Broke something? No worries with our liability insurance

If you cause damage, you are legally liable for that damage. This means you are responsible for ensuring the damage is repaired. With this insurance, the insurer will (partially) compensate for the damage if you are held liable. If you do not have liability insurance, you must pay for the damage yourself. The amount you have to pay depends on the type of damage. Minor damage, such as a knocked-over vase, is usually manageable. But if someone is seriously injured because of your actions, the amount you have to pay can be very high. If the amount becomes too high, you may no longer be able to pay it yourself and could end up in financial trouble. To prevent this, you can take out liability insurance.

This insurance covers damagecaused by you or another insured person to property (property damage)andtopeople (personal injury) for which you may be held legally liable. If you have liability insurance, not only are you covered, but the following people are also covered:

• You and yourfamily, including parents living with you, guests, and staff
• Minorchildren, even if they do not live at home
• Adult children who live at home or who live away from home for school
• Damage to Other People's Property
• Pets
• Your Real Estate and Other Assets

The coverage is very comprehensive. You're insured worldwide. For example, if you cause damage while on vacation abroad, you and your family members are also covered.

The most important thing to consider with insurance is always the question, “What does this insurance cover?” And “What doesn’t the insurance cover? What is excluded from coverage?” That way, you avoid comparing apples to oranges.

For example, if the insured amount and the deductible differ between two different insurers, you cannot base your comparison solely on the premium.

Most insurers offer a discount if you also purchase their other insurance policies, such as contents, home, and legal expense insurance. This is called a package discount or home insurance.

In addition to personal liability insurance, there is alsobusinessliability insurance. Personal liability insurance does not cover damages caused by you or your employees in your capacity as a business. For this, you can purchase business liability insurance. With business liability insurance, you are covered for damages caused while performing work. If you run a painting business and accidentally drop a can of paint on a customer’s carpet, you’re covered for that.

As a parent, do you have liability insurance with family coverage? In most cases, your children arecovered under your policy until they turn 23 or 27. However, your children must either live at home or be living away from home to attend school. When your child gets married, they must take out their own insurance policy.

Withfamilyliability insurance, not only are you covered, but so are your family members in the event of damage. Family coverage also includes damage to third parties caused by guests. If guests cause damage to your own belongings, this will not be covered. When your family grows, it’s important to take a critical look at your insurance policy. The same applies in the event of a divorce, when you start living with a partner, or when your children move out. For example, as long as your children are not listed on the policy, they are not covered under the policy.

Under fault-based liability, a person is liable for damages caused by their own actions. This does not always have to be intentional: carelessness or negligence can also give rise to liability. You can therefore be liable even without any malicious intent.

Examples of liability based on fault:

• You knock over an antique vase at your aunt's house, causing thousands of euros in damage.
• You trip and scratch a parked car with your umbrella, causing the car to need to be repainted.

Under strict liability, you are liable for damages even if you are not at fault and cannot be held responsible. By law, this applies to parents, employers, homeowners, and pet owners, among others.

Examples of strict liability:

• A 5-year-old accidentally knocks over an expensive vase at a friend's house. The parents are liable, even though they didn't do anything themselves.
• If a dog bites someone or damages property, the dog owner may be held liable. Read more about liability and pets.
• A roof tile blows off your house and damages your neighbor's sunroom: as the homeowner, you are liable.

The difference lies in the question of fault:

• In cases of fault-based liability, you are personally at fault for the damage caused by your conduct or negligence.
• Under strict liability, you are held liable even if you are not at fault or to blame.

In most cases, liability insurance covers both fault-based liability and strict liability. However, it is important to choose the right coverage. For example, if you have children, you need family coverage rather than coverage for single individuals.