Legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering) for hair salons
In a hair salon the amounts per dispute are small and the lease is large. So the threshold amount per case and the property module are the two things to watch here.
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.
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A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
Legal expenses policies have a minimum interest per case. If the amount at stake stays below that threshold, the insurer will not take the case on. In a salon the amounts are often exactly of that order: a client who refuses to pay, a supplier who delivered the wrong colouring products, a faulty backwash unit just outside the guarantee. Ask for that threshold amount before you sign.
Where money is at stake is the premises. A hair salon rents business space within the meaning of Article 7:290 of the Dutch Civil Code, with protection of the term, statutory rules on notice and the possibility of a rent review. A conflict about renewal, about refurbishment or about the final account on leaving falls under the property module, and that is not in every basic cover.
The third area is staff: permanent employees, on-call staff and apprentices from the training scheme. Continued pay during illness, notice and the chain rule are the recurring subjects here. A client's claim after a treatment does not belong here but with the liability insurance.
What does legal expenses insurance for hair salons cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
You choose yourself
Modules
The sections that suit your business.
Debt collection
Contracts and suppliers
Employment law and staff
Administrative law and permits
Lawyers
What you get
Legal assistance and legal costs, not compensation for loss.
Your own lawyer on your case
Legal costs included
Advice when a dispute is looming
Know in advance
Limits
Where the cover stops.
A three-month waiting period
Minimum financial interest per case
Maximum external costs
What is covered
Situation
Covered
Collection of an unpaid invoice
Sometimes
A dispute with a supplier over delivery
Yes
A dismissal case or employment dispute
Sometimes
An objection to a permit decision
Sometimes
A dispute that was already running when you took out cover
No
Tax proceedings without that module
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 threshold amount decides whether your case is taken on
Almost every business legal expenses policy applies a minimum interest: below that amount a case is not taken on. For a salon that is the most decisive figure in the conditions, because the average unpaid treatment, a batch of products delivered in error or a dispute about a repair often falls below it. Ask for the amount and compare on that, and not only on the premium.
Your lease falls under Article 7:290 of the Dutch Civil Code
A salon with the public coming in from the street rents business space within the meaning of Article 7:290 DCC. That brings protection of the term and limits the grounds on which the landlord may give notice, but it also sets rules on rent review and refurbishment. This is the dispute where substantial amounts are at stake, and it is only covered with the property module. Check whether your policy includes it.
A claim about a treatment is not a legal expenses case
If a client suffers damage from a colour treatment, a perm or a burn, that is a liability matter under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code and belongs with your liability insurance. Legal expenses cover pays no compensation. If that same client then refuses to pay the bill, that is a legal expenses case, provided the amount exceeds the minimum interest. If in doubt, report a file to both insurers.
Staff, on-call workers and apprentices
Alongside permanent employees, a salon often works with on-call staff and with apprentices from a recognised training company. Continued pay during illness, the offer of fixed hours, notice and the chain rule produce most employment disputes. They fall under the employment law module. You are expected to act as a good employer within the meaning of Article 7:611 DCC; building a file is then the difference between winning and settling.
The three-month waiting period
A dispute that was already running or was foreseeable when you took out the policy is excluded, even after the waiting period and even if you switch to another insurer. So take out the policy while things are calm. This is very much an insurance you have before you need it.
What does your premium depend on?
Annual turnover of the salon. The basis of calculation on which the rate is set.
Number of staff, on-call workers and apprentices. More staff means more chance of employment disputes.
Property module. Needed for tenancy disputes about the business space.
Whether the premises are rented or owned. Determines whether tenancy protection and notice play a part.
Minimum financial interest per case. With small amounts, the most important point of comparison.
Maximum external costs. The limit for lawyers' and experts' fees per file.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
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.
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.
My dispute is about a small amount. Will it be taken on?
Only if it exceeds the minimum interest set out in your conditions. If it stays below that, the insurer will not take the case on, however justified your position. In a salon many disputes fall exactly in that zone. So ask for the threshold amount before you take out the policy and compare insurers on precisely that.
I have a conflict with my landlord. Is that covered?
With the property module, usually yes. A salon rents business space within the meaning of Article 7:290 of the Dutch Civil Code, which governs protection of the term, grounds for notice, rent review and refurbishment. Without that module a tenancy dispute falls outside the cover, and that is exactly where the largest amounts are at stake. Check on your policy schedule which modules are included.
A client claims for damage after a colour treatment. Which policy?
The liability insurance. Damage to hair or skin is a claim under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code, and legal expenses insurance pays no compensation. If the same client then refuses to pay the bill, that is a legal expenses case, provided the amount is above the threshold. If in doubt, report the file to both insurers at the same time.
Are on-call workers and apprentices included?
For the employment law module it is about disputes with people who work for you, so on-call workers and apprentices from the training company as well. The subjects are continued pay during illness, the offer of fixed hours, notice and the chain rule. Insurers look at the number and the nature of the contracts; give those numbers correctly when applying.
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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