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Contractor, architect or client? We arrange your ten-year liability cover.

The obligation is not the same for everyone. We work out by chat what you need and apply for your certificate.

What is ten-year liability?

The liability for defects that compromise the stability or the soundness of a building, for ten years after acceptance of the works. A foundation that settles, a load-bearing wall that cracks, a structure that turns out not to hold: the client can come after you years after the works.

Since the Peeters Act, that liability has to be insured for works on homes for which an architect is required. Before, the obligation applied only to architects, while contractors and other construction partners carry the same liability.

The policy runs for ten years and follows the site, not your financial year. It covers the client, the contractor and the architect, and your staff and trainees when they act on your behalf. Subcontractors can be included.

In practice this insurance comes down to one document: the certificate. The architect needs it before the works start, and without that paper your site stands still. With a declaration per site you get it right after the declaration; with an annual policy it works differently.

What you do not cover with this is the damage during construction itself. For that there is all-risks site insurance, often taken out alongside this policy.

What we work out in that conversation

We ask the questions that determine what you have to insure: in which role you stand on the site, what exactly is being built or renovated, whether an architect is involved and how many sites you do per year. That last one decides whether an annual policy or a policy per site works out cheaper for you.

Because we are a broker and not an insurer, we have no policy of our own to sell. What this insurance has to cover is largely set out in law, so the content differs little between insurers. The premium does, and we also compare whether it works out cheaper to take your all-risks site policy into the same file.

Do you need your certificate quickly? Say so straight away. Then we know which insurers to approach first.

Everything runs through chat and stays in the same conversation. If a new site comes along or something about the project changes, you pick up the thread where you left it.

How to start

  1. You send a message through the chat on this page.

  2. You answer a few targeted questions about your site. No long questionnaire.

  3. You get a tailored proposal usually within two working days, explaining what is covered, up to what amount, and what is not in the policy.

  4. If you agree, you confirm the proposal.

What a conversation with Ōmata looks like

You do not need to know which policy you are looking for, and there is no form to fill in.

Start your request

Viktor is online

You are talking to an AI assistant. You can ask for a human colleague to take over at any time.

  • CustomerThe client is asking for a ten-year liability certificate. The site starts on Monday.
  • ŌmataThat is tight but usually workable. Is this a home for which an architect has been appointed?
  • CustomerYes, a new-build home, we are doing the shell and core works.
  • ŌmataClear. What is the contract value for your part of the works?
  • CustomerAbout three hundred thousand euros.
  • ŌmataNoted. I will pass this straight to our expert as urgent, with Monday as the deadline. You will hear from us this week.

Try it yourself

Who this is for

The obligation applies to everyone building the home itself, not only to the main contractor. If your work is in the structural shell or touches stability, you are in it.

  • Structural contractors

    Foundations, walls, floor slabs and roof structure. The core of what determines stability.

  • Architects

    Required to be insured for their professional liability and for their share in the ten-year liability.

  • Structural engineering firms

    Whoever does the calculation also carries the consequences of an error in it.

  • Roofers and façade builders

    A roof that has to stay watertight, a façade that has to carry: both are stability.

  • Installers making load-bearing changes

    Anyone cutting chases, breaking through walls or fitting supports touches the skeleton of the home.

Who this is not for

  • Anyone doing finishing work only. Painting, wallpapering, fit-out or loose furniture do not touch soundness. Your risk sits in public liability and post-delivery liability.
  • Anyone building only non-residential work. The obligation is built around homes. For offices, warehouses and industry other rules apply — and cover is often advisable anyway.
  • Anyone working without an architect. If the works are small enough not to need an architect, they fall outside the obligation. The liability itself still exists.
  • Anyone doing maintenance only. Repairing and maintaining without touching the structure falls outside.

What ten-year liability insurance covers

Ten-year liability insurance covers defects that compromise the soundness, stability or watertightness of the home and that appear within ten years of acceptance. It covers the cost of putting those defects right, even when you left the site long ago and the business has since grown or shrunk.

  • Structural defects Subsidence, cracks in load-bearing walls, a foundation that moves, a roof structure that sags.
  • Watertightness of the shell A roof or cellar letting water through and thereby attacking the soundness of the building.
  • Repair costs The excavation, propping, demolition and rebuilding needed to remove the defect.
  • Ten years after acceptance The period starts at acceptance of the works and then runs in full, even if you wind up the business.
  • Your share in a shared fault Where several parties contributed to the defect, the policy covers your share — and the argument about the split.
  • Defence costs Lawyer and expert, and those are rarely cheap in a construction dispute.
  • The compulsory certificate The proof of cover you must be able to produce before works begin.

What ten-year liability insurance does not cover

Not covered are cosmetic defects, ordinary wear and the plain work you simply have to redo. Nor is damage to the rest of the building unrelated to stability, or defects that only appear after the ten years.

  • Cosmetic defects A crooked joint, a difference in colour or a finish you dislike does not touch soundness and falls outside.
  • Ordinary wear What wears normally over ten years is maintenance, not a defect.
  • Your own rework without damage Having to redo something that was not right is a warranty matter, not an insured claim.
  • Defects outside the period What only appears after ten years falls outside the statutory liability and therefore outside the policy.
  • Finishes and services with no structural effect Heating that does not work or a tile coming loose belongs in post-delivery liability and not here.

Just ask

Where the boundary of the obligation runs

So it is not about every building and not about every tradesperson. A small job without an architect falls outside; a new build or a heavy renovation of a home almost always falls inside. Offices, warehouses and industrial buildings follow other rules.*

Do not apply for the certificate on the last weekend

This insurance is most often applied for on the last weekend before a site starts, and that is too late. An application needs details of the project, the parties and the contract value; gathering those takes time.

What determines the price

A figure without your details is a guess. What determines the premium, we can list.

  • Contract value

    The value of the works is the base for a project policy.

  • Nature of the works

    New build, renovation or a structural intervention.

  • Your role

    Contractor, architect or engineer, each with their own share.

  • Annual turnover

    The base for an annual policy instead of the contract value.

  • Sum insured

    The law sets a minimum; higher is possible.

  • Claims history

    Earlier structural cases weigh heavily.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need this certificate for my site?

If it concerns works on a home for which an architect’s involvement is required, yes. Proof of cover has to exist before works begin; the client, the architect and in practice the municipality can ask for it. Without a certificate the start is postponed.

Does this also apply to renovations?

Yes, as soon as the renovation is heavy enough to require an architect and the structure is touched. Small jobs without an architect fall outside the obligation — but the liability itself still exists.

What counts as a structural defect?

Anything compromising the soundness, stability or watertightness of the closed building: a settling foundation, cracks in load-bearing walls, a sagging roof structure, a cellar letting water through. Cosmetic defects and ordinary wear fall outside.

When do the ten years start running?

From acceptance of the works. The period then runs in full, even if you wind up your business or change company. That is exactly why the insurance exists: the risk outlives the business.

Who takes this out, me or the client?

The obligation sits with the contractors, the architect and the other service providers, each for their own share. The client collects the certificates but does not take them out for you. If you work with subcontractors, ask for theirs too.

Can I do this annually instead of per site?

Yes. Alongside the project policy there is an annual policy covering all your sites for the year. Anyone doing many small sites is almost always better off with it and gets the certificate faster. Anyone with one large project a year is better off with a project policy.

Who is behind Ōmata?

Ōmata Insurance is the AI-first studio of the Induver group and a sister company of Group Induver NV: two companies within the same group, not parent and subsidiary. Ōmata puts you in touch with Group Induver NV, an insurance broker holding FSMA number 016880; that is where the advice and the policy come about. The full identification is set out in the legal notices.

About Ōmata

Ōmata is the AI-first insurance studio of Group Induver. You tell us what you want to insure over chat; usually within two working days you receive a proposal, drawn up by an insurance broker at Group Induver NV, registered with the FSMA under number 016880.

Read on

Ready to start?

Send us a message and tell us briefly what you want to insure. You get an immediate reply and your proposal usually within two working days.

Notes on the asterisks on this page
  • The precise scope of who falls under this insurance obligation is confirmed by Group Induver on a per-project basis.