Most rejected claims on an own goods in transit policy founder not on the cover but on a clause: the overnight storage, the security or leaving the van unattended.
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In brief
This page is not about what is insured but about the conditions on which that cover applies. Virtually every own goods in transit policy carries clauses that prescribe the user's conduct: where the vehicle stands at night, what security is fitted and whether the load space is emptied after work. A clause is not small print but a condition of cover. If it is not complied with, there is no right to payment for a theft.
The problem is almost never unwillingness. An engineer who stays overnight at a customer every day, a self-employed professional without a garage, a company that has moved to premises without a locked site: practice shifts and the policy runs on unchanged. Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code obliges you to give a correct picture in advance, and Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code governs what happens if that picture was wrong: no payment, or a payment reduced to the proportion in which you should have paid premium.
What falls within the cover in substance, and how you determine the sum insured, is set out on own goods in transit insurance.
Carrying your own goods: what does the cover require?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The basis
Actual value
What the cargo is actually worth.
Not capped per kilogram
Regardless of who is liable
Including freight and costs
The difference
Liability
What a carrier bears at most.
CMR: 8.33 SDR per kilo
AVC: € 3.40 per kilo
Rarely the actual value
Optional
Type of cover
From limited to all risks.
All external perils
Limited perils
Storage in transit
What is covered
Situation
Carriers' liability
Goods in transit
Damage from an accident, up to the weight limit
Yes
Yes
Damage above the weight limit
No
Yes
Theft of the cargo
Sometimes
Yes
Damage with no identifiable fault
No
Yes
Storage during the journey
No
Sometimes
Inherent defect or inadequate packaging
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.
Read the storage clause literally
The wording differs from insurer to insurer, and that wording is decisive. One requires a locked space, another a fenced and lit site, and a third imposes the requirement only for the night-time hours. Check whether your situation literally meets the text and not the meaning you give it. A carport is not a locked space, and neither is a drive behind an open gate.
The emptying clause calls for a daily action
Some policies cover theft only if the load space is empty outside working hours, or only up to a limited amount if something is left in it. That is an obligation that has to be met afresh every day. If you cannot or will not do that, choose a policy with a different set-up instead of accepting the clause and hoping it never goes wrong. Record internally who is responsible for emptying the van.
Security requirements must demonstrably have been carried out
If there is a requirement about additional locks, an alarm system or a tracking system, the insurer will want to see the installation certificate after a theft. Keep the invoice and the fitting certificate for each vehicle, and check with a new van that the security has been fitted again. A policy condition that is right on paper but missing from the van is the same as no security when you claim.
After a loss, your file counts
Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code obliges you to report the loss as soon as possible and to give all information that matters. Report it to the police, leave signs of forced entry untouched until the surveyor has been, and supply your inventory with serial numbers. If a police report is missing, or the van turns out to have been unlocked, the insurer moves on to the question whether you contributed to the loss yourself.
What does your premium depend on?
The actual storage situation. A locked shed, a fenced site or a parking space in the street each lead to a different assessment.
Base and postcode area. Insurers use area classifications for theft risk; where the vehicle spends the night counts in that.
Level of security on the vehicle. Certified locks, an alarm class or a tracking system can soften a stricter storage requirement.
Emptying the van outside working hours. Emptying the load space at night lowers the risk and can therefore earn easier conditions.
Claims history. Previous break-ins or thefts weigh heavily on the premium and on the clauses imposed.
Excess in the event of theft. For theft a different, higher excess often applies than for other covered events.
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.
Say so when taking out the policy instead of chancing it. There are policies with a different set-up, for example with a tracking system or a certified additional lock instead of a locked space. That generally costs more premium, but you do have cover. Otherwise the requirement only turns out to exist at the moment you need it.
What happens if I have failed to declare something?
Then Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code applies. If the insurer would have issued the same policy at a higher premium had you declared correctly, the payment is reduced proportionately. If it would not have accepted the risk at all, the right to payment lapses. Where there is intent to mislead there is no payment and the contract can be terminated.
Do I always have to report a theft to the police?
Yes. Virtually every policy makes a police report a condition for a theft claim, and the insurer will ask for the report number. Report it as soon as possible and make sure the description matches what you tell the insurer. Differences between the two statements raise questions that hold up the file unnecessarily.
Do the clauses also apply to a trailer or a storage container?
Usually not without a separate declaration. The conditions are written for the motor vehicle you carry things in. A coupled trailer, a box truck or a container on site calls for an additional arrangement, in which the insurer may set its own requirements as to locking and siting. Ask about this before you leave materials in one.
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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