Grease build-up in the extraction duct, guests in your premises and stock in the chiller: three risks that each have their own clause on the policy schedule.
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 activities
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
Most fires in the hospitality trade start in the kitchen and spread through the extraction duct. Grease settles on the inner wall, dries out and, when a pan catches fire, burns with it right through the ceiling. Insurers therefore include a cleaning clause with a set frequency. Keep the cleaning certificates: after a fire that is the first thing asked for, and without those documents the payment can be limited.
The second risk is not you but your guest. A wet floor, a loose stair tread, a parasol blowing over or a patio heater: injury to visitors runs through Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code and, where the building or the terrace is concerned, through the liability of the possessor of a structure in Article 6:174 DCC. That last article applies even where you did nothing wrong.
The third risk is your stock. If the refrigeration fails, spoilage is not fire or water damage but a separate section, with its own requirements on alarms and a minimum duration of the failure. We combine kitchen, guests and stock in a SME insurance package so that the sections join up.
What does insurance for the hospitality trade cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The basics
Liability
AVB for property damage and injury, BAV for professional errors.
Damage to third parties
Employers' liability
Care, custody and control as an extension
Your business
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
If you employ people
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.
The cleaning clause for the extraction duct
Virtually every hospitality policy states how often the extraction duct has to be cleaned, depending on how much you fry and deep-fry. That frequency is not advice but a condition. Have the cleaning done by a firm that issues a dated certificate and keep those certificates with your policy. In a kitchen fire, that piece of paper determines whether the loss is paid in full, in part or not at all.
Your terrace is a buildings risk
For defects in the building and what belongs to it, Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code applies: the possessor is liable for damage caused by a defective structure, even without blame. An awning coming loose, a sunken paving slab or an unanchored parasol falls under it. Inspect the terrace periodically, record that inspection, and check whether you are regarded as the tenant or as the owner.
Spoilage is a separate section
If the refrigeration fails through a breakdown or a power cut, the loss to your stock is not physical damage within the meaning of the fire section. There is spoilage cover for that, usually with conditions about a temperature alarm, a minimum duration of the failure and the way you evidence the loss. Photograph the contents and the temperature record before you clear up.
Doing your own deliveries is a road risk
As soon as you deliver yourself with scooters, bicycles or vans, you have a fleet, often with young drivers under time pressure. For motor vehicles the compulsory cover in Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) applies; liability insurance specifically excludes that damage. For injury to your own delivery rider on the road, separate road traffic injury cover is needed; Article 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code expects you to make that provision.
What does your premium depend on?
Type of kitchen. Deep-frying, wok cooking and working with a wood-fired oven weigh more heavily than regenerating alone.
Cleaning frequency of the extraction system. The agreed frequency appears as a condition on the policy schedule and affects the premium.
Opening hours. Late-night venues and serving alcohol until late bring more incidents with guests.
Number of covers and terrace area. More guests and more outdoor furniture means more chance of injury and storm damage.
Refrigeration capacity and stock value. Determines the limit needed on the spoilage section and the requirements for alarms.
Delivery in-house. Your own delivery riders and vehicles bring a road risk that is weighed separately.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
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.
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.
Only if you have complied with the cleaning clause. Insurers set the frequency for cleaning the extraction duct as a condition, precisely because grease build-up is the main route by which kitchen fires spread. If you can produce dated cleaning certificates, the loss is in principle covered. If they are missing, the payment can be reduced or refused.
Who pays for injury to a guest who slips?
Your public and employers' liability insurance, if you allowed a dangerous situation to persist or failed to warn. Where a defect in the premises or the terrace is involved, Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code also applies, making the possessor of the structure liable even without blame. Record periodic inspections of floors, stairs and terrace.
Is spoilage after a power cut covered?
Only with the spoilage section. Note the conditions: many policies require a temperature alarm and a minimum duration of the failure before cover starts, and ask for evidence from the temperature record. Photograph the stock and the readings before you clear up, because without that evidence the size of the loss cannot be established afterwards.
Are coats and bags in the cloakroom covered?
Guests' property in your custody falls under care, custody and control and is excluded without that module. An unattended cloakroom with a sign saying you accept no liability limits your risk but does not remove it. If you do want cover, agree a care, custody and control limit with the insurer that matches your busiest evenings.
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.
