Existing property · testing · contract sum
Construction all risks (CAR) insurance for self-employed professionals (zzp'ers) working in existing buildings
A self-employed professional rarely works on an empty site. You are in an occupied house or in business premises that are up and running, and everything that was already there is not part of the works you are insuring.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: CAR-verzekering voor zzp'ers die in bestaande panden werken.
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.
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- 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
Construction and erection insurance pays for damage to the works under construction: the brickwork, carpentry or installation work you are making, plus the materials on site for it. For a zzp'er who fits bathrooms, replaces window frames or renews a central heating system, that is the smallest part of the risk. The large part is all around it: the parquet floor, the ceiling, the kitchen and the client's contents. Those fall under the existing property belonging to the clientsection, and that section is not included automatically. See also CAR insurance for the self-employed.
If you work mainly as a subcontractor on larger projects, the position is different: there is usually a project policy already and the question is whether you are named on it and whether the insurer waives recovery. That situation is set out on construction and erection for zzp'ers on the project policy. If you take on jobs yourself for private individuals and small businesses, there is nobody arranging anything for you and you choose between a continuous annual contract and a single-project policy.
With erection work the moment of risk is at the end of the job. Connecting, filling, pressure-testing and running in what you have fitted is the phase in which a coupling that has not been tightened properly or a pipe that has not been capped comes to light, and usually two floors below. Check whether testing and commissioning are included in the cover. Injury or damage you cause outside the works does not belong here but on the liability insurance for self-employed professionals.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare construction all risks (CAR) insurance.
What to look out for
Four points that determine whether damage at the client's premises is paid for.
The existing property section
On small-scale work this is the most important line on the policy schedule. The section covers damage to the building and to the client's property caused by your work: the cracked tiled floor, the soaked ceiling, the damaged bannister. Give an amount that matches the most expensive house you work in, not the average one. Without this section, water damage in a house is entirely at your expense.
Testing, filling and running in
If you put a pipework system under pressure, fill a central heating system or switch on a distribution board, that is a separate phase with a provision of its own. Some policies only cover that period if it is insured in as many words, and sometimes only for a stated number of days. Also work with a written check afterwards; after a leak, insurers almost always ask how you pressure-tested the system.
The sum insured is the contract sum
Under a continuous contract, a maximum contract sum per project is stated on the policy schedule. If you take on a job that exceeds it, that job has to be reported separately. If you do not, there is underinsurance and the insurer pays proportionately, including on a small claim. Count additional work in: a bathroom that is extended during the work increases the contract value.
What never falls under this policy
Outside the cover are the costs of redoing your own defective work, your tools, machinery and the contents of your van, theft of material without signs of forced entry, delay losses and penalties if completion is pushed back, and damage caused by intent or wilful recklessness, excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. The client's property that you temporarily move or have in your charge also engages the care, custody and control exclusion.
What does your premium depend on?
- Annual turnover: the usual basis for a one-person business
- Type of work: installation work, finishing, carpentry or roofing
- Maximum contract sum per job: sets the threshold above which notification is needed
- Existing property: the amount for which the client's building is included
- Testing and commissioning: insured or not, and for what period
- Excess: often increased for water and storm damage
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Basic | With existing property |
|---|---|---|
| The bathroom floor you are laying is damaged when a bag of cement falls over | Yes | Yes |
| You drill into an underfloor heating pipe and the ceiling below sags | No | Yes |
| The parquet floor in the hall is scratched because you wheel material over it | No | Yes |
| The window frames not yet fitted disappear from the client's garden at night | Provided that | Provided that |
| Resetting a door frame that you had fitted out of true | No | No |
| The neighbour upstairs has water damage because you had not closed a stopcock | No | No |
Damage at your client's premises belongs on this policy; damage to a neighbour or a passer-by on your liability insurance.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
I only work in existing homes. Is this insurance worthwhile then?
Especially then. In an occupied house your own work is small and the surroundings are vulnerable: floors, ceilings, kitchens and contents. Without the existing property section you are dependent on your liability cover, and that only pays once you have demonstrably made a mistake. Where damage occurs without clear fault, you are then left with the bill yourself.
What is the difference with my liability insurance?
Liability insurance pays where you cause damage to someone else and are liable for it, assessed under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. Construction and erection insurance pays for damage to the works without the question of fault having to be resolved, for example in the case of storm or theft. In practice they complement each other; make sure the descriptions of your activities are the same on both policies.
How long does the cover continue after completion?
Until the end of any maintenance period agreed. After that only your liability remains: for defects the client could not reasonably have discovered at handover, the contractor remains responsible under Article 7:758(4) of the Dutch Civil Code. Record the handover with photographs and a short list of outstanding items, and note the date on which the period starts.
Does the installation I fit count towards the sum insured?
Yes, materials and equipment incorporated in the works belong to the contract value, including where the client has bought and supplied them. Report that, because otherwise the policy shows a lower amount than the actual value of the works. Equipment not yet installed often has a separate limit and a requirement about locked storage.
Read more
Within Car verzekering
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