Glass insurance through De Goudse
With glass insurance things rarely go wrong over the premium. They go wrong over the question of whether the broken pane was glass at all under the policy wording.
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In brief
Finass arranges glass cover with more than thirty insurers; De Goudse is one of them and works with a business package in which glass can be one of the sections. More about this insurer is set out at De Goudse, and the general explanation of the product at glass insurance for businesses.
The heart of every glass policy is the definition. What is insured is usually the glass that serves as a light-transmitting closure of the building: panes in walls, doors, frontages and sometimes roof lights. Outside that falls a long list of items that also look like glass: mirrors, glass doors of display cabinets, glass shelves in furniture, panes in illuminated signs and free-standing glass partitions inside. Nor are plastic domes and polycarbonate glass, unless they are expressly included.
What the cover does do is pay for breakage whatever the cause: a stone, a vehicle hitting the frontage, an accident during unloading. What the cover does not do is pay for damage without breakage. A scratch, staining or a splash of paint is not breakage. The same goes for condensation between double glazing: the insulating quality has gone, but the glass is intact. For damage to the rest of the premises after a window is broken you look to the buildings insurance, and for the contents to the business contents and goods insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare commercial buildings insurance.
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Get coveredWhy arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
What to look out for
Four points that determine whether a glass claim actually leads to a payment.
Lettering, film and solar control
A shop window often carries more than glass: applied lettering, a logo, solar control or anti-intruder film. When the pane is replaced, reapplying those is a separate cost item, paid only if the policy says so. Have it recorded what is on your windows; otherwise you get plain glass back where a printed frontage stood.
Breakage without asking the cause, but with limits
Glass insurance does not look at who or what broke the pane. That makes the cover wide, but not unlimited. Breakage during building work, installation or moving the glass is excluded as standard, as is breakage in premises that have stood empty for longer than the period stated in the policy. Damage you cause deliberately remains excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Emergency boarding and your duty to notify
After a breakage you must be able to secure the premises. The cost of a temporary covering or a temporary pane is paid under most policies, because you are obliged under Article 7:957 of the Dutch Civil Code to mitigate the loss. Report the breakage as soon as you know of it as well. That follows from Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code. Take photographs before the glass is taken away.
Special glass calls for a separate arrangement
Curved panes, laminated safety glass of a special make-up, stained or listed glass and glazing at height cost many times as much to replace as standard flat glass. Without a separate mention, insurers often pay on the basis of ordinary flat glass. Name these panes explicitly in your application, together with how accessible they are.
What does your premium depend on?
- Total glass area: the main measure on this cover
- Type of glazing: single, insulating, laminated or special glass
- Location of the building: a frontage at street level or in a nightlife area
- Nature of the business: hospitality and retail suffer more glass damage
- Parts included: roof lights, lettering, sanitary ware or sign panes
- Excess and claims history: particularly where there are repeated claims at the same location
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Basic | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| A stray shopping trolley rolls into your shop window and it cracks across its full width | Yes | Yes |
| The pane stays intact, but a vandal has left a deep scratch in it | No | No |
| The glass partition in your office breaks when a desk is pushed against it | No | Provided that |
| The glass in your illuminated sign above the entrance is blown to pieces in a storm | No | Provided that |
| A ball from the school playground next door goes through the clerestory windows of your unit | Yes | Yes |
| The mirrored wall in your salon comes away from the wall and falls in pieces | No | Provided that |
The question is not whether something made of glass is broken, but whether that glass counts as glass under the policy wording.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
As a tenant, do I have to insure the glass, or does the landlord?
That is set out in the lease and not in the policy. Often the owner insures the shell and the tenant is responsible for the glass, but the reverse also occurs. Check the lease before you take out cover; two policies on the same pane is money thrown away, no policy leads to a bill you bear yourself.
Is the shop window broken in a burglary covered by the glass policy?
Yes, breakage through forced entry falls under the glass cover. Damage to frames, doors and shutters belongs on the buildings insurance and the goods stolen on the contents and goods insurance. One burglary therefore produces three claims on three policies, each with its own excess. Always report it to the police and keep the crime reference number.
Does the insurance pay for condensation between double glazing?
No. Where the insulating quality is lost because the seal of the unit fails, there is no breakage but a defect in the unit itself. Inherent defect and wear are excluded on virtually every property policy. Some insurers offer a separate extension for this; ask about it when applying if your premises have a lot of insulating glazing.
Are roof lights and glass in the roof included?
Only if the policy says so. Plastic domes fall outside the concept of glass in any event. With glass roof lights, accessibility and the cost of a cherry picker or scaffolding also come into play. State in your application how many roof lights there are, what material they are made of and at what height they sit.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) and commercial buildings insurance (gebouwenverzekering): the same or not?The main page
- Compare glass insuranceLease, glass area, emergency boarding
- Glass insurance for businessesShop window, lease, emergency boarding
- Glass insurance: types of glass and equivalent repairLease, shop windows, emergency boarding
- Glass insurance for a VvECommon glass, private windows, emergency boarding
- Glass insurance for propertyBreakage, facade and roof, let property
- Glass insurance for offices, flats and homes that are letLetting, common glass, breakage