Injury and property damage
- Visitors at the office or at the stand
- Damage at the client's premises
- Damage to a hired space
- Costs of legal defence
Public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) for marketing agencies
A marketing agency rarely causes physical damage, but it does at the moments when it works away from the office: shoots, trade fairs and events. That is where public and employers' liability insurance begins, and where it also ends.
- several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
This page in another language: Nederlands · Deutsch
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
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
Public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) covers legal liability for injury to people and damage to property that your agency causes to third parties, usually on the basis of the tort provision of Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. For a marketing agency these are recognisable situations: a coffee cup over a client's laptop, a tripod falling over during a shoot, a visitor tripping over a cable at your stand, damage to a meeting room you had hired.
The second part is the employers' liability. Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code places on you a duty of care for the safety of your staff, and under subsection 4 that also applies to students on placement, freelancers and hired-in workers — in this sector a large part of the team. If someone is injured while building a fair stand or during a production, you have to show that you met that duty of care. If you cannot, you are liable and the AVB pays.
Where the difficulty lies for marketing agencies: your biggest risk is not physical damage but pure financial loss. A campaign that goes wrong, a misleading claim, an incorrect budget or an image you use without the right licence. That falls outside the AVB and belongs on a professional indemnity insurance, and there you have to check separately whether intellectual property is included.
Independent, personal, sorted quickly
We compare your personal liability insurance (AVP) across dozens of insurers, explain where the real differences lie, and arrange the switch from start to finish — without you having to chase it yourself.
Personal liability insurance (AVP)Photo coming soon
ComparePhoto coming soon
Get coveredPhoto coming soon
What does the AVB cover for a marketing agency?
The cover turns on physical damage: at the office, at the client and at the locations where you produce.
Employers' liability
Claims by employees, students on placement and freelancers after an accident at work.
- Duty of care under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code
- Putting up and taking down stands
- Also for hired-in workers
- Traffic damage falls outside this
Care, custody and control and equipment
Sections with a limit of their own that are not automatically included.
- Hired cameras and lighting sets
- Clients' products in the studio
- Damage to a hired venue
- Usually with an excess
What is covered
| Situation | Basic | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| A visitor is injured at your fair stand | Yes | Yes |
| You damage equipment at a client's office | Yes | Yes |
| Injury to a freelancer during the build-up | Yes | Yes |
| Damage to equipment hired from a rental company | No | Provided that |
| The client's loss of turnover through a failed campaign | No | No |
| A claim for using an image without a licence | No | No |
Which sections are included and which limits and excesses apply is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) that you receive before you take out cover.
What does your premium depend on?
- Turnover: the usual basis for calculation
- Number of employees: including freelancers and students on placement
- Share of work done on site: shoots, trade fairs and events
- Type of clients: small and medium-sized businesses or large brands
- Sum insured: per claim and per year
- Claims history: previous claims and notifications
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, risk 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.
Why arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
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.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that determine whether your policy actually pays when you claim.
Your core risk is not in the AVB
A marketing agency is rarely held liable because something is broken, and almost always because a client has money missed out. An advertising campaign set up wrongly, a deadline that causes a product launch to fail, an email list used incorrectly. That is pure financial loss and it is excluded on the AVB. Only professional indemnity insurance covers this; choose a sum insured there that matches your largest assignment, not your average invoice.
Intellectual property is a separate discussion
Claims about copyright, trade mark rights and image rights are the rule rather than the exception in this sector: a stock photo used outside the licence terms, music under a video, a model who did not consent to the channel used. The AVB does not cover that and many professional indemnity policies do not either without an additional clause. Check this expressly and record licences, model contracts and periods of use for each campaign.
What else is not included
Excluded are, among others: fines and penalty payments, for instance from the Dutch data protection authority or after a ruling on misleading advertising; loss caused by intent or wilful recklessness under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code; damage caused with a motor vehicle for which Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) governs the insurance requirement; and redoing your own defective work. A data breach in your own systems also falls outside the AVB. There is cyber insurance for that.
Report work on location and events in advance
If you organise events yourself, build stands or work with the public on location, that is a different risk from agency work. State it on your application. It falls under the duty of disclosure in Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code. If it is not disclosed and the loss occurs in precisely that setting, the insurer may reduce or refuse the payment on the basis of Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code. For larger events there is also separate event liability cover.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Do I need an AVB if I only work from the office?
There is still a risk then, but it is more limited. You receive clients, visit their offices and take equipment with you. Many clients also require liability insurance in the contract before they enter into a framework agreement. The premium for an agency without production work is usually low, precisely because the risk profile is modest.
Does the AVB cover loss caused by a misleading advertisement?
No. A claim about misleading advertising leads to financial loss for the advertiser or for consumers, not to injury or damaged property. That is pure financial loss and it falls outside the AVB. Professional indemnity insurance can cover it, provided the policy does not exclude publications and advertising. Fines and the cost of an imposed correction usually remain at your own expense.
Are the freelancers in my team covered?
For injury to themselves, usually yes: Article 7:658 subsection 4 of the Dutch Civil Code extends your duty of care to everyone working on your instructions. For damage they cause to third parties it depends on the policy and on whether they have been declared as co-insured. Report numbers on your application and ask freelancers for their own cover.
What if I damage hired equipment?
Hired cameras, lighting sets and furniture are property in your care. They are excluded on the standard cover, because you had them in your care yourself. Many insurers offer a care, custody and control section with a limit and an excess of its own. Rental companies sometimes require insurance themselves; check that their requirement and your policy match.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare personal liability insurance (AVP)The main page
- Public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) for software developersAVB, embedded software, staff
- Public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) for mediatorsAVB, consulting room, advice
- Public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) for safety expertsAVB, employers' liability, advice
- Public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) for the petrochemical industryAVB, petrochemicals, high-hazard work
- Liability insurance for the food industryAVB, product liability, allergens
- Liability for photographersOn location, equipment, image rights
- Professional indemnity insurance (BAV) and public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) for your businessAVB, BAV, employers' liability
- Liability insurance for a self-employed content marketerShooting on location, image rights, borrowed equipment
What does your cover cost?
Request a quotation without obligation. We set the location and care, custody and control clauses of each insurer side by side.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
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.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
This page was compiled by Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.