Legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering) through Avéro Achmea
Legal expenses insurance does not pay out a sum of money but provides help. What you get from it depends on the modules you choose and on the line between recovery and defence.
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- We compare the offerings of several insurers
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- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
A legal expenses policy is an insurance in kind. You do not receive a sum for your loss but the services of lawyers: advice, correspondence, negotiation and, if necessary, proceedings. That makes the comparison different from a home contents or motor policy, where you look mainly at the sum insured. Here the question is which areas of law are included and up to what amount external costs are reimbursed. The general explanation is on the hub legal expenses insurance.
Finass acts as an intermediary for several insurers and compares them objectively. Avéro Achmea is one of the insurers we can place business with; which provider suits you follows from what you need to cover. In doing so we look at how the modules are arranged. Traffic and consumer form the basis, living becomes relevant as soon as you own a home or may have to deal with a landlord or neighbours, and employment and income is usually the heaviest module for an employee. Tax and assets is almost never included in the package as standard.
The limits matter more than the brochure. A dispute already running when the policy was taken out is not handled, and a waiting period usually applies to new disputes. Cases arising from a profession or business belong on a business legal expenses insurance. And a dispute with a very small financial interest falls below the threshold: below that the case is not taken on, at most you get advice by telephone.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare personal legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering).
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We compare your legal expenses 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.
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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 points that in practice make the difference between getting help and not.
Recovery and defence are not the same
With recovery you claim your loss from someone else who has done something to you; with defence you are the one being held responsible. Recovery after a road accident is usually well covered and often has no waiting period. The defence against a liability claim, by contrast, runs through your liability insurance, because that insurer conducts the defence and pays its costs.
First look at what you already have
A motor policy often already includes limited recovery cover, and a travel policy sometimes has a module for accidents abroad. That overlap costs money without gaining you anything. So we first map out your existing policies before we add modules to a car insurance or new cover.
External costs have a ceiling
If the in-house legal department handles your case, the costs are in principle covered without limit. If you choose your own lawyer for proceedings on the basis of Article 4:67 of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act (Wft), a maximum payment applies to fees, experts' costs and court fees. Ask for that amount before you give instructions, and record who bears the other party's legal costs if you lose.
Area of cover per module
The area of cover differs per area of law. Traffic and consumer matters are often covered across Europe or more widely, while home and employment are usually limited to the Netherlands. If you buy a holiday home abroad or work across the border, that is an explicit question for the underwriter and not an assumption.
What does your premium depend on?
- Modules chosen: each module counts separately towards the premium
- Household composition: single, cohabiting or a family with children
- Living situation: owner-occupied home, rented home or flat with a VvE (Dutch owners' association)
- Area of cover: the Netherlands, Europe or worldwide, per area of law
- Threshold and own contribution: the lower limit of the financial interest
- Combining with other policies: a package discount can change the comparison
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What the lawyer handles
| Situation | Basic | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| Recovering your injury loss from the driver who ran into the back of you | Yes | Yes |
| A contractor delivers a leaking bathroom and stops replying to your letters | Yes | Yes |
| Your employer wants to end your contract of employment after a reorganisation | No | Yes |
| A long-running conflict with the neighbours about a fence standing on your land | No | Yes |
| The division of the home in your divorce | No | Provided that |
| A disagreement with your brother and sister about your parents' estate | No | Provided that |
Which modules are included decides whether a case is taken on. The sum insured only comes after that.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Can I always choose my own lawyer?
Only where court or administrative proceedings are actually brought. Article 4:67 of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act (Wft) then gives you the right to a lawyer of your choice, and the insurer may not limit that to its own network. If the case is settled out of court, the in-house legal department handles it. The insurer may set a reasonable maximum on the costs it reimburses.
Is a divorce covered?
Rarely in full. Most policies exclude divorce or reimburse only a limited form of mediation, and often only after a number of years of uninterrupted cover. Discussions about maintenance, division of the joint estate or contact arrangements after the divorce usually fall outside it. Read the relevant clause before you count on this, because the differences between providers are large here.
Does the policy cover a criminal case?
To a limited extent. Traffic offences are often included where you are prosecuted for an accident without intent. As soon as a deliberate act is involved, cover falls away. That follows the line of Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code, which excludes loss caused intentionally. If you are acquitted, some policies reimburse the costs of your defence after all.
What if I move house or buy a second home?
Report it, because both changes affect the home module. A second home is not automatically included and a home abroad often falls outside the area of cover. Unreported changes can have consequences at the time of a claim. The duty of disclosure in Article 7:928 DCC and the sanction in Article 7:930 DCC concern the information the insurer needed in order to assess the risk.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare personal legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering)The main page
- Business legal expenses insurance and how a case is handledProspects, disputes procedure, cost maximum
- Legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering) for SMEsEmployment, contracts, debt collection
- How legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering) helps with your second homeBuilding dispute, neighbours, VvE and local authority