Animals in the course of a business · personal policies · group size
Liability insurance for a self-employed dog walker
Many self-employed walkers think they are covered by their own liability insurance at home. That is exactly the situation in which a biting incident turns out to be uninsured.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering voor een zzp-hondenuitlater.
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
The misunderstanding that makes this trade expensive is this: personal liability insurance excludes everything to do with a profession or business. If you walk clients' dogs for payment, you are running a business and you need a business policy. What you need is not theoretical cover: under Article 6:181 of the Dutch Civil Code the strict liability of Article 6:179 of the Dutch Civil Code rests on you during the round, and no longer on the owner. A child that is bitten, a cyclist who falls or a damaged coat is therefore your claim. More about the basic cover is set out on the page public and employers' liability insurance.
As a sole trader you are on the end of the lead yourself, and that brings a risk of its own that the liability policy does not cover. A dog that suddenly lunges can damage a shoulder or a wrist. A fall in woodland means weeks without turnover. That is not someone else's liability but loss of income, for which there is disability insurance or personal accident cover. A insurance package for self-employed professionals puts those covers side by side.
Three things stay outside the liability cover. The dogs themselves: injured, run off or dead during your round is damage to property in your care. The fine for a dog off the lead or for exceeding a local authority maximum, because a sanction is not compensation for loss. And damage caused with your car or registered cargo bike on the way, which under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) belongs on the motor policy.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare public and employers' liability insurance (AVB).
What to look out for
Four points that make the difference between covered and not covered for a self-employed walker.
State exactly what you do
Walking, day care, overnight stays and training are four different activities to an underwriter. If you take dogs home or keep them overnight, that is a different risk from an hour in the woods. An incomplete declaration on your application can, under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code lead to a reduced payout or to a refusal to pay.
The agreed group size
Your policy almost certainly names a maximum number of dogs you may handle at once. If you regularly take more because a colleague is off, the risk changes and the insurer can rely on Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code. Also check whether the local authority where you let dogs off the lead has a maximum of its own or a licensing requirement.
What you agree with the owner
Because damage to the dog itself falls outside cover, your client agreement is the document that deals with that gap. Set out that the owner is responsible for a valid vaccination status and for pet insurance of his own, and that he must tell you when a dog is known to behave aggressively. If the owner conceals that, your position after a biting incident is stronger.
Access to the client's home
Collecting and returning dogs means entering empty houses with a key. A cupboard knocked over or a dog scratching a parquet floor is property damage to a third party and covered in principle. Replacing a lost master key system is not: that is pure financial loss and calls for a separate keys clause.
What does your premium depend on?
- Annual turnover: the usual basis for a sole trader
- Maximum number of dogs at a time: this appears as a clause on the policy schedule
- Transporting dogs: by your own car, van or cargo bike
- Ancillary services: day care, overnight stays or behavioural training are assessed separately
- Care, custody and control cover for animals: including it raises the premium but closes the biggest gap
- Sum insured and excess: per claim and per insurance year
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | AVB (business) | AVP (personal) |
|---|---|---|
| A dog in your group bites a child who wants to stroke him | Yes | No |
| A dog jumps up at a walker and tears his coat | Yes | No |
| A dog breaks free and causes a collision between two cars further along | Yes | No |
| On a Sunday you walk the neighbours' dog for free and it destroys a garden fence | No | Yes |
| A client's dog suffers a torn cruciate ligament during your round | No | No |
| You sprain your wrist because a dog lunges unexpectedly and you do not work for three weeks | No | No |
As soon as you walk for payment, the personal policy refers you to the business one. The reverse applies as well.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
I walk dogs alongside an employed job. Is that a business activity?
As soon as you charge for it regularly, yes. The scale matters less than the character: your personal policy excludes work for a profession or business, whatever the number of hours. Report the activity as a secondary activity to a business liability insurer. That is usually simpler and cheaper than contesting a rejection afterwards.
A client claims compensation because his dog came home lame.
Damage to the animal you had in your care falls under the care, custody and control exclusion and is not paid under the standard cover. You can close that gap with care, custody and control cover for animals, which not every insurer offers. Without that cover you bear the vet's fees yourself, even where you are not at fault.
Do I have to arrange anything if I occasionally use a colleague?
Yes. Someone walking your clients' dogs under your direction falls under your duty of care under Article 7:658(4) of the Dutch Civil Code, even without a contract of employment. If that person is bitten, he can hold you liable. Report this to your insurer, because a policy for a sole trader without staff usually does not include that section.
How quickly must I report an incident?
As quickly as reasonably possible. Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to inform the insurer as soon as you know of a loss, even where it is still unclear whether you are liable. After a biting incident, note the victim's details, the dog's name and whether there were witnesses straight away; that information cannot be recovered later.
Read more
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