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Hiring a houseboat without a licence: who pays for damage?
Short answer
On many European canals and lakes you can take a hire boat out after a short briefing and no
licence at all.
Responsibility for damage stays with you, and the deposit disappears fastest in a lock.
Houseboat holidays on the canals of France, the lakes of Mecklenburg in northern Germany or the waterways of the Netherlands rarely require a boating licence. In Germany the hire company issues a charter certificate after a practical and theory briefing, valid only for that boat, for the hire period and within the approved waters, and the boats are limited in length and speed. In France and the Netherlands a briefing is also enough on many routes.
None of this changes who is responsible. Whoever is at the helm answers for damage to the boat and to others. The hire boat is insured by the company and your deposit is your share of any damage. The typical incidents are unspectacular: knocking the lock wall, touching the quay while berthing, a propeller in shallow water near the bank, a torn rubbing strake. Any one of them can cost the deposit.
Before booking, ask how large the deposit and the excess are, whether the company offers a reduced deposit for an extra fee and which kinds of damage it excludes altogether. Take the first locks slowly, berth at walking pace and have the handover recorded with photographs. If you are used to your own boat, check whether your own insurance extends to hired vessels, and read the conditions rather than assuming. With a NAMMERT policy, your liability as the responsible skipper of a hired boat is included in every tier, for up to 30 days with the hire agreement in your name.
Worth remembering
No licence
needed after a briefing on many waterways
Full responsibility
for the boat and the lock
The briefing replaces the exam, not the responsibility.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Do I need a licence to hire a houseboat in Germany?
Not on the approved inland waters, where the charter certificate issued after the company’s briefing is enough. Elsewhere the normal German licence rules for recreational craft apply.
Am I insured on a hired houseboat?
The boat is insured by the hire company and your deposit is your share of any damage. If damage is caused by gross negligence, the company or its insurer may be able to pursue you beyond the deposit.
Related
Not sure whether you qualify?
Whether it is “Hiring a houseboat without a licence: who pays for damage?” or another question: send us your residence and the flag your boat flies. You will get a straight answer in one email; including a no, if that is the answer.
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