Renovation · existing home · client
Construction and erection insurance through a.s.r. for private clients
If you are having work or an extension done, your own home is the most vulnerable part during the work. And it is precisely that part which is not automatically covered by the contractor's policy.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Bouw- en montageverzekering via a.s.r. voor particuliere opdrachtgevers.
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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.
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- 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.
In brief
Finass acts as intermediary for the range from a.s.r. and from more than thirty other companies; which one it becomes follows from your situation and not from the name. Construction and erection insurance covers damage to the works in progress: brickwork that collapses, timber damaged by a storm, materials stolen from the site. For a private client, however, the key question is a different one: who takes out that policy, and is your existing house named on it? See also CAR insurance for private clients.
Start with the building contract. It should state who insures the works, for what amount and until what date. Many contractors have a continuous policy covering their own work, but on which the existing property belonging to the client section is missing or has a low limit. That is precisely the section that covers your home when the floor cracks as a load-bearing wall is taken out, or the existing bathroom floods while the new pipework is connected. Ask for the policy schedule before the first brick comes out.
Also report the renovation to the insurer of your buildings insurance. A house with an opened-up facade, scaffolding and a temporarily sealed roof is a different risk from an occupied house, and long periods standing empty during the work are a classic reason for a rejected fire or water claim. If the work runs as one project with a fixed end date, a single-project policyis the right fit; as the client you can take that out yourself. You can read more about cover during renovation work under CAR insurance for renovation work.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare construction all risks (CAR) insurance.
What to look out for
Four points that determine, for a private client, who gets the bill.
Your house is not the works
The policy covers what is being built. Everything that was already there falls under a separate section that you have to have included actively, with an amount that matches the value of your home and the contents that stay in it. Without that section, a crack, a leak or a burst pipe leaves you dependent on the contractor's liability, and therefore on whether he can be blamed for a mistake.
Theft from the site
Materials waiting to be used are a favourite target. Payment follows only if the requirements set have been met: storage in a locked container or room, and signs of forced entry. If material disappears without traces, or is left unattended in the garden, the claim will be rejected. Installations and equipment not yet fitted also often have a separate limit.
What is excluded in any case
Not covered are the costs of redoing or improving defective work, damage caused by a design or construction fault unless a clause has been included for it, damage caused by flooding and earthquake, and lost rent, additional housing costs or delay losses if completion is pushed back. Gradual damage from damp or deferred maintenance to the existing house also remains outside the policy.
After completion a different regime applies
As soon as the works has been handed over, the construction cover stops. If a defect then comes to light that you could not reasonably have seen at handover, the contractor remains liable for it under Article 7:758(4) of the Dutch Civil Code. So record the handover in writing with photographs and a list of outstanding items, and keep the drawings and invoices.
What does your premium depend on?
- Contract sum for the work — the main basis, including materials and labour
- Value of the existing home — determines the existing property section
- Nature of the work — a dormer window weighs differently from an extension involving demolition
- Construction time — the longer the works is open, the higher the risk
- Security of the building site — lockable storage and supervision outside working hours
- Excess — often arranged separately for storm and theft
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
What is covered
| Situation | Basic | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| A storm blows the newly laid roof boarding off your extension | Yes | Yes |
| Taking out a load-bearing wall cracks the existing living room floor | No | Yes |
| A water pipe that has not yet been capped floods the existing bathroom | No | Yes |
| New window frames are stolen from the locked site container at night | Provided that | Provided that |
| A visitor trips over building material in your garden and breaks an arm | No | No |
| Your contents are stored in the garage during the work and are damaged by damp | No | Provided that |
What is set out here under extended cover has to appear in the building contract and on the policy schedule before the first day of demolition.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
My contractor says he has insured everything. Is that enough?
Not without seeing the policy schedule. A continuous contractor's policy usually covers the works itself and not automatically your existing home. Ask for the certificate of insurance, look at the existing property section, at the sum insured and at the end date. If your home is not named on it, have that section added or take out a project policy yourself.
Who pays if the contractor goes bankrupt during the build?
Construction insurance pays for damage to the works, not for setbacks in carrying it out. A bankruptcy is not an insured event, so the extra costs of a new contractor are at your expense. For new build through a certified builder there are separate guarantee schemes; ask about those in advance and set the payment terms so that you do not pay far ahead.
Do I have to tell my home insurer about the renovation?
Yes. A renovation changes the risk: there is hot work, the house is open and sometimes it stands empty for a time. Withholding this engages Articles 7:928 and 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code and can lead to a reduced payout in the event of a fire. Reporting is usually a matter of a short notification with the construction period and the nature of the work.
What if the neighbour claims for damage from the piling?
Vibration and settlement damage next door is a liability matter, not damage to the works. That claim runs through the liability cover of the party carrying out the work, under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. Have a structural survey of the adjoining properties carried out in advance; without a baseline survey it is virtually impossible to establish afterwards which crack came from your project.
Read more
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