Self-build · who insures · fitting with buildings insurance
Construction all risks (CAR) insurance for private clients
As a private client you are not insuring your works but your house, and your buildings policy is at its weakest during exactly the construction period.
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.
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A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
With work on your own home the risk runs along two policies. The contractor has a CAR policy for the works. You have buildings insurance for the house. Between the two lies a strip where nobody automatically provides cover: damage to the existing building caused during the work.
For your buildings insurer, a building being renovated is a different risk. Scaffolding, open roofs, strangers in the house and material on the site change the circumstances on which your policy is based. So report the work before it starts; the duty of disclosure in Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code and the consequences under Article 7:930 DCC apply to you too.
If you build or do the work yourself, there is no contractor with a policy. You are then both the builder and the owner, and you carry the risk of the works in progress entirely yourself until it is finished.
What does CAR insurance for private clients cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Section 1
The works
Damage to the works themselves during construction or installation.
Fire, storm and water
Theft of materials
Inherent defect and design fault
Vandalism on the building site
Section 2
Liability
Damage to property and persons of third parties on and around the works.
Adjoining premises
Injury to bystanders
Cables and pipes
Optional
Extensions
What comes into play alongside the works themselves.
Client's existing property
Ancillary plant and site huts
Maintenance period
What is covered
Situation
Works section
Liability section
Storm or water damage to the works in progress
Yes
No
Theft of materials from the building site
Sometimes
No
Damage to an adjoining building
No
Yes
Injury to a bystander
No
Yes
The client's existing property
Sometimes
Sometimes
Repair of your own defective work
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.
Report the work before the first scaffolding goes up
Your buildings insurer accepted your house as an occupied home, not as a building site. Report in writing what is happening, how long it will take and whether the property will stand empty. Some insurers restrict the cover during the build to fire and storm; others offer a temporary extension. If you report nothing and damage occurs, the insurer can reduce or refuse the payout under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code, even for damage that has nothing to do with the work.
You are not simply liable for your contractor's mistakes
Article 6:171 of the Dutch Civil Code, which makes a client liable for the mistakes of a contractor engaged by them, applies only where you give the instructions in the course of a business. As a private individual you fall outside it. You do remain answerable as the owner of the property under Article 6:174 DCC if something falls off your building, even if someone else loosened it. Personal liability insurance (AVP) by no means always covers building activities.
Ask for the section that covers your own house
Your contractor's CAR policy covers as standard the works he makes, not the building he does it in. To him your home is existing property belonging to the client and that is a separate section with a sum insured of its own. Ask whether that section is insured and for what amount: that amount should match the value of your house, not the size of the works.
Whatever you report, this stays at your expense
The cost of putting badly executed work right you recover from the contractor, not from an insurance policy. Materials you have bought yourself and that are waiting on site are rarely insured. Loss of value, lost rent and the cost of living elsewhere temporarily fall outside the CAR policy, and asbestos that appears during demolition brings the work to a halt at your expense unless you have agreed something about it in advance.
Existing property is the most commonly missed section
If you work in or on an existing building, that building is not your works but the property of the client. Damage to it does not fall under section 1 and, on your AVB, falls under the care, custody and control exclusion. The section existing property fills that gap, and with conversions, renovations and installation work that is not an edge case but the core of the risk.
The maintenance period continues after handover
After handover there is often a maintenance period during which you remain liable for defects that arose during construction. Agree that period explicitly and have it stated on the policy. Under the Wet kwaliteitsborging (the Dutch Building Quality Assurance Act) this carries more weight: Article 7:758(4) of the Dutch Civil Code places the burden of proof for hidden defects on the contractor.
What does your premium depend on?
Construction cost of the work. The value of the works in progress is the basis on which the project cover is calculated.
Value of the existing home. Determines the level of the existing property section, independently of what the work costs.
Whether you stay living there or the property is emptied. Standing empty during the build increases the risk of theft, vandalism and unnoticed water damage.
Whether you do the work yourself or through a contractor. With a self-build there is no professional policy and no contractor to fall back on.
Nature of the work. A roof extension, excavation or opening in a load-bearing wall affects the structure; finishing work does not.
Duration of the work. The longer the property is in a construction state, the longer the increased risk runs.
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.
Do I really have to report work to my buildings insurer?
Yes, and before it starts. A home being renovated differs from the risk the insurer accepted. If you do not report it, the insurer can rely on Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code when you claim and reduce or refuse the payout. Report in writing what is happening, how long it will take and whether you are staying there, and keep the confirmation.
What if I do the work myself, without a contractor?
Then there is no project policy. During the build your new extension or dormer window is not part of your insured buildings and damage to it is usually not covered. Discuss with your insurer what cover applies during the build and whether temporary construction cover is possible. Also consider your liability towards neighbours and towards people who help you.
My contractor damages the neighbour's wall. Who pays for that?
Damage to an adjoining property falls under the liability section of your contractor's CAR policy, provided he is liable under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. As a private individual you are not liable for it yourself through Article 6:171 DCC, which affects only business clients. It is still sensible to photograph the state of the neighbour's wall beforehand with a date.
What does my contractor have to tell me about his insurance?
On a building contract for a private client, the contractor has to state in writing under Article 7:765a of the Dutch Civil Code whether and how his liability is insured. Ask follow-up questions: which sections have been taken out, are you named as a co-insured on the policy and is the existing property section included? Record the answers in the building contract.
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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