Modules · help in kind · area of cover
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.
- Several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Rechtsbijstandverzekering via Avéro Achmea.
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.
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).
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.
Read more
Within Rechtsbijstandverzekering
- Rechtsbijstandverzekeringthe main page
- AnsvarIdea Bewust liability and legal expenses insurance
- Business legal expenses insurance and how a case is handled
- Klaverblad rechtsbijstandverzekering
- Nationale nederlanden zakelijk rechtsbijstandverzekering bedrijven
- Rechtsbijstand mkb
- Nh1816 verkeer vakantie rechtsbijstandverzekering
Similar pages
- AnsvarIdea Bewust liability and legal expenses insurance
- Business legal expenses insurance and how a case is handled
- Klaverblad legal expenses insurance
- Compare personal legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering)
- Traffic and holiday legal expenses insurance through NH1816 — compare & calculate your premium
- How legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering) helps with your second home
- Legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering) for SMEs
- Legal expenses insurance for businesses through Nationale-Nederlanden