Are you insured when you do small jobs for others?
Often not. Your ordinary liability insurance is for your private life. If you get paid for a job, many policies exclude damage.
In short
- Paid small jobs fall outside the cover of many personal insurance policies.
- An occasional job and no KvK registration (Chamber of Commerce)? Check your policy and agree beforehand who pays for damage.
- If you work as an entrepreneur, business liability insurance (AVB) is the solution.
Go to: what can go wrong · what is covered · what suits you · questions
What can go wrong
Small jobs, real damage:
- You rehang a door and the glass falls out.
- You carry a sofa upstairs and scratch the parquet.
- You drill a shelf into the wall and hit a water pipe.
- You paint a window frame and spill on the new floor.
Who pays for that? If you are liable: you, unless an insurance policy covers it.
What your ordinary insurance does and does not cover
This differs per insurer. As an example, the conditions of a.s.r.:
- Damage during paid work. At a.s.r.: "Damage that occurs during paid work is not insured." In 2024 Kifid (the Dutch financial services complaints institute) ruled in favour of an insurer that rejected such a claim.
- Rented items. For example a rented trailer or sanding machine.
- An unpaid favour for a friend. Often with a maximum. At a.s.r. up to €12,500 per incident.
- Borrowed items. The neighbours' drill. At a.s.r. up to €12,500 per incident.
- Side job of a child living at home. Sometimes, through your parents' insurance. At a.s.r. also for students living away from home who are unmarried and study full-time.
Search your own policy conditions for "paid work" (betaald werk), "work activities" (werkzaamheden) and "custody" (opzicht: someone else's belongings in your care). If in doubt, ask your insurer before you start.
What suits you?
An occasional job, no KvK registration
- Check your policy, or your parents' if you live at home or are studying.
- Agree beforehand who pays for damage. Put it in the chat, so it is in black and white.
- Take photos of the spot before you start.
- Expensive or risky jobs, such as electrics or a water pipe? Leave those to a tradesperson.
You do small jobs as an entrepreneur
According to the KVK (opens in a new tab) (the Dutch Chamber of Commerce) you are an entrepreneur if you work independently, charge a price that earns you money and regularly do jobs for people other than family or friends. Then you register, and your work falls outside your personal insurance.
A business liability insurance (AVB) covers damage you cause at clients to people and their belongings. It is not mandatory, but without it you pay that damage yourself.
When you take it out, ask whether damage to items in your care (opzicht) is included, such as the door you are rehanging. That differs per policy.
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Frequently asked questions
Does my liability insurance cover damage when I do paid small jobs?
Often not. A personal liability insurance (AVP, aansprakelijkheidsverzekering particulieren) is for your private life. Many policies exclude damage during paid work, such as the one from a.s.r. Look in your own policy conditions under 'paid work' (betaald werk) or 'work activities' (werkzaamheden).
And if I do something for free for a friend or neighbour?
Then it is a favour between friends (vriendendienst). Many policies do cover that, often with a maximum. At a.s.r. that is €12,500 per incident.
I am a student and still live at home. Am I insured?
Sometimes, through your parents' insurance. a.s.r., for example, covers damage by children living at home during holiday work or a side job in the Netherlands, and unmarried children living away from home who study full-time. Ask your parents' insurer.
When do I need business liability insurance?
When you do small jobs as an entrepreneur: independently, for money and regularly for people other than family or friends. According to the KVK (the Dutch Chamber of Commerce) you then have to register, and your work falls outside your personal insurance. A business liability insurance (AVB) is not mandatory, but it covers damage you cause at clients.
What should I agree if I am not insured?
Agree beforehand who pays for damage, take photos of the spot before you start, and preferably leave fragile or expensive jobs to a tradesperson.
Sources
- a.s.r., policy summary of personal liability insurance (opens in a new tab)
- Kifid, ruling 2024-1083 (9 December 2024) (opens in a new tab)
- KVK, do I need to register my business? (opens in a new tab)
- Insify, business liability insurance (opens in a new tab)
This is general information, not advice about your policy. The sources are in Dutch.
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