a.s.r. · compared independently · advice from Finass
Home contents insurance through ASR
The difference between extended cover and comprehensive cover is not a longer list of perils, but the question of whether an event must first be named before anything is paid.
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
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
Extended home contents cover works with a list of perils: fire, lightning strike, storm, burglary, water from a pipe. If the cause of your loss is not on that list there is no cover, however unpleasant the incident. Comprehensive cover turns that around and insures any a sudden and unforeseen event, except what is expressly excluded. That also shifts the burden of proof: you do not have to show which named peril your loss falls under.
Comprehensive cover is no guarantee of payment. Wear, inherent defect, the gradual effect of damp, scratches and stains from normal use, vermin and mould all remain outside the cover, even in the widest variant. Damage you cause deliberately or through wilful recklessness is not insured under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. What a comprehensive policy adds is your own mishaps in the home: the glass knocked over onto the sofa, the laptop that falls off the table.
We set the forms of cover side by side and look at what they are worth to you. In a plainly furnished home the extra cost of comprehensive cover often does not outweigh the extra reach, whereas with a new kitchen or a newly laid wooden floor it is the other way round. For the question of whether the sum insured is right, also look at the cover for water and storm.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Basic cover
The basic cover insures the core of your home contents insurance. We show what ASR and other insurers offer within it.
Fire & lightning strike
Storm
Possessions away from home
Water damage
Extended cover
As well as fire and storm, also water damage, belongings outside the home and, with comprehensive cover, your own accidents.
Burglary, theft & vandalism
Jewellery & valuables (limited)
Machinery & equipment
Comprehensive cover
The most complete cover. We compare ASR's extended version with the market.
Garden & garden furniture
Jewellery & valuables (limited)
Glass breakage
Higher cover for valuables
What is covered
Situation
Extended
Comprehensive
Fire, smoke and water damage in the home
Yes
Yes
Theft after forced entry
Yes
Yes
Knocks and falls at home
No
Yes
Loss or theft away from home
Provided that
Provided that
Damage during transport, repair or exhibition
Provided that
Provided that
Wear, shrinkage, damp and insect damage
No
No
A home contents policy has sub-limits: for jewellery, audiovisual equipment and collections a lower limit applies than for the rest of the contents. If your items exceed that, you insure them separately on a valuables policy, usually on the basis of a valuation (7:960 DCC). Underinsurance leads to a proportionately lower payout.
What we do
What we do
At Finass
Direct with a.s.r.
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Sometimes
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Sometimes
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether a.s.r. is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Named peril versus unforeseen event
With extended cover you have to make it plausible that your loss falls under one of the named perils. If you cannot, nothing is paid. With comprehensive cover it is the other way round: the insurer has to point to the exclusion that applies. You notice that difference above all with losses where the cause is unclear, such as a cracked aquarium or a split worktop.
Inherent defect and the consequential damage around it
A washing machine leaking because of a worn inlet hose produces two losses. The machine itself is damaged by an inherent defect and that is excluded, on comprehensive cover too. The water soaking into the floor is consequential damage and does fall under water damage on most forms of cover. When you report a claim it is therefore important to state those two items separately rather than as one amount.
What you take out of the door with you
Contents away from home are almost always covered only to a limited extent, with a lower sub-limit than indoors. Theft from a car or from a cellar store is usually paid only if there are traces of forced entry; a bag snatched out of your hands without forced entry falls outside that. Bicycles, hired items and other people's property in your care each have their own provisions again.
Report in good time and limit the damage
Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report the loss as soon as is reasonably possible and to cooperate in assessing it. With a burglary that includes reporting it to the police. There is also a duty to mitigate the loss: if you let a leak run on because it is insured anyway, the extra cost may stay with you. Keep receipts and photographs, because the extent of the loss has to be demonstrable.
Value & stock
Machinery & installations
What does your premium depend on?
Type of cover chosen. Extended or comprehensive is the biggest lever; comprehensive also insures your own mishaps in the home.
Level of the excess. A higher excess per event brings the premium down, but costs you money on every small claim.
Sum insured for the contents. The amount follows from a value calculator or from your own declaration and sets the basis.
Composition of the household. More occupants and young children lead to more small claims, especially on comprehensive cover.
Pets in the home. Scratch and bite damage to your own belongings is a separate consideration on the wider forms of cover.
Construction and type of home. Brick with hard roofing weighs differently from timber or thatch, and a flat differently from a detached house.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
No. Comprehensive cover insures sudden and unforeseen events, but the exclusions remain. Wear, inherent defect, the gradual effect of damp, vermin and neglected maintenance are not included. Intent and wilful recklessness are also excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. The gain lies in your own mishaps at home, such as spilt paint or a television that falls over.
My loss has no clear cause. What now?
That is exactly where the form of cover weighs heavily. On an extended policy the cause has to be traceable to a named peril. If nobody can establish what happened, the loss usually stays with you. On a comprehensive policy the insurer has to point to the exclusion that applies, and with an unclear cause it often cannot.
Can I switch from extended to comprehensive mid-term?
Usually you can, but the change works forwards and not backwards. Damage that has already arisen, or that you know is coming, is not included. When you switch like this we look straight away at whether the sum insured still matches what is in the house, because wider cover on too low an amount still produces a reduction at claim stage.
Are housemates' belongings included?
Contents belonging to people who permanently live with you generally fall under the same policy. Belongings of a subtenant, a lodger or a house guest are not automatically included and need their own arrangement. If your child is living away from home in student accommodation, that is a separate situation which we explain on the page about home contents insurance for students.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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