Insuring a coffee shop through OOM Verzekeringen
A coffeeshop is tolerated, not legalised. That difference decides exactly what an insurer is willing to cover and what will never fall under a policy.
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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
We place business through OOM Verzekeringen among others, and we also compare more than thirty other insurers objectively. Few parties accept a coffeeshop, and the decision depends on the premises, the trading history and the tolerance permit. We therefore submit a complete file rather than a standard application. For the way cover on the premises itself is arranged, the buildings insurance for hospitality premises is the closest comparison.
What sets this business apart is that the trading stock cannot be insured. Soft drugs are goods that are prohibited by law; sale is tolerated under conditions, but that does not create an insurable interest. If your stock is stolen or lost in a fire, you bear that loss yourself. What can be insured: the building, the fittings, the equipment, liability towards visitors and, within limits, the cash on the premises. For those fittings, the same principles apply as for a business contents insurance for the hospitality sector.
The second theme is the administrative side. Trading depends on a tolerance permit with conditions on the distance to schools, age checks, the maximum trading stock held on site and nuisance. If you breach them, the mayor can close the premises under Article 13b of the Dutch Opium Act. Such a closure is not an insured event: the business interruption insurance pays out after material damage such as fire, not after a decision by the local authority. To defend against such a decision, there is legal expenses insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare buildings insurance (opstalverzekering).
The same independent view, whatever insurer
We work with dozens of insurers and choose whichever fits your situation best — not whichever pays us the most. That means advice built around you, not around one brand.
Insurers
Independent
AdviceWhy 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.
What to look out for
Four points where a coffeeshop differs from an ordinary hospitality business.
Cash and the risk of robbery
This sector handles a great deal of cash, which brings an above-average risk of robbery and ram-raiding. Money and negotiable documents are limited or excluded on a business contents policy and call for a separate money section, with requirements on a certified safe, on how often you bank the takings and on the amount that may remain in the till. If you depart from these, cover for the money lapses, even where the robbery itself is fully proven.
Closure and fines remain uninsured
An order subject to a penalty, an administrative fine or a temporary closure hits your turnover directly, but falls outside every indemnity policy. The cost of repairing reputational damage and the turnover lost during a closure are not covered either. Insurers also frequently include a clause tying cover to the continuous existence of a valid tolerance permit; check that wording before you sign.
Fire safety and ventilation
Smoking indoors, heavy extraction, carbon filters and sometimes a separate smoking room make the premises unusual in fire terms. Insurers ask about the condition of the installation, the maintenance of the extraction system and the escape routes when the place is busy. Fire caused by a naked flame, by an unmaintained extraction system or by an altered electrical installation regularly leads to a claim being declined. Keep inspection reports and maintenance invoices.
Liability towards visitors
Injury to a visitor from a slippery floor, a loose stair tread or a falling object is a liability matter, not damage to property. As owner of the premises you are subject to Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code; as the operator, the duty of care under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code is added on top. For injury to your staff you are subject to Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code. Arrange that on a liability insurance for a hospitality business; the buildings policy does not cover this.
What does your premium depend on?
- Location and surroundings: a shopping street with supervision is judged differently from an isolated building
- Security of the premises: roller shutters, ram-raid protection, cameras and alarm monitoring
- Safe and banking arrangements: these determine the size of the money section
- Rebuild and fitting-out value: the basis for buildings and business contents separately
- Opening hours: opening in the evening and at night raises the risk
- Enforcement history: a clean record is decisive on acceptance
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Basic | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| Fire caused by a short circuit in the cooling unit behind the counter | Yes | Yes |
| A ram raid pushes the shopfront and the roller shutter inwards | No | Provided that |
| The trading stock is lost in that same fire | No | No |
| A burst pipe on the upper floor soaks the suspended ceiling | No | Yes |
| Graffiti and smashed windows after a night of unrest in the street | No | Provided that |
| The cold store fails and the drinks and fresh produce spoil | No | No |
These columns say something about the peril and nothing about the amount. The building and the fittings each have their own sum insured.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Can I insure my trading stock?
No. The stock consists of substances prohibited under the Dutch Opium Act. The tolerance policy does not make the sale lawful. No insurable interest arises and no insurer will take this on. Theft of the stock or its loss in a fire is yours to bear. What can be insured are the premises, the fittings, the equipment and the cash within the agreed limits.
What if the local authority closes my business?
Then the loss of turnover falls outside your insurances. Business interruption cover requires material damage as the cause, such as a fire or an explosion. An administrative measure is not that. Policies in this sector also often contain a clause under which cover lapses as soon as the tolerance permit is withdrawn. Report any enforcement action to your adviser straight away.
Is damage after a ram raid covered?
Damage to the shopfront, the roller shutter and the fittings falls under the buildings and business contents cover, provided those perils are insured and the agreed security was in place and switched on. The money taken falls under the money section with its own limit. If the prescribed security was missing, the insurer may reduce or refuse payment.
Do I have to state the exact nature of the business?
Yes, and word for word. If the policy schedule says hospitality or café while the business is a coffeeshop, the duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code has been breached. Article 7:930 DCC then allows the insurer to reduce or refuse payment, even where the loss had nothing to do with the omission, if it would not have insured the risk had it known the true position.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
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