Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) through a.s.r.
With buildings insurance (opstalverzekering), things rarely go wrong on the cover and almost always on the amount. Is the rebuild value still up to date, and does everything you believe you are insuring actually count as part of the structure?
- Several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
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The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert.nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
We act as an independent broker and compare what more than thirty companies offer side by side. a.s.r. we arrange regularly for homes, usually combined with home contents insurance and liability cover in a single package. Which company it becomes follows from the conditions and from the features of your home.
The amount on the policy is the rebuild value: what it costs to rebuild the same home in the same place. That is something other than the market value or the WOZ value. Insurers use a rebuild value calculator. If you complete it fully and correctly, you normally receive a guarantee against underinsurance for a period stated in the conditions. If something about the house changes (an extension, a dormer window, an upgraded kitchen) and you do not report it, that guarantee lapses and a claim is paid proportionately. Article 7:960 DCC at the same time ensures that you never receive more than your actual loss. How such a calculation works is explained under calculating the rebuild value.
What counts as part of the structure is the second source of misunderstanding. Permanent fixtures belong to it, as usually do the foundations, a permanent shed or garage, the boundary fencing and the paving. But the description differs from policy to policy: solar panels on the roof usually go with the structure, panels on a free-standing carport or in the garden not always. See buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) with solar panelsfor that. Read through the list of insured items before you compare premiums; two policies with the same premium often cover very different things.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare buildings insurance (opstalverzekering).
Independent, personal, sorted quickly
We compare your buildings insurance across dozens of insurers, explain where the real differences lie, and arrange the switch from start to finish — without you having to chase it yourself.
Buildings insurance
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Get coveredWhy arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
What to look out for
Four exclusions and provisions that determine how a claim ends.
Foundations, drought and subsidence
Damage caused by ground settlement, drought, pile rot and slow-acting influences is excluded on almost every buildings policy. A construction or design fault is also excluded, because there is no sudden unforeseen event. If you live in an area with wooden piles or peat soil, take that into account in your planning. The background is set out under buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) and foundation damage.
Water: where the limit lies
Leakage from a pipe or a supply hose is covered, including tracing and repairing the break. What remains outside cover is groundwater rising through the floor or cellar, rainfall coming in through an open window or a leaking roof, and flooding from a primary flood defence. Sewage backing up is sometimes covered and sometimes not. The conditions say so in as many words.
Maintenance and inherent defect
Insurance pays for a sudden, unforeseen event, not for ageing. Rotten window frames, a blocked gutter, worn pointing, woodworm, mould and dry rot therefore remain at your expense. With storm and water damage, insurers look at the state of maintenance: if the roof blew off because it was already loose, discussion about the cause follows, and sometimes a partial rejection.
Reporting use and letting
The premium is calculated for a home occupied by you. If you let rooms, put the home on a rental platform for a while or leave it empty for a longer period, the risk changes. Report this: the duty of disclosure at inception follows from Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code and the consequences of an incorrect or incomplete declaration from Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code. See also buildings insurance where rooms are let.
What does your premium depend on?
- Rebuild value or volume: the basis for the sum insured
- Construction type and roof covering: brick with tiles counts differently from timber or thatch
- Year of construction and state of maintenance: pipework and wiring have an effect
- Use of the home: owner-occupied, let or temporarily vacant
- Cover and excess chosen: extended or all-risks
- Location: postcode, burglary figures and water risk
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Extended | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| A lightning strike that cracks the chimney and dislodges roof tiles | Yes | Yes |
| A tree from the neighbours' garden that crushes your dormer window in a force 9 gale | Yes | Yes |
| While putting up a cupboard you drill straight through a water pipe | Provided that | Yes |
| Scratches and marks in the fitted parquet because you moved a cupboard | No | Yes |
| Cracks in your walls because the neighbours are driving piles for an extension | No | No |
| Soot deposits on plasterwork and ceilings after months of burning candles | No | No |
All-risks mainly adds damage you cause yourself. The exclusions for gradual effects and defects remain in both forms.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
What comes under buildings and what under contents?
Rule of thumb: what you would take with you when you move is contents, what stays behind is structure. Fitted kitchens, sanitary ware, the central heating system, parquet and fitted cupboards belong to the structure. Loose floor coverings, curtains and furniture belong to the contents. Where there is doubt, a sun blind or a free-standing shed is a borderline case; the list in the conditions decides.
Is storm damage always covered?
Only if there is a storm as defined in the policy, usually force 7 or above. At lower wind speeds there is no cover, even if something did blow off the roof. In addition, storm damage often carries a separate, higher excess. Separate items such as aerials, sun blinds and solar panels also have limitations of their own.
Are my solar panels included?
Panels fixed to the roof are usually regarded as part of the structure and count towards the rebuild value. So report them, otherwise the sum insured is wrong. Panels on an outbuilding, a carport or a frame in the garden are not automatically included, and damage caused by a mistake during installation is excluded, because that is a defect and not an event.
What do I have to do if I am going to renovate?
Report the refurbishment in advance. During the works many policies restrict cover, for example to fire, storm and burglary with signs of forced entry, and the home is extra vulnerable if left empty. Once the work is finished, the rebuild value should be adjusted, otherwise the guarantee against underinsurance lapses and a later claim is paid proportionately.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)The main page
- What does buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) cover and what does it not?Building, rebuild value, exclusions
- What is buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)?Rebuild value, mortgage requirement, building versus contents
- What does buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) do?Rebuild value, damage to the building, exclusions
- Comparing buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) by policy sectionBasis of valuation, storm, foundations
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for your own home: what counts as buildings and structures?Rebuild value, outbuildings, excess
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering): what is it and what does it cover?Rebuild value, building, exclusions
- The basics of buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)Structure, rebuild value, contents