Liability
- Damage to third parties
- Employers' liability
- Care, custody and control as an extension
Land · trees · visitors
Insurance for nature management and green spaces
Anyone managing natural areas insures neither a building nor production, but land where the public walks freely among trees you did not plant yourself.
- 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: Verzekeringen voor natuurbeheer en groen.
Calculate your premium or request a quote
Without obligation; a reply within one working day.
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 your own premium with the calculator.
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 heart of the risk in nature management, estate management and grounds maintenance is liability as owner. Under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code you are liable as the possessor of a structure for damage caused by a defect, and that concept reaches further than buildings: small bridges, boardwalks, jetties, viewing towers, kissing gates, benches, hard surfaces and paths all fall under it. Liability arises without blame; the fact that you knew nothing about the rotten plank makes no difference to your position towards the injured party.
Trees are legally a different matter. A tree is not a structure, so a falling branch is assessed under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code: could you have known of the defect and did you do what a careful manager does? Everything therefore shifts to the tree safety inspection — periodic inspection by an expert, a duty to investigate suspect trees further, and a recorded follow-up of the findings. The inspection report is your defence; its absence is the other side's evidence.
You also work with people who are not employees. Volunteers on a pollarding team, participants in a work day, trainees and school pupils fall under the same duty of care as your own staff under Article 7:658(4) of the Dutch Civil Code where they carry out work you could also have had employees do. Chainsaw work, working alongside water and working at height therefore call for instruction and personal protective equipment, and it must be possible to show these were provided.
What does insurance for nature and grounds management cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
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
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.
Tree inspection is the cover behind the cover
Have trees along paths, car parks, play areas and buildings inspected visually on a regular basis by a qualified inspector and have suspect specimens examined further. Keep the reports and the record of acting on the recommendations. Where someone is injured by a falling branch, the only relevant question is whether you could have known of the defect. A report identifying a defect that you then failed to act on works against you and can put the cover under pressure.
Your own trees and planting are not insured property
If a veteran tree blows over in a storm, you carry that loss yourself: trees, shrubs, crops and planting are excluded on property policies, as are the costs of clearing and replanting. What liability insurance does do is pay for the damage the falling tree causes to someone else — the neighbour's roof, the parked car, the injury to a walker. Damage to your own land is outside it.
Recreational use changes your liability profile
As soon as you open paths or offer a play wood, a mountain bike route, a climbing course or a viewpoint, members of the public arrive whom you do not know and do not instruct. Opening up is not in itself an exclusion, but you do have to declare those activities to your insurer. Facilities that create an increased risk, such as climbing frames or a high ropes course, are often assessed separately and sometimes excluded if they have not been declared.
Wild animals fall outside Article 6:179 DCC, kept animals do not
The strict liability in Article 6:179 of the Dutch Civil Code applies to the keeper of an animal, and that presupposes that the animal is kept. For genuinely wild animals you do not carry that liability. If, however, you use grazing animals for conservation grazing, you are the keeper and you are liable if an ox or a horse injures a visitor. Fencing, warning signs and a separate walking route are then the measures that will be looked at.
What does your premium depend on?
- Area of land managed — The number of hectares determines how many paths, structures and trees fall within your management and therefore the size of the risk carried.
- Extent of public access — Freely accessible land with walking and cycling paths weighs more heavily than closed production woodland or land accessible only by appointment.
- Tree stock along paths and buildings — The number of trees in what is known as the risk zone and the presence of a recorded inspection regime steer acceptance directly.
- Facilities on the site — Boardwalks, bridges, viewing towers, play equipment and climbing courses are structures with their own inspection duty and their own risk weighting.
- Use of volunteers — The number of volunteers, the kind of work they do and whether they work with a chainsaw or at height determine the employers' section.
- Machinery for grounds maintenance — Chippers, flail mowers, tractors and access platforms call for plant and machinery or WAM cover alongside the liability section.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
Am I liable if a branch falls on a walker?
A tree is not a structure, so the assessment runs through Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code: could you have known of the defect and did you act as a careful manager would? Periodic tree safety inspection by an expert, with a recorded follow-up of the findings, is your defence. Without an inspection file the chance of liability is considerably greater.
Who pays for a veteran tree blown over on my land?
You carry that loss yourself. Trees, shrubs and planting are excluded on property policies, as are clearing and replanting. Liability insurance only comes into play for damage the tree causes to someone else: a damaged roof, a vehicle hit or injury to a visitor. Your own land and standing timber fall outside it.
Are volunteers covered in the event of an accident?
Under Article 7:658(4) of the Dutch Civil Code your duty of care also applies to people who are not employees but who carry out work for you. Volunteers therefore have to be expressly declared to your insurer and usually appear on group personal accident cover as well. Instruction and the protective equipment provided must be demonstrable, particularly for chainsaw work.
Does opening up to the public change my cover?
Yes, and you have to report it. Walking paths, mountain bike routes, play woods, viewing towers and climbing facilities bring visitors onto your land whom you do not instruct. Insurers assess those facilities separately and sometimes impose inspection or maintenance conditions. Undeclared public facilities lead to an argument about whether the risk was accepted at all when you claim.
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 written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.