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
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
A funeral director's liability has a feature you find in almost no other sector: the loss is largely non-material and yet real. A mix-up, a cremation that goes ahead when the family had asked for a burial, a name spelled wrongly on the headstone: nothing is damaged and yet there is serious harm. That makes the size of a claim hard to limit and its handling sensitive.
You also have property and a body in your care almost continuously in your care: during transfer, while lying in repose at home or at the funeral home, and in looking after jewellery, clothing and personal items given to you by the family. Damage to what is in your care is excluded as standard; only with the care, custody and control extension is that insured, up to a limit you set in advance.
A third point is the funeral transport. An AVB excludes damage caused with or by a motor vehicle, because that belongs with the vehicle's WAM insurance. If you drive your own hearses, a fleet arrangement is needed for them, and separate motor cover for your employees who drive on business.
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
Situation
AVB
BAV
Cyber
Injury to a visitor or customer
Yes
No
No
Damage to a client's property
Sometimes
No
No
Financial loss caused by an advisory or calculation error
No
Yes
No
Downtime after a ransomware attack
No
No
Yes
Data breach involving personal data
No
Sometimes
Yes
Damage to property in your care
No
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.
Identification at every transfer
A mix-up is rare and catastrophic, and almost always arises at a moment of transfer: from a care institution to the funeral transport, from refrigeration to the repose room, from the funeral home to the crematorium. Work with an identity check by two people at every transfer and record it with the time and the name. That protocol is not only a matter of care towards the family; when a claim comes it is your only way of showing that the chain was watertight.
Personal possessions are property in your care
Jewellery that goes into the coffin, a wedding ring that has to come out, clothing and glasses: these items rarely have a high value and have a meaning that cannot be replaced. Record in writing for each item what you receive and what the family's wish is, with a second signature. Without care, custody and control cover, loss of or damage to these items is not insured, however small the amount.
Refrigeration, breakdown and its consequences
Failure of a cold chamber or cooling plate leads within hours to a situation that cannot be reversed and that makes the funeral as planned impossible. Fit the refrigeration with temperature monitoring and alarms outside office hours and arrange an alternative location. Machinery breakdown on the installation itself falls under separate cover; liability towards the family runs through the liability policy.
What falls outside the cover
Damage caused with a motor vehicle, including the funeral transport, is excluded on the AVB and belongs with motor insurance. Fines and disciplinary measures are uninsurable. Redoing or refunding your own services falls under putting your own work right and is not paid. And Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code excludes deliberate or wilfully reckless conduct from cover.
What does your premium depend on?
Number of funerals per year. The number of funerals is the most commonly used basis and says more about the exposure than turnover alone.
Own funeral transport or outsourced. With your own vehicles a fleet arrangement is added. If you outsource, that risk moves to the transport provider.
Own mortuary and refrigeration. If you manage the refrigeration and repose rooms yourself, you carry the risk of failure and of safekeeping.
Number of staff and bearers. Permanent staff, casual staff and volunteer bearers all fall under employer's liability.
Care, custody and control limit for personal possessions. The limit determines up to what amount loss of or damage to items entrusted to you is insured.
Publicly accessible rooms. Your own funeral home with a room for condolences adds the visitor risk under Article 6:174 DCC.
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.
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.
Is non-material loss suffered by the family insured?
In so far as the family has a claim under Article 6:162 DCC and the liability falls within the cover, the insurer also pays the element for pain and suffering. The difficulty lies not in the cover but in the assessment: with an irreversible mistake there is no objective yardstick, so negotiations take longer than for property damage.
Does an accident with the hearse fall under my business liability cover?
No. The AVB excludes damage caused with or by a motor vehicle, because the compulsory WAM insurance for the vehicle applies to that. Make sure every vehicle has its own cover and consider motor cover for employees who drive on business, because injury to your own driver is not paid by their own third-party policy.
I work with volunteer bearers. Are they covered?
If they work under your direction and supervision, their conduct falls under Article 6:170 DCC and you are liable for damage they cause to third parties. For injuries they suffer themselves, for example lifting a coffin over a threshold, your duty of care applies. Declare the numbers and use of people who are not employees expressly when you apply.
What if a headstone is engraved incorrectly?
Usually that is the stonemason's mistake, but as the family's contractor you are their point of contact. The cost of a new stone is putting your own work right and falls outside liability cover. You can pursue the supplier for it. Set out in your terms that the family signs off a proof before the work is carried out.
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.
