The works
- Fire, storm and water
- Theft of materials
- Inherent defect and design fault
- Vandalism on the building site
No existing building · phasing · subcontractors
Construction all risks (CAR) insurance for new build
On new build there is no existing building for you to damage; the risk lies in the works itself, which stands open on a site for months and is worth more every week.
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- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
Deze pagina in het Nederlands: CAR-verzekering voor nieuwbouw.
Calculate your premium or request a quote
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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
That is immediately the most important difference from renovation work. The existing propertysection, often the core of the policy on renovation work, barely comes into play here. Virtually everything on the site is your works, and the sum insured therefore has to follow not today's position but the final value of the building, including additional work instructed.
The second characteristic is the duration. A new-build project takes months to years and goes through different phases, with the most expensive elements — installations, glass, kitchens, copper, solar panels — only going in at the end, on a site that is still open. Theft and vandalism are concentrated in precisely that period.
The third is handover. That is the moment when the risk passes to the client and when your cover ends. If you hand over in phases, block by block or floor by floor, that has to be stated on the policy. For the foundation element and the adjoining properties there is a separate story; see the page about foundation work.
What does CAR insurance for new build cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Liability
Damage to property and persons of third parties on and around the works.
- Adjoining premises
- Injury to bystanders
- Cables and pipes
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.
Insure the final value, not the current position
The sum insured in section 1 should equal the full contract sum of the completed works. If the project grows through additional work, or takes so long that material and labour costs change, the sum has to move with it. If it lags behind, there is underinsurance and every claim is settled proportionately — including a claim well below the sum insured.
The finishing phase is the theft phase
As long as there is only concrete and steel, there is little to take. That changes as soon as installation material, cable drums, kitchens and inverters are inside. Insurers therefore set requirements for site fencing, lighting, lockable storage and sometimes camera surveillance, and usually only pay for theft after signs of forced entry. Loose materials left uncovered outside are as a rule excluded altogether.
Water in a building that is already closed up
The heaviest damage during finishing rarely comes from outside. A coupling that fails after the water supply has been connected, or a filled heating system that freezes in a building that is not yet heated, puts finished floors, ceilings and installations under water in a single night. Agree who drains or heats the building during the frost period and record that in the site arrangements.
Handover shifts the risk
After handover the building is no longer your works but the client's property, and the cover under section 1 ends. If you are still working in a part that has already been transferred, you are in a gap unless something further has been agreed. Put phased handover expressly on the policy and agree a maintenance period; for latent defects, Article 7:758(4) of the Dutch Civil Code places the burden of proof on the contractor.
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?
- Expected final value of the works — The full contract sum including additional work is the basis, not the state of the build at this moment.
- Duration of the project — The longer the works stands unenclosed on the site, the more seasons and moments of risk it goes through.
- Housing or commercial construction — Construction method, height and density of installations vary considerably and determine the damage pattern.
- Security of the site — Fencing, lighting, lockable storage and supervision weigh heavily for theft during the finishing phase.
- Share of prefabrication and erection work — Lifting and setting large elements brings a different risk from work created entirely in situ.
- Phased handover — Partial handover calls for a separate arrangement because the cover ends for each part handed over.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
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.
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.
Do I need the existing property section on new build?
Not for the building itself, because that is your works. Do look at the site: existing paving, drainage, a wall that has to be retained, an adjoining building belonging to the same client or planting already laid out are existing property. If any of that is within your work zone, include it. On a completely empty plot you can usually leave that section out.
Is theft of building materials covered?
Usually yes, but almost always subject to conditions. Insurers require signs of forced entry through a proper barrier, and set requirements for fencing, lighting and storage. Material lying loose and unattended outside is as a rule excluded. Keep the delivery notes for what was there: without evidence of the stock present, the size of the claim cannot be established.
When does the cover end with phased handover?
For each part handed over, at the moment of transfer. That becomes a problem if you are still working in or on that part while the occupant has already moved in. So have the phasing put on the policy in as many words and agree a maintenance period spanning the time afterwards. Without that arrangement, damage to a home already transferred falls between two policies.
There is water damage in a finished part of the building. Who pays for that?
As long as the works has not been handed over, it is damage to the works itself and falls under section 1, whichever party caused the leak. Putting right the faulty coupling itself is at the expense of whoever made it. If all the parties involved are named as co-insured on the policy, recovery between them does not arise and settlement is considerably quicker.
Read more
Similar pages
- Construction all risks (CAR) insurance for property developers
- Short-term construction all risks (CAR) insurance
- Construction all risks (CAR) insurance for commercial construction
- Construction all risks (CAR) insurance for a single project
- Construction all risks (CAR) insurance for the construction sector
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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.