Liability
- Cables and pipes
- Damage to crops or buildings
- Injury to bystanders
Verge work · flying stones · seasonal use
Insuring a mowing machine
With mowing, the greatest risk is not the machine but what is flung out from under the deck: a stone that hits a window or strikes a passer-by.
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- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Maaimachine verzekeren.
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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
Ride-on mowers, rotary mowers, flail mowers and boom mowers for landscape gardeners, local authorities and sports grounds are insured as plant and machinery. Own-damage cover covers sudden damage to the machine, liability covers what you cause to others while mowing. That second part carries the weight here.
Mowing almost always takes place close to people and property: verges alongside carriageways, parks, school playgrounds, car parks. Material flying out causes damage to windows and paintwork and sometimes injury. That is unlawful conduct within the meaning of Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code, and where an employee is at the wheel, Article 6:170 of the Dutch Civil Code comes into play as well.
If you work to order on someone else's land, the lawn or sports field you drive on is property in your care. Ruts in a newly laid green or a sprinkler head driven over therefore fall under a different section from damage to the car in the car park next to it. See also the plant and machinery insurance.
Mower: what is covered?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Own-damage cover
Damage, theft and usually inherent defect as well.
- Theft and vandalism
- Fire and storm
- Inherent defect and operating error
Extensions
What matters besides the machine itself.
- Attached parts
- Transport to the site
- Downtime and hired plant
What is covered
| Situation | Liability | Own-damage cover |
|---|---|---|
| Damage to crops, buildings or pipes and cables | Yes | No |
| Theft of the machine | No | Sometimes |
| Fire or storm damage | No | Yes |
| Inherent defect or operating error | No | Sometimes |
| Blades, teeth and tyres worn out | No | No |
| Deferred maintenance | 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.
Material flying out is the core risk
A stone, a piece of fencing or a broken blade leaves the mowing deck at high speed. Damage to the windows of passing cars is the most frequently reported claim, injury to bystanders the most expensive. Insurers look at the guarding of the mowing deck: missing rubber flaps or a removed guard make the damage attributable to negligence and are a real ground for rejection. Photograph the guarding periodically and record replacements.
What is hidden in the verge
Verge mowing means driving past posts, manhole covers, cable cabinets, crash barriers and drainage heads that are invisible in the long grass. The damage to the machine, usually a bent flail shaft or a cracked mowing housing, is covered as a sudden impact. Damage to the road or network operator's property that has been struck runs through liability. Work carried out in-house on land you maintain yourself does not fall under that: there is no third party in that case.
Blades, belts and bearings are wearing parts
Mower blades, flails, cutting edges, drive belts and tensioner rollers wear in normal use and are covered nowhere. A mowing deck that deforms because mowing has consistently been done too low on uneven ground also counts as foreseeable loading. Only breakage caused by an identifiable impact qualifies for settlement. Deferred maintenance on bearings and drive train is also an independent ground for exclusion in virtually every policy.
Fire and the dry season
A hot exhaust system in dry, built-up clippings is a well-known cause of fire; on a dry verge it spreads to the adjoining field or woodland. Own-damage to the machine is covered, the fire that spreads to third parties runs through liability. In dry periods insurers set requirements for firefighting equipment on board and for clearing the engine compartment daily; if those are missing, the settlement is reduced.
Theft and security
For higher values, insurers require a tracker and agreements on where the machine is kept outside working hours.
Wearing parts remain excluded everywhere
Blades, teeth, cutting edges, tracks and tyres are wearing parts and are not insured anywhere; only sudden damage is covered. Deferred maintenance is also a ground for exclusion. A demonstrable maintenance regime with a logbook is therefore not only good management but also strengthens your position in a claim.
What does your premium depend on?
- Type of mower and working width — A flail mower on a boom arm has a different claims pattern from a ride-on mower on a sports field.
- Where you mow — Verges alongside through roads and public parks produce more third-party damage than an enclosed sports complex.
- Replacement value and year of manufacture — Decisive for the own-damage premium and for whether cover is on replacement value as new or market value.
- Work for third parties or your own land — Contract work brings the care, custody and control provision into play for the lawn or field you drive on.
- Number of machines and seasonal use — A fleet with peak use in the growing season is rated differently from one machine that runs all year.
- Storage and security — Ride-on mowers are prone to theft; locked storage and a tracker affect acceptance and premium.
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.
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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.
Who pays for the window of a car that has been hit by a stone?
Your liability cover, provided you are liable. With material flying out that is almost always the case, because you should have controlled the guarding and the direction of travel. If the protective flaps are missing or the guard has been removed, the insurer can reduce the settlement. Report the incident at once with photographs of the mowing site and the machine, as Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires.
Is damage to the lawn I am working on covered?
Usually not as a matter of course. The field you maintain is property in your care and that section is excluded or restricted as standard. Ruts in a wet green, a corner that has been churned up or a sprinkler head driven over fall under it. If you want this covered, care, custody and control cover has to be expressly included with a suitable limit.
Are broken mower blades insured if I hit a manhole cover?
The blades themselves are not: they are wearing parts and fall outside every cover. The consequential damage is, so a cracked mowing housing, a bent shaft or a damaged drive train after that same impact does qualify. Have the repairer distinguish expressly in the damage report between wearing parts and consequential damage, otherwise the whole invoice is treated as wear.
Does injury to a bystander fall under this policy?
Yes, injury to third parties is the core of the liability cover. Where it concerns one of your own employees, the claim runs through Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code and belongs with your employer's liability, not with the plant policy. With an agency worker the hirer can be held liable as well. So check that both covers dovetail and that no gap remains between them.
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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.
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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.