Liability
- Damage to third parties
- Employers' liability
- Care, custody and control as an extension
Sum insured · care, custody and control · staff
Liability for small businesses
A small business causes the same losses as a large one, only without the balance sheet to absorb them.
- several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Aansprakelijkheid voor kleine bedrijven.
Calculate your premium or request a quote
Without obligation; a reply within one working day.
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 your own premium with the calculator.
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.
In brief
The size of a claim depends on the victim, not on your turnover. Injury claims are calculated over the injured party's remaining working life, with loss of earning capacity, care costs and damages for pain and suffering. Whether that loss is caused by a fitter at a large group or by you working alone makes no difference to the calculation.
With a sole trader or a general partnership there is no separation between business and private assets. A claim your business cannot bear runs through to your home and your savings. In a general partnership the partners are also liable jointly and severally . That is why with small businesses the sum insured is more often chosen too low than too high.
You are also liable for the actions of your people. Article 6:170 of the Dutch Civil Code places the mistakes of subordinates with you and Article 6:171 of the Dutch Civil Code does the same for non-subordinates working on your instructions. So a student on placement, an agency worker and a hired-in self-employed professional count as well, even though they are not on your payroll.
What does liability cover include for small businesses?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Assets and continuity
Business contents, goods and lost turnover during downtime.
- Business contents at replacement value as new
- Goods at cost price
- Business interruption or additional costs
Staff
Sickness absence, accidents and the traffic risk.
- Continued pay for 104 weeks
- Group personal accident
- WEGAS for traffic risks
What is covered
| Situation | AVB | BAV | Cyber |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injury to a visitor or customer | Yes | No | No |
| Damage to a client's property | Sometimes | No | No |
| Financial loss caused by an advisory or calculation error | No | Yes | No |
| Downtime after a ransomware attack | No | No | Yes |
| Data breach involving personal data | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Damage to property in your care | No | 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.
Recovery does not stop at the office door
If you work as a sole trader or a general partnership, there is legally no separate estate. A creditor can have recourse to your private assets, and in a general partnership all the partners can be held liable for the whole. A private limited company shields that, but where a director is personally seriously at fault they can still be held liable. So the legal form determines what you really risk.
Your people are your liability
Under Article 6:170 of the Dutch Civil Code you carry the loss your subordinates cause in their work, and Article 6:171 of the Dutch Civil Code extends that to third parties you engage. Recovering it from the employee themselves rarely works: Article 7:661 of the Dutch Civil Code limits that to intent or wilful recklessness. So always state how many people you work with, including hired-in workers and students on placement.
Property in your care falls outside the basic cover
The classic exclusion is care, custody and control: damage to property you hire, borrow, work on or transport. For small businesses that is often the heart of the matter: think of the building you work in, the key you look after, the machine you repair or the goods you store temporarily. Without an extension that is uninsured, while it is the most common type of loss.
Your description of activities has to grow with you
The policy covers the activities as you have declared them. If your work changes, if assembly work is added or if you start supplying a different sector, that has to be reported. Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code sets out that duty of disclosure and Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code governs what happens if you breach it: a reduced payment or no payment. One email for each change heads off that conversation.
What does your premium depend on?
- Nature of the work — The risk class of your activities weighs more heavily than your size; assembly work counts differently from office work.
- Annual turnover and payroll — With virtually all insurers both form the basis for the calculation and are adjusted each year.
- Number of employees — Working staff, students on placement, agency workers and hired-in self-employed professionals count towards the employers' section.
- Sum insured chosen — The sum per claim and per year determines the premium, but the difference between two levels is smaller than the difference it makes when there is a loss.
- Extensions — Care, custody and control, work after completion and supply outside Europe are separate choices that increase the premium.
- Excess and claims history — A higher excess brings the premium down; claims reported in recent years work the other way.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
Am I required by law to have liability insurance?
No, for businesses there is no general legal requirement. In practice the requirement is contractual: clients, landlords, franchisors and tenders require a policy with a minimum sum insured. For a few professions there is a requirement under their own professional rules. That often makes the insurance just as binding in practice as a legal requirement.
Does my personal liability insurance cover my business?
No. A personal policy expressly excludes loss connected with a profession or business. That also applies if you work from home, do occasional jobs or have only just started. As soon as you invoice, the act falls within the running of your business and you need business cover. It is best to have borderline cases checked in advance.
Am I liable for an agency worker or a student on placement?
Yes. For the loss they cause to third parties, Article 6:170 of the Dutch Civil Code or Article 6:171 of the Dutch Civil Codeapplies, depending on the relationship. Conversely, your duty of care under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code also applies to them: that fourth subsection expressly covers people who carry out work for you outside an employment relationship. Both sides should be on the policy.
What happens if my activities change?
Report it. The cover is based on the description in the policy; work that falls outside it may turn out to be uninsured at the moment you need it. Growth in turnover or staff is picked up at the annual adjustment, but a substantive change in your activities is not. That is a separate disclosure and it costs you one message.
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Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
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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 written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.