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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 CAR policy can cover the whole project instead of one firm. Main contractor, subcontractors, installation companies and sometimes the client are then named together on one schedule. That only works if they are actually named as co-insured. If a party is not on it, the insurer will pay for the damage to the works but then recovers that amount from whoever caused it.
You also carry something a subcontractor does not: someone else's mistake. For your own staff Article 6:170 of the Dutch Civil Codeapplies; for firms you engage, Article 6:171 of the Dutch Civil Code. The client does not have to work out who hit the cable or caused the floor to drop; he holds you to account and you sort it out from there.
The third role is coordination. You set the sequence on site, the barriers, the storage and the access. If something goes wrong there, it is rarely the fault of one gang. If you work as a subcontractor on someone else's works, these questions are reversed exactly.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Section 1
The works
Damage to the works themselves during construction or installation.
Fire, storm and water
Theft of materials
Inherent defect and design fault
Vandalism on the building site
Section 2
Liability
Damage to property and persons of third parties on and around the works.
Adjoining premises
Injury to bystanders
Cables and pipes
Optional
Extensions
What comes into play alongside the works themselves.
Client's existing property
Ancillary plant and site huts
Maintenance period
What is covered
Situation
Works section
Liability section
Storm or water damage to the works in progress
Yes
No
Theft of materials from the building site
Sometimes
No
Damage to an adjoining building
No
Yes
Injury to a bystander
No
Yes
The client's existing property
Sometimes
Sometimes
Repair of your own defective work
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.
Name the co-insured parties before day one
Recovery between parties named on the same policy is excluded. That is the essence of project cover. If you forget one subcontractor, the insurer will turn to him after paying out, and he sends that bill back to you through the subcontract. Include the list of co-insured parties in the contract and update it if a party joins later.
Article 6:171 makes you the first point of contact
If a firm you have engaged causes damage to a third party, that third party can hold you directly liable, even if you did nothing wrong yourself. That is not a detail but the reason you need a higher liability limit than the parties below you. Also check that your subcontractors are insured themselves, because ultimately you want to be able to place the loss with them.
Injury on site does not run through the CAR policy
Section 2 covers injury to third parties: a passer-by, a visitor, the client's staff. If your own employee or agency worker is injured, that is employers' liability under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code, and it belongs on the liability insurance with a separate section for it. Anyone with only a CAR policy is left empty-handed after an accident at work.
Two policies on one works is also a problem
If the client insures the project themselves, you do not want a second policy alongside it, but you do want to know what is arranged for you. Ask for the schedule: are you named on it, how high is the excess and who bears it? Your own ancillary plant, site huts, scaffolding and tools are usually not covered by a client's policy. Arrange that separately.
Existing property is the most commonly missed section
If you work in or on an existing building, that building is not your works but the property of the client. Damage to it does not fall under section 1 and, on your AVB, falls under the care, custody and control exclusion. The section existing property fills that gap, and with conversions, renovations and installation work that is not an edge case but the core of the risk.
The maintenance period continues after handover
After handover there is often a maintenance period during which you remain liable for defects that arose during construction. Agree that period explicitly and have it stated on the policy. Under the Wet kwaliteitsborging (the Dutch Building Quality Assurance Act) this carries more weight: Article 7:758(4) of the Dutch Civil Code places the burden of proof for hidden defects on the contractor.
What does your premium depend on?
Annual total of your contract sums. Under a continuous arrangement the total output per year is the basis, not one project.
Share of subcontracted work. The more you pass on to subcontractors, the more heavily your liability for other people's mistakes weighs.
Number of parties on the works. Every named co-insured brings its own activities and its own risk under the same policy.
Maximum project size. The upper limit per works determines whether a large project still falls within the framework agreement.
Liability limit in section 2. As the first point of contact for the whole chain you need a higher limit than your subcontractors.
Claims record and safety policy. Previous claims and the question of how you secure and coordinate the site both count in the acceptance.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your 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.
No. They only fall under the policy if they are expressly included as co-insured. If they are missing, the insurer will pay for the damage to the works, but then recovers from the party that caused it. That party in turn passes the claim back to you under the subcontract, so that you bear the amount after all.
The client has taken out a CAR policy. Am I then done?
Only if you are named on that policy schedule and know what is insured. Ask for it and note three things: are you named as an insured, who bears the excess on a claim, and is your own plant included? The last is almost never the case, so for site huts, scaffolding and tools you need your own arrangement.
My subcontractor makes a mistake at the neighbours'. Who pays?
The injured party chooses, and usually chooses you. Under Article 6:171 of the Dutch Civil Code they can hold liable the party on whose instructions the work was carried out. Section 2 of your policy takes care of that, after which the insurer can consider whether to recover the amount from whoever caused it. If that party is named as a co-insured on your policy, that specifically does not happen.
Does the CAR policy cover an accident to my own employee?
No. Section 2 relates to injury to third parties. For your own staff the duty of care in Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code applies, and that loss belongs on the liability insurance with the employers' liability section. Traffic accidents involving staff at work usually fall outside that again and call for a separate arrangement. Make those three policies fit together before anything happens.
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.
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