Family cover · worldwide · care, custody and control and helping a friend
Chubb insurance for individuals and families
With personal cover for a whole household, the question is rarely what is insured, but who. Who counts as part of the family and where cover stops determines whether a claim is paid.
- 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: Chubb verzekeringen voor individuen en gezinnen.
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 situation
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
A personal liability insurance covers damage that you or a family member cause to another person and for which you are liable under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. For children under fourteen, the parents are liable, even where the child is not at fault. For pets, Article 6:179 of the Dutch Civil Codeapplies: the keeper is liable for damage the animal causes of its own volition, even where nothing can be held against him.
The definition of the household is the most tightly drawn part of the policy. Children living at home are co-insured; children living away from home often only while they are studying and unmarried. An au pair, a house guest or a resident parent is not automatically included. The status of a cohabiting partner and of children from a previous relationship who live with you part of the time is not dealt with in the same way in every policy either. Have that recorded on the policy schedule.
Separate policies apply to the house and contents: home contents and buildings, where as owner you may be liable under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code for defects in the building. Valuable items you take with you call for a valuables insurance; injury or lost luggage while travelling calls for continuous travel insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare personal liability insurance (AVP).
What to look out for
Four situations in which families run into a refusal more often than they expect.
Damage to borrowed or hired items
The care, custody and control exclusion removes items in your keeping from the cover: the neighbour's borrowed tools, the hired marquee, the ski boots from the hire shop. Some policies have a limited exception for damage in a rented holiday home or at a place where you are staying as a guest. That varies by insurer and is one of the points we compare.
Helping a friend and damage between family members
If you help an acquaintance with a house move and something is broken, there is by no means always liability in the legal sense. The courts are cautious where someone is helping out. Some policies cover such damage anyway, under a separate provision and with a lower limit. Damage that family members cause to each other is in principle excluded, because it is then not damage to a third party.
Motor vehicles, vessels and aircraft
Damage caused with a motor vehicle falls outside personal liability cover. The compulsory insurance under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)exists for that. The same applies to larger vessels and to aircraft. Watch the boundary for fast e-bikes, speed pedelecs and fat bikes: these may qualify as mopeds and thus be subject to registration and the WAM.
Work, letting and intent
Damage you cause in the exercise of a profession or business is excluded; anyone running a business from home needs business cover. If you let your home through a platform, disclose it, because it is a change in risk within the meaning of Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code. Damage caused intentionally is always excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code, including vandalism committed as part of a group.
What does your premium depend on?
- Composition of the household: single person or family, including students living away from home
- Sum insured: the maximum payout per event
- Excess: a higher excess lowers the premium
- Area of cover. Europe or worldwide, and the length of stays abroad
- Keeping animals and unusual items: dogs, horses and valuable items count
- Claims history: earlier liability claims within the family
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Your family policy | The other party's own policy |
|---|---|---|
| Your daughter, living away from home, still studying and unmarried, hits a pedestrian while cycling | Provided that | No |
| Your son has finished studying, works and lives independently. On a visit he drops the neighbour's laptop | No | Yes |
| The au pair living with you knocks over a bicycle rack and damages the neighbour's car | No | Yes |
| Your resident mother-in-law walks the family dog and the animal bites a passer-by | Yes | No |
| Your new partner's children stay with you every other weekend and kick a window in at the neighbours' | Provided that | Provided that |
| A house guest borrows your bicycle and rides into a parked car | No | Yes |
Who counts as a family member is stated on the policy schedule; have unusual household arrangements expressly included there.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Are my children who are studying away from home still covered?
Usually yes, as long as they live in student accommodation for their studies and are unmarried. As soon as the child starts work, moves in with a partner or stops studying, that cover ends under most policies. Check in good time whether their own liability insurance is needed. The precise wording varies by insurer and is set out in the specific conditions.
My dog bites someone. Is that covered?
Liability for pets follows from Article 6:179 of the Dutch Civil Code and is in principle included under a personal liability policy, including the victim's personal injury. Some policies exclude certain breeds of dog or impose conditions on keeping them. So declare unusual animals when you apply, and report a biting incident straight away, even if the injured person has not yet made a claim.
Does cover also apply during a long trip or a stay abroad?
Liability cover is usually worldwide, but many policies limit the length of an uninterrupted stay outside the Netherlands. If a family member goes abroad for six months or more to study or work, report it in advance. The liability policy is not intended for luggage, medical costs and repatriation; travel insurance is needed for that.
Who pays if both parties are insured?
The insurer of the party who is liable. If there is doubt, the insurers investigate that between themselves. In principle you are compensated once; Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code provides that a payout must not put you in a clearly better position. Do not admit liability before the insurer has responded, not even out of politeness.