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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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
With a flat, two policies run side by side. The owners' association insures the building: load-bearing structure, roof, facade, window frames and communal pipework. You insure what is inside it. Between those two lies a strip that belongs automatically to neither policy, and that is usually where things go wrong when there is a claim.
That strip is called owner's interest: the kitchen, the bathroom, the flooring or the sun blinds you had installed after purchase. The VvE policy covers the building as it was when it was divided into flats, not your improvement. Declare that amount separately to your home contents insurer, otherwise you will be on your own after a fire or a leak.
If you live in a rented flat the same applies, under the name of tenant's improvements. You can read more about the boundary with the buildings policy in an owner-occupied home at home contents insurance for a house.
What does home contents insurance for a flat cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The standard
Extended
The named perils: fire, water, burglary, storm.
Fire and smoke
Burglary and theft
Storm and rainfall
Most chosen
Comprehensive
Also your own accidents in the home.
A television that has fallen over
A stain on the sofa
Damage while doing DIY
Where things go wrong
Sub-limits
A separate limit for each category, apart from your total sum insured.
Jewellery and watches
Audiovisual equipment
Possessions away from home
What is covered
Situation
Extended
Comprehensive
Fire or water damage in the home
Yes
Yes
Burglary with signs of forced entry
Yes
Yes
A bicycle from a locked shed
Sometimes
Sometimes
A phone dropped from your hands onto the tiles
No
Yes
A laptop from the car without signs of forced entry
No
No
Wear and gradual damage
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.
Owner's improvements are a separate section
The deed of division determines where the building ends and your interest begins. Everything you had installed yourself after purchase falls outside the association's policy: a more expensive kitchen, a refitted bathroom, a parquet floor you had laid or a dormer window. Put this on your policy schedule as a separate amount. Without that entry it will not be paid for after a fire, even if your contents sum is generous enough.
Water damage from the neighbours
If your upstairs neighbour's washing machine leaks onto your ceiling, that is their liability under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code and therefore their liability insurance. If the water comes from a communal soil stack, it is for the association to deal with. If in doubt, report it both to your own insurer and to the board; your insurer can pay the claim and then recover the cost itself from the party at fault.
Storeroom, balcony and communal areas
Belongings in a communal bicycle store or cellar unit fall under limited cover, and often only where there are demonstrable signs of forced entry to your own unit. A bicycle or mobility scooter usually has to be declared separately. For garden furniture, planters and a barbecue on the balcony many policies apply their own maximum, and theft from a freely accessible balcony is regularly excluded.
What your contents policy does not cover
Not covered are the structure of the building, glass in communal parts and damage the VvE policy is supposed to bear. There the policies overlap and your insurer will refer you on. Also excluded are damp gradually penetrating through a leaking roof, damage from neglected maintenance of the block, and lost turnover or rent if you let the flat out. Flooding from primary flood defences is excluded as standard.
Theft outside the home
Away from the home the cover is limited and requirements often apply to how items are locked away.
Underinsurance is calculated proportionately, even for small claims
If your home contents are insured for half their actual value, you will be paid only half even on a claim of a thousand euros. Use the insurer's contents value calculator; completed correctly, it usually gives a guarantee against underinsurance. Your policy schedule states whether you have one.
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.
Everything you had installed in your flat yourself after the division or purchase and that is permanently fixed: a new kitchen, a bathroom, a floor you had laid or fitted cupboards. The association's policy covers the building in its original state, your contents policy covers loose items. Owner's improvements fall between the two and have to be declared separately.
Who pays if the upstairs neighbour has a leak?
In principle the upstairs neighbour, through their liability insurance, provided they are at fault under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. If the cause lies in a communal pipe, it is the association's policy. Report the damage to your own contents insurer and to the board; your insurer handles the recovery and you stay out of the argument.
Is the glass in my own window covered?
Glass in the outside facade belongs to the building and therefore to the association, which often has a separate glass section for it. Internal doors with glass and a glass shower screen belong to your own interest. Ask the board whether glass cover is included, because without that section the association bears the cost from the reserve fund.
Do I have to declare my bicycle in the communal store separately?
Usually yes. On most contents policies, bicycles, e-bikes and mobility scooters have their own section or a low sub-limit. Away from the home there is also a requirement of a locked space with demonstrable signs of forced entry. If the bicycle is in a store accessible to all residents, theft from it is regularly not insured.
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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