Extended
- Fire and smoke
- Burglary and theft
- Storm and rainfall
Storage unit · moving house · limited cover
Insuring home contents in storage
Home contents insurance covers the risk address on your policy schedule; belongings in a storage unit or warehouse are not at that address.
- 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: Inboedel in opslag verzekeren.
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
Every policy schedule shows one address: the home for which the premium was calculated. If some of your belongings move to a self-storage unit, a remover's warehouse or an acquaintance's garage, they leave the insured risk. Many policies include temporary run-off cover when you move house, but it is limited in duration, in amount and in scope.
For longer storage a separate arrangement is therefore needed: notifying your insurer of the second address, or a separate goods or storage insurance. What a storage provider arranges in its rental agreement is security and access, not insurance.
If you are storing things during a move between two homes, also check the cover on the old and the new property; see home contents insurance for a house.
Contents in storage: what is covered?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Comprehensive
Also your own accidents in the home.
- A television that has fallen over
- A stain on the sofa
- Damage while doing DIY
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.
The risk address is decisive
Your cover attaches to the address on the policy schedule, not to your ownership. Once goods are kept elsewhere, at most the limited cover for belongings away from home applies, with a low maximum and strict requirements. Notify your insurer of the storage location in writing and ask for confirmation. A short bridging period during a move is sometimes included, but only within a period stated in the policy conditions.
The storage provider does not insure your belongings
A self-storage business rents out space and provides security; it is not a bailee that stands behind your goods. In its general terms and conditions liability is almost always heavily limited or excluded, including for fire or burglary at the site. Some providers offer their own insurance as a separate module. If so, read carefully which amount and which perils are actually covered.
Requirements for security and packing
Insurers set conditions for the unit itself: your own lock of adequate quality, an enclosed indoor space rather than an outdoor container, and sometimes fire detection at the site. There are also rules about the contents. Electronics must be disconnected, batteries often may not be stored and flammable or hazardous substances are excluded. Do not stack goods against sprinkler heads or ventilation grilles.
What storage cover does not pay for
Excluded as standard are damp, condensation, mould, rust and vermin: precisely the kinds of damage that occur most often in an unheated space. Also outside the cover are theft without signs of forced entry, gradual loss of value, money and securities, motor vehicles and damage arising during transport to the unit. Wear to furniture from stacking is not paid for either. Draw up an inventory list beforehand with photographs and proof of purchase.
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.
What does your premium depend on?
- Value of the goods in storage — The sum insured for the second location, separate from the contents at your home.
- Nature of the goods — Furniture and household goods are assessed differently from electronics or art.
- Type of storage location — A heated indoor unit, an unheated warehouse or a container on a yard.
- Security at the site — Camera surveillance, access registration, fire detection and sprinklers.
- Length of storage — A few weeks during a move or a period of several years.
- Type of cover chosen — Fire and burglary only, or wider cover against perils coming from outside.
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.
Are my belongings automatically covered while I am moving house?
Temporary cover often applies at the old and the new address during the moving period, with a time limit set out in the policy conditions. Interim storage with a third party is usually not included, and neither is damage during the transport itself. Report the move in advance and ask in writing for confirmation of the bridging cover and how long it lasts.
Does the storage provider cover my belongings?
As a rule it does not. The rental agreement governs access, security and payment, and generally limits the provider's liability extensively, including for fire or burglary in the building. If insurance is offered, check the sum insured, the exclusions and whether damp and mould damage are covered. Compare that with taking out your own storage cover.
Is mould or damp damage in a unit covered?
Almost never. Condensation, mould, rust and vermin count as gradually acting influences and are excluded as standard, even on wide forms of cover. So choose a heated indoor space, use pallets under boxes and pack textiles and electronics airtight. For vulnerable items such as musical instruments or art, specialist cover is the only real solution.
What may I not keep in a storage unit?
Flammable and hazardous substances such as petrol, gas bottles and paint are excluded, as are lithium batteries from bicycles and scooters. Money, securities, jewellery and motor vehicles also fall outside the cover. The provider's rental agreement usually prohibits these as well; if you break that rule, you lose both the cover and your right to the rented space.
Read more
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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.