Not compulsory, and still the first policy you will need
Family liability insurance covers the damage your household causes to others. Legal expenses cover pays for the argument about it.
The damage you cause someone else, you pay yourself
Your son rides his bike into a parked car. The door is dented and the bill is yours. Family liability insurance pays for that kind of damage: everything you, your partner, your children or your pets cause to others. For a dent that is manageable. If your son hits a pedestrian who falls badly, the amount often runs far beyond what a household can carry, and there is no ceiling on that liability. Family liability insurance costs little set against what it absorbs at moments like that.
But suppose the owner demands a completely new door while your insurer wants the dent knocked out. He will not budge and threatens court. It is then no longer about the damage, but about who is right. Your family cover pays the damage. It does not pay for your own lawyer.
That is what legal expenses cover does. It takes on your costs when you have a dispute, and tries to settle it without court first. Not only over damage, also over a contractor who does not finish the work or a dispute with your employer. Two policies, then, with a clear division: one pays the damage, the other pays the argument about it.
Do not wait for the second one until you need it. Legal expenses cover only covers your dispute after a waiting period, so an argument already running today falls outside it.
Why Ōmata
You open the chat and we ask only the questions that set your cover. Who lives with you, whether there are pets, whether you own or rent, and what you already have running today. No three-page form, no details we will not use afterwards.
What you already have weighs more here than with other policies. A piece of legal expenses cover is sometimes already in your car or home policy, but then only for that policy. That is why we ask first what is running, so you do not pay twice for the same thing. With legal expenses cover we then look not only at the premium but at the limits and at your free choice of lawyer.
And if something goes wrong, you can use the same chat or call the number on your policy. You reach the same point of contact.
How to start
You send a message through the chat on this page.
You answer a few targeted questions about your household. No long questionnaire.
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.
If you agree, you confirm the proposal.
Do you have car or home insurance? Send us those policies: they often already contain a piece of legal expenses cover, and we will tell you what exactly it is for.
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.
- CustomerOur dog knocked over a cyclist. The man went to hospital.
- ŌmataReport it to your insurer today and note down what happened and where. As the owner, you are liable even without fault of your own — that is exactly what family liability cover is for. Do you have it?
- CustomerYes, I think so. It is somewhere within my fire insurance.
- ŌmataWe will check that. Do you know the cyclist’s name, and were there any witnesses?
- CustomerI have his name and phone number, and there was one witness.
- ŌmataNoted. Send me the policy — I will pass this on to our expert. You will hear from us usually within two working days.
Try it yourself
Who this is for
Almost every household, and people living alone too. The premium is one of the lowest there is; what it can pay out is one of the highest.
-
Families with children
A ball through a window, a bike into a car, a classmate who falls. This is where most claims come from.
-
Anyone with pets
A dog that bites or brings down a cyclist: the loss is the owner’s, regardless of fault.
-
People living alone
Even without a family you are liable for what you cause. Family liability cover is still family liability cover.
-
Anyone travelling
Cover usually runs abroad, and that is exactly where a small accident gets expensive.
-
Anyone who senses a dispute coming
For legal expenses cover: you cannot take it out once the dispute exists. It has to be there in advance.
Who this is not for
- Anyone wanting to cover damage at work. What you cause during your work falls under your employer’s or your business’s public liability cover, not here.
- Anyone wanting to cover damage with a motor vehicle. Everything involving a car, motorbike or moped belongs in the motor policy. Family liability excludes it.
- Anyone wanting to insure their own belongings. Family liability covers damage to others. Your own laptop, bike or phone belongs in a home or all-risks policy.
- Anyone already covered on their parents’ policy. Students and children living at home are usually on their parents’ policy. A second adds nothing.
What family liability insurance covers
Family liability insurance covers the bodily injury and property damage you or a household member cause to third parties outside your work, including defence costs. It generally applies worldwide and covers what your pets do as well. Legal expenses cover comes alongside it: that pays not the damage but the proceedings.
-
Injury to people Someone injured through your doing: a fall, a collision, an unlucky movement.
The item where the amounts run highest.
-
Damage to property A broken window or a damaged car.
Usually with a small excess.
-
Your children, wherever they are Including minors, and usually children studying elsewhere who are still dependants.
-
Your pets A dog that bites or brings down a cyclist.
As the owner you are liable, even without doing anything wrong.
-
Household members and domestic help Anyone living with you is usually covered, and often your cleaner while working for you.
-
Abroad Cover usually runs worldwide or at least across Europe.
Check it before a long trip.
-
Legal expenses cover A separate policy that pays the lawyer, the expert and the court costs when a dispute arises — including when you are the one in the right.
What family liability insurance does not cover
Not covered are intent, damage to your own belongings, and anything involving a motor vehicle or your work. A dispute that was already running before you took out legal expenses cover falls outside too.
-
Deliberate damage What is caused knowingly is never covered.
For children below a certain age it is judged differently; the policy sets that out.
-
Your own property The laptop you drop, the bike you damage.
Family liability covers damage to others.
-
Motor vehicles Car, motorbike, moped: anything involving them belongs in the motor policy.
Electric bikes up to a certain speed usually do fall under it.
-
Damage at work What happens during your work falls under your employer’s or your business’s policy.
-
A dispute already running Legal expenses cover cannot be taken out for a conflict that already exists.
It has to be there in advance.
Just ask
The cases that really happen
Family liability cover is easier to understand from what happens than from a definition. These are the files every broker sees every year.
-
The ball and the window
A child kicks a ball through the neighbour’s window. Small amount, covered, and the reason people hold the policy.
-
The dog and the cyclist
Your dog lunges and someone falls. As the owner you are liable, even without fault.
-
The push in the playground
Two children, one fall, a broken wrist. The other child’s parents come to you.
Who exactly is covered?
The policy is called family cover, but in practice it covers the whole household. Usually: you, your partner, your children living at home, and other people living with you. Often your cleaner or a babysitter while working for you as well.
Two groups raise most of the questions. First, children studying away from home: they usually stay covered as long as they are dependants, even though they do not sleep at home during the week. Second, pets: they fall under the policy, and as the owner you are liable for what they do, even without doing anything wrong.*
Legal expenses cover is something else, and that surprises nearly everyone
Your contractor delivers poor work, your neighbour refuses to accept a claim, a seller will not honour a warranty. In none of those are you the liable party; in all three you need a lawyer. Family liability does not pay for that, legal expenses cover does.
What determines the price
A figure without your details is a guess. What determines the premium, we can list.
-
Household
Living alone or as a family, and whether children live at home.
-
Sums insured
Separately for bodily injury and for property damage.
-
Excess
A small amount per claim, often not for bodily injury.
-
Legal branches
Traffic, contracts, construction, tax, employment.
-
Waiting period
For certain branches of legal expenses cover.
-
Combination
Together with your home or motor policy it is often cheaper.
Frequently asked questions
Is my son at university still covered?
Usually yes. Children studying elsewhere generally stay covered as long as they are dependants, even though they do not sleep at home during the week. The exact wording differs by insurer; it is one paragraph in the policy, and it decides who gets paid.
What if my dog bites someone?
As the owner you are liable, even when you did nothing wrong. Family liability cover pays for that: the victim’s medical costs and loss of income. Report it quickly, note what happened, and do not admit liability yourself.
What is the difference with legal expenses cover?
Family liability pays for the damage you caused. Legal expenses cover pays the lawyer and the expert when there is a dispute — including when you are in the right and the other party will not pay. That second case is exactly where most people come unstuck, and it is a different policy.
Am I required to have family liability cover?
Not by law. In practice many youth movements, sports clubs and schools ask for proof before an activity, and some leases do too. The premium is also one of the lowest there is, while what it can pay out for bodily injury is beyond what any household carries.
Is damage to my own belongings covered?
No. Family liability covers what you cause to others. Your own laptop, bike or phone belongs in your home policy or in all-risks cover for those items.
Does this also apply abroad?
Usually yes: most policies run worldwide or at least across Europe. For a long trip or a stay of several months it is worth checking once.
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.
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 definition of who is covered under family liability insurance — children away at school, live-in household members, pets — varies by policy.