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Zurich Liability Insurance Communities

Optimal insurance protection for your municipality or community: Fast recovery for employees: Whether political community, municipality, religious community, school or civic community, you commit yourself for the interests of your residents, citizens, pupils, children or members of your religious denomination. Through these activities as well as from the existing facilities of your community, however, also liability claims can arise. The Liability Insurance Communities is tailored to your specific needs.

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Benefits at a glance

Benefits of Liability Insurance Communities

There are many causes of property damage and accidents to third parties:

  • Liability Insurance Communities protects you from the financial consequences of justified claims.
  • Where claims are not justified, the benefits provide for defense as well as legal protection in disciplinary, criminal or administrative procedures.
  • Liability Insurance Communities makes the insured risks calculable for you.

Benefits for Zurich customers

  • With the extensive basic insurance as well as the automatic coverage packages for "Political Communities and Municipalities", "Religious Communities", "School Communities" or "Civic Communities, Corporations and Similar Entities", your community will receive comprehensive insurance cover for the insured activities
  • The modular structure makes it possible to include other supplementary insurances
  • If the sum insured has been exhausted, you benefit from the full sum insured in case of another loss within the same year.

Scope of coverage

Scope of coverage of the basic insurance

Business premises risk: Risks relating to buildings, premises, installations or land in Switzerland or the Principality of Liechtenstein, irrespective of whether these serve the policyholder, the insured legally independent institutions or companies. 
Example: In a community building, parts of the ceiling come loose and injure a visitor

Operational risk: Risks brought about by day-to-day operations. 
Example: During a school trip, the teacher on his bicycle collides with a student. Luckily, there is only material damage to the bicycle.

Product risk: Risks arising from manufactured, processed or sold products.
Example: At the village festival the community fire brigade sells homemade tiramisu and some visitors suffer from food poisoning.

Environmental risk: Risks to which the company is exposed as a result of an unexpected environmental incident.
Example: At a municipal waste collection point, waste oil suddenly and unexpectedly leaks and contaminates a private neighbouring property.

 

Among others we offer the following supplementary insurances:

Nurseries and homes with medical care
Example: In a nursing home, the medication of two residents is mixed up. A resident has to be transferred to the hospital for two days.

Pure financial loss caused by children and adult protection authorities
Example: An employed guardian forgets to submit the application for supplementary benefits in good time and thereby damages the ward's assets.

Personal liability for tenancy damage caused by refugees and asylum seekers
Example: During the apartment inspection at the end of the tenancy agreement, it is discovered that the bathtub has been severely damaged by a dropped object. The bathtub needs to be replaced.

Financial losses due to construction incidents
Example: During construction work, an underground power cable of a power plant is damaged, which means that dependent companies suffer a business interruption and thus financial loss.

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Additional benefits of the basic insurance

Additional benefits of the basic insurance include the following:

  • Existence and operation of community and company-owned wastewater treatment and purification plants, composting plants and public waste collection points and places
  • Losses arising from the ownership or operation of cultural facilities, camping sites, hiking trails as well as sports facilities/stadiums up to 3,000 spectators
  • Legal liability from the organization and implementation of events and occasions with up to 5'000 visitors/participants per day
  • Principal's Liability (construction cost max. CHF 2 Mio.)
  • Damage to Property in the Custody of or worked upon by the Insured
  • Legal protection in disciplinary, criminal or administrative Proceedings (sublimit CHF 1 Mio.)
  • Claims arising from breaches of data protection (sublimit CHF 1 Mio.) 
  • Home care and nursing by community employees
  • Losses to hired buildings, premises or telecommunications Installations
  • Personal Liability on business trips
  • Use of Public Roads for Internal Works Traffic
  • Ionizing Radiation and Laser
  • Loss of Keys entrusted for Safekeeping
  • Loading and Unloading

What coverage are provided community-specific?

The following community-specific coverage packages automatically extend your insurance coverage:

Political Communities and Municipalities 

  • Water utilities of communities with less than 10'000 inhabitants
  • Fire department, civil defense and disaster protection
  • Damage to objects during firefighting, civil defense and disaster protection exercises (sublimit CHF 500,000)
  • Damage caused by commandeered land vehicles or watercraft
  • Damage to commandeered property, land vehicles and watercraft as well as private land vehicles
  • Damage arising from performance of community mandates through third parties
  • Damage arising from burst water pipes (excluding damages to roads)
  • Personal Liability for refugees and asylum seekers
  • Search and rescue expenses due to avalanche (sublimit CHF 100,000)

Religious Communities

Legal liability arising from

  • religious classes
  • the participation of children and pupils in events in which the religious community takes part
  • Care services for children, pupils and adults (e.g. day care, child care, lunch table, leisure and holiday offers)
  • the operation of leisure facilities

School Communities

Legal liability arising from

  • the participation of children and pupils in events in which the school community takes part
  • Care services for children and pupils (e.g. day care, child care, lunch table, after school care, homework support, leisure and holiday offers)
  • the operation of leisure facilities as well as activities of youth groups, that are carried out outside the school program but under the direction and supervision of the persons commissioned by the policyholder (e.g. choirs, music and theatre groups, collections, sales)
  • Career and student counselling
 
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Frequently asked questions regarding Liability Insurance Communities

What other customers ask

Is Liability Insurance for Communities mandatory?

In principle, no. However, there may be cantonal regulations for certain activities that provide for mandatory liability insurance.

Will we also get insurance coverage in the event of a loss for which we are not liable?

Yes, as part of the insurance coverage, Zurich will also provide defense against unjustified claims.

The benefits of the basic insurance also include legal protection in criminal proceedings. Do we still need separate legal protection insurance?

Yes, the legal protection provided for in the Liability Insurance Communities is limited to liability law in connection with an event of a loss covered by the insurance. For comprehensive legal protection, you will need separate legal protection insurance. Our subsidiary Orion offers a product specially developed for municipalities, which insures areas of law such as expropriation of land, public law disputes or data protection.

What is the recommended sum insured?

This depends on the type of as well as the size of the community. We recommend an insurance sum between 5-20 million francs. 

What supplementary insurance do you recommend for my business?

Our quotes already include a non-binding, community-specific proposal. We are happy to provide you with personal and individual advice.

Does the insurance cover also apply to business trips abroad (e.g. community representatives or teachers visit a partner community/school abroad)?

Yes, liability protection in connection with business trips abroad is provided (except to the USA/Canada).

To what extent are the organization and conduct of events insured?

The legal liability from the organization and conducts of events with up to 5,000 visitors/participants per day is insured (e.g. village festivals, celebrations, parades, bazaars, ski, class and other camps, council and school trips, excursions, theatre and music performances, sports events), including the associated non-permanent structures (e.g. non-permanent grandstands and platforms, festival huts, tents) as well as from the operation of caterers.

Does the community have cover, if it acts as the principal for a construction site?

For projects up to CHF 2 million construction costs without dangerous work (e.g. ramming, vibrating, blasting, driving under) insurance protection in the sense of precautionary coverage is provided. We recommend that you check whether a further separate owner's liability insurance is necessary.

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