Insuring business contents and goods as a self-employed professional
Most self-employed professionals keep their equipment and stock in or next to their home. That is exactly where the line runs between a private contents policy and business cover.
- 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
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
If you work from a room, shed or studio at your home, your business equipment stands legally apart from your household contents. A private home contents insurance often does not cover items you use for your profession or business, or only up to a low sub-limit that is immediately inadequate after a single fire. For stock you buy in to resell, that is almost always the case: it is excluded on a household policy.
Just as important is the duty of disclosure. Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you at inception of the insurance to disclose everything relevant to acceptance, and business use of your home is part of that. If it turns out after a claim that the insurer did not know about it, he can reduce or refuse payment under Article 7:930 DCC, even if the loss itself had nothing to do with your work.
A commercial business contents insurance solves that for the items at your work address. What you take outside is not included: hand tools and machinery in transit belong on a tools insurance, and your customers' data on a cyber insurance. What you need in combination depends on your trade; see also the insurance package for self-employed professionals.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare business contents insurance.
Independent, personal, sorted quickly
We compare your business contents insurance 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.
Business contents insurance
Compare
Get coveredWhy 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 situations in which self-employed professionals with a workplace at home run into a gap in cover.
The line between household contents and business contents
A laptop you also use privately is not yet business contents. A sewing machine, an espresso machine for customers or a stock of materials is. Insurers use a closed description for this in the conditions. Go through your belongings item by item once and record what is business, because arguing afterwards about the nature of an item costs you the payment.
Declaring that you work from home
Declare the business use both to your home insurer and on the commercial policy. If you receive customers at home, more changes than just the business contents: a visitor who falls on your stairs will hold you liable under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. Personal liability insurance does not cover damage connected with the exercise of a profession. For that you need a business liability insurance needed.
Theft from a shed, garage or store
For outbuildings, different conditions almost always apply: a lower maximum, the requirement of sound locks and fittings, and cover only after demonstrable forced entry. A detached timber shed is sometimes excluded entirely for equipment. Check this before you put expensive machinery there, not afterwards.
Water, damp and electronics
A leak from a pipe or an appliance is usually covered; water penetrating through walls, rising damp and groundwater are not. A power surge after a lightning strike is only included with an extended form of cover. If a device fails through an internal fault, that is inherent defect and therefore excluded: there is electronics cover for that, with its own premium and excess.
What does your premium depend on?
- Value of the business equipment: equipment, furniture, machinery and materials together
- Type of activities: a hair salon at home weighs differently from a consultancy practice
- Share of stock: trading stock raises the theft risk
- Type of home and security: detached or a flat, locks and alarm
- Type of cover: fire and storm, or all external perils
- Excess: a higher excess brings the premium down noticeably
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
Which policy it sits on
| Situation | Personal contents | Business contents |
|---|---|---|
| A fire in the meter cupboard destroys the stock you had bought in to resell | No | Yes |
| Your own sofa, beds and television are lost in that same fire | Yes | No |
| In a burglary at your home, the camera equipment you use for assignments disappears | No | Yes |
| Your partner's laptop, which is used only privately | Yes | No |
| A projector borrowed from a colleague breaks during a presentation at your home | No | Provided that |
| The turnover you lose because you cannot work for weeks after the fire | No | No |
A standstill after a loss is a separate risk: business interruption cover exists for that alongside the business contents policy.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Can I not simply leave my work equipment on the home contents insurance?
Only if your home insurer has accepted the business use and has included an amount for it. As standard, that cover is limited to a small part of the contents sum and trading stock is excluded. For a workplace with expensive equipment that falls short; separate business contents cover is then cheaper than the gap you would otherwise bear yourself.
Am I insured if I take equipment to a client?
In principle no. Business contents insurance is tied to the address stated on the policy. As soon as you put items in the car or leave them at a customer's premises, you need tools cover or own-transit cover. Some policies have a limited extension for items temporarily elsewhere; read how long it applies and up to what amount.
Does VAT count in the sum insured?
If you reclaim VAT as a business, you insure the value excluding VAT: after all, you get that tax back from the tax authorities and it is not a loss for you. If you are exempt or use the small business scheme, you insure including VAT. This follows Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code, which limits payment to the loss actually suffered.
What if I move to business premises?
Report it in advance. The risk address is a core element of the policy: a different construction type, different neighbours and a different level of security lead to different conditions and sometimes to different prevention requirements. During the move itself your property is usually not covered, or only in part, so arrange an additional agreement for that period.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare business contents insuranceThe main page
- Business contents and goods insurance for self-employed professionalsChanging work address, stock, underinsurance
- Business contents and goods for self-employed professionalsWorkplace, stock, working from home
- Commercial business contents insuranceBusiness assets, goods, extensions
- Business contents insurance for practice premisesEquipment, at home, standstill
- Business contents insurance for warehousesRacking, stock, sprinklers