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Reporting · commercial use · tenant risk
Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) when letting
Letting turns your home into an investment asset, and that is a different risk from the one on which your personal home policy was accepted.
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- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Opstalverzekering bij verhuur.
Calculate your premium or request a quote
Without obligation; a reply within one working day.
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 your own premium with the calculator.
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
Personal buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) is written for a property occupied by the owner. As soon as you let it, the use changes: someone lives there who has no long-term interest in the property, you rarely visit it yourself, and defects are reported later. For an insurer that is a change in risk that you must report, whether it concerns a whole house or just a few rooms.
If you do not, you run into Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code when taking out the policy, and into the reporting obligation in your conditions afterwards. If it emerges after a claim that the property was let, the insurer may, under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code , pay as if it had known the true risk: less, or, for a risk it would never have accepted, nothing at all. That applies even to damage that had nothing to do with the letting, such as a lightning strike.
For let homes there are separate policies, with covers that do not exist on personal policies: loss of rent after a covered claim, vandalism by the tenant and often a wider cover for clearance costs. See insurance for a let home and buildings insurance for a let property.
What does buildings insurance cover when you let?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
What is included
Everything permanently attached to the building.
- Building and installations
- Outbuildings
- Boundary fences
Extensions
What is excluded as standard.
- Glass
- Garden landscaping
- Inherent defect and foundations
What is covered
| Situation | Standard | With extension |
|---|---|---|
| Fire, smoke and lightning strike | Yes | Yes |
| Storm from force 7 upwards | Yes | Yes |
| Water damage from a burst pipe | Yes | Yes |
| Glass breakage | Sometimes | Yes |
| Groundwater coming through the floor | No | No |
| Wear and deferred maintenance | No | No |
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Concealment is the most common ground for refusal
Unreported letting comes to light in almost every claim, through the address of the person reporting it, the municipal register or what the neighbours say. The insurer may then reduce or refuse payment under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code , even where the cause had nothing to do with the letting. Reporting costs you an adjustment to the premium; not reporting costs you the whole of your cover.
Vandalism by the tenant is generally excluded
Wilful damage by someone who is in the property with your permission falls outside the standard cover; the tenant is not a burglar, after all. Contamination left behind, installations removed and damage from cannabis growing are not paid anywhere either. Landlord policies sometimes offer a limited section for this, usually tied to the requirement that you can produce a tenancy agreement, a deposit and proof of an identity check.
As landlord you remain the possessor of the building
If a roof tile falls on a passer-by or the tenant is injured by a rotten staircase, you are liable as possessor under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code. That is strict liability: you need not have made any mistake. A buildings policy covers damage to the building, not that liability. A separate liability cover for the property is needed for that.
Loss of rent and the period the property is unusable
After a fire, the property can stand empty for months while your mortgage payments continue. The rent you miss is not damage to the building and so is not part of the basic cover; it is a separate section with its own period. Set that period on the realistic repair time including permits, not on the building work alone, or payment will stop before the tenant can return.
What does your premium depend on?
- Type of letting — Letting to a family, letting room by room and short-term letting through a platform are all assessed differently.
- Number of residential units in the property — The more self-contained units behind one front door, the more cooking points and installations, and the higher the fire risk.
- Condition of the wiring and consumer unit — For rooms let, insurers often require an inspection of the installation and separate circuits for each unit.
- Smoke alarms and escape routes — In let properties, interlinked smoke alarms and a clear escape route are regularly a condition of acceptance rather than a discount.
- Chosen loss of rent section — The period over which lost rent is paid helps determine the premium; a longer period costs more.
- Management and supervision — Letting through a managing agent with periodic inspections is assessed more favourably than letting you handle entirely at a distance.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
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.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
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.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
May I let my home short-term through a platform?
Only if your insurer allows it and you have reported it. Changing guests who do not know the property increase the fire and water risk, and there is no tenancy agreement under which you can hold anyone to account. Some home policies allow a limited number of days a year; others exclude commercial letting altogether. Ask for confirmation in writing.
Are my tenant's home contents insured as well?
No. The tenant insures their own belongings; that is entirely separate from your buildings policy. If you let furnished, your own furniture, appliances and soft furnishings are your interest and must be declared separately as landlord's contents. If you do not, only the shell of the building is insured after a fire, and not the fittings.
What happens if there is cannabis growing in my property?
Damage caused by a cannabis farm is excluded by almost every insurer, including fire arising from the illegal wiring and the cost of decontamination. You can limit that risk by inspecting periodically and recording this in the tenancy agreement. Without any checks on the property, the insurer can also hold negligence against you.
Do I need anything besides buildings insurance?
Usually yes. Consider liability for the building under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code, loss of rent after a covered claim, and legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering) for disputes with tenants about defects or arrears. If you let an apartment, look also at insurance for a landlord of an apartment, because there the VvE (Dutch owners' association) insures the fabric of the building.
Read more
Similar pages
- Insuring a home that you let
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for a let home
- Why buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) is essential for the home you let
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for let homes: all you need to know
- Choosing buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for the home you let
Ready to compare?
Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
About our service
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.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
This page was written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.