
- Activities and risk class: construction and industry count more heavily than office work
- Annual turnover and payroll: the main basis for calculation
- Number of employees: including hired-in staff
- Sum insured per claim and per year: often € 1.250.000 or € 2.500.000
- Excess chosen
- Working area: the Netherlands, the EU or worldwide, including or excluding the US
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
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.
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 Advisor
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing Call centers.
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.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The traffic gap: why an AVB is not enough here
On 1 February 2008 the Hoge Raad held that, under the duty to act as a good employer, an employer must arrange proper Insurance for employees who take part in traffic as the driver of a motor vehicle. In the court's view those risks are readily insurable at affordable premiums. That was extended in the leading judgment in Maatzorg of 12 December 2008. Your AVB, however, excludes motor vehicles. You fill that gap with a WEGAS Insurance policy.
That Insurance obligation does have its limits
On 11 November 2011 the Hoge Raad held that the insurance obligation under Article 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code is confined to accidents in which the particular risks of taking part in traffic are at play. Tripping or slipping on the way does not fall under it; by its nature that is not a traffic risk. And on 17 September 2021 the Hoge Raad rejected the appeal of a Self-employed professional (zzp'er) who relied on the same obligation: it applies to employees, not to the Self-employed.
A collective Accident insurance is not automatically proper insurance
In a case about a taxi driver, the court of appeal held that two accident policies that had been taken out were too limited to count as proper insurance; insurance should have been arranged that covered the loss suffered. The fact that a collective labour agreement prescribes a collective Accident insurance does not limit the duty of care to that minimum.
Care, custody and control hits exactly what you do
Damage to property in your care (borrowed tools, a car in for repair, premises you are working on) is excluded as standard. Care, custody and control cover is a separate module with a limit of its own. For installation firms, garages and building contractors that is not a side issue but the heart of the policy.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Does my AVB cover injury to an employee?
For accidents at work on the premises, usually yes. That falls under employers' liability by virtue of Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code. If your employee is injured in traffic while working, it does not: the AVB excludes motor vehicles. A WEGAS Insurance policy is needed for that.
Why am I liable if the employee made the mistake?
Because liability there does not rest on fault but on the duty to act as a good employer. In 2008 the Hoge Raad held that an employer must arrange proper Insurance for employees who take part in traffic as a driver for work. If you do not, you bear the loss.
Does that obligation also apply to Self-employed people I hire in?
No. In September 2021 the Hoge Raad rejected a Self-employed professional's reliance on the same insurance obligation. It applies to employees. Set out in the contract who bears which risk.
What is damage to property in your care, custody and control?
Damage to property in your care: borrowed, hired, being worked on or held in safekeeping. Excluded as standard on the AVB. Care, custody and control cover is a separate module with a limit of its own, and for anyone who works on other people's property it is often indispensable.
What is the difference between the AVB and the BAV?
The AVB covers damage to property and injury to people. The BAV covers pure financial loss: a financial setback caused by a professional error, without anything being broken or anyone being injured. Consultants, designers and IT firms often need both.
How long can I still fall back on my policy?
A claim against the insurer becomes time-barred after three years under Article 7:942 of the Dutch Civil Code. With liability Insurance that period starts to run as soon as you are held liable. The limitation period is interrupted by any negotiation between the insurer and the injured party, and that interruption lasts until the insurer acknowledges the claim or unequivocally breaks off the negotiations.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Employer's liability Insurance (WEGAS/WEGAM)Duty of care, traffic accidents, Article 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code
- Public and employers' liability for railway safety officersWorksite protection, 6:162 DCC, delay costs
- Public and employers' liability for work on railways and tracksRail infrastructure, cables and pipes, Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code
- Compare Product liability insuranceArticle 6:185 of the Dutch Civil Code, new EU directive, 9 December 2026
- Liability insurance for a Call centerScreen work, duty of care, rented space
- Public and employers' liability Insurance (AVB) through a.s.r.Staff, hired-in workers, occupational illness
- Liability Insurance for an SEO agencyMigration, staff, office premises
- Liability insurance for a Recruitment agencyOwn staff, consultants on the road, secondment
- Liability insurance for a Driving schoolStaff on the road, tuition Fleet, franchise
Insurers we compare
A selection. Which Insurers appear in your comparison depends on your situation and the cover you choose.
Read more
Everything on this topic
Similar pages
- Compare liability insurance for the Self-employed
- Professional indemnity Insurance (BAV) and public and employers' liability Insurance (AVB) for your Business
- Public and employers' liability Insurance (AVB) for Safety experts
- Welders on the payroll: employers' liability and hired-in labour
- WEGAS and WEGAM Insurance
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 compiled by Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not Personal advice.