Set and theatre · props · production requirements
Liability insurance for a self-employed actor
On a set and in a theatre you work among other people's equipment. Most claims against actors are not about performance, but about broken items you had in your hands that day.
- Several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering voor een zelfstandige acteur.
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 for yourself what it would cost.
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
Public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) covers injury and property damage that you cause to others during your work. For a self-employed actor that means, in concrete terms: a colleague who trips over the bag you put down, a lamp knocked over onto a monitor, a damaged floor in a rehearsal room, a member of the audience injured during an interactive performance. Producers, broadcasters and theatres increasingly ask for a proof of insurance before you sign a contract.
The provision that matters most in this work is the care, custody and control exclusion. You wear costumes belonging to the production, handle props, use a microphone or camera belonging to the hire company. As long as those items are in your use or in your keeping, the standard AVB does not cover damage to them. If you do want those items covered, ask for a care, custody and control clause or have it recorded in the contract that the production insures the equipment itself.
Two other claims belong elsewhere. Dropping out through illness or cancelling too late causes lost turnover for the production: that is pure financial loss under a contract and not an AVB loss. You arrange your own income if you are unable to work with disability insurance. Complaints about statements made in a role or about image rights are not personal injury or damage to property either and fall outside the cover.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare public and employers' liability insurance (AVB).
What actors come up against
Four points that arise more often in acting work than the level of the sum insured.
Stunts, fire and fight scenes
Many policies have an exclusion or a separate assessment for dangerous activities: stunts, working at height, fire, weapons and moving vehicles on camera. If you do that kind of scene yourself instead of a stuntman, declare it in advance. An undeclared particular can lead to a reduction or refusal of the payout under Articles 7:928 and 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Costumes, sets and equipment belonging to the production
If you damage a costume, a piece of set or a borrowed lens, that is an item in your care and is not covered. Look at the liability provision in your contract, therefore: many productions place that loss one-sidedly on the performer. Negotiate about it or ask for additional cover before you sign.
Your own injury is not an AVB matter
If you are injured yourself, your own liability insurance pays nothing: it is there for other people's losses. If you have been engaged by a production, that production may have a duty of care under Article 7:658(4) of the Dutch Civil Code, because you are carrying out work in the course of their business. Proving it is then difficult; personal accident or disability cover is the practical answer.
Filming abroad and the territorial limits
If you are filming abroad, check the area of cover and the provision on American and Canadian claims. Those are often excluded. Which law applies to the contract counts as well. Report trips to production locations outside Europe in advance, so that the policy can be adjusted for them.
What does your premium depend on?
- Type of work: theatre, film, commercials or corporate theatre differ
- Physical scenes: stunts, fire and work at height weigh more heavily
- Area of cover: filming outside Europe calls for wider cover
- Care, custody and control cover: including third parties' equipment raises the premium
- Sum insured and excess: productions often set a minimum for this
- Annual turnover: the usual basis for a one-person practice
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | AVB | BAV |
|---|---|---|
| A technician trips over your bag in the wings and breaks a wrist | Yes | No |
| You knock over a stand that lands on the broadcaster's monitor | Yes | No |
| A member of the audience is injured during an interactive performance in the auditorium | Yes | No |
| A photographer claims his image was used in the promotion without permission | No | Provided that |
| The production charges for an extra shooting day because you delivered your lines late | No | No |
| The venue recovers the cost of a fire brigade call-out after a fire alarm went off | No | No |
Productions usually ask for a certificate of insurance for the left-hand column. The right-hand column is your own decision.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Productions ask for a certificate of insurance. What has to be on it?
Usually the insured capacity, the sum insured per claim and per year, the territorial limits and the term. Make sure the capacity covers your actual work: if it only says theatre while you also film commercials, that does not match. Your insurer or adviser can issue a statement; ask for it before the contract is signed.
I damage a borrowed camera. Does my AVB pay?
No, not without an additional arrangement. Equipment you hire or borrow is in your care and therefore falls under the care, custody and control exclusion. There are three routes: a care, custody and control clause on your policy, a separate insurance for hired equipment, or recording in the contract that the hire company bears the risk. The last option is usually the cheapest.
Is defamation or a complaint about a role insured?
Not on public and employers' liability insurance. That covers personal injury and damage to property, whereas a complaint about statements, use of images or image rights concerns financial loss. Depending on your work, a professional indemnity insurance or separate media cover may be the right product for this. Deliberately hurtful statements remain excluded there as well.
When do I have to report a claim?
As soon as you know of the incident, even if the production has not yet claimed anything. Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report without unnecessary delay and to cooperate with the investigation. Do not admit liability on set and do not promise compensation. That judgement lies with the insurer and a promise made too quickly can put your cover at risk.
Read more
Within Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekeringthe main page
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering fotograaf zzp
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering videograaf zzp
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering mediabedrijf
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering content marketeer zzp
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering copywriter zzp
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering artiest zzp
Similar pages
- Liability insurance for a self-employed content marketer
- Liability insurance for a self-employed copywriter
- Liability insurance for a videographer
- Liability insurance for a photographer as a self-employed professional (zzp’er)
- Liability insurance for a media company
- Liability insurance for a theatre company
- Liability insurance for a self-employed performer
- Liability insurance for a wedding organiser