Owner of a house
- Almost always required with a mortgage
- The sum insured is the rebuild value
- Guarantee against underinsurance
- Outbuildings on the plot included
Does everyone need buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)?
Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) goes with ownership of a building, not with living in it. Who has to have the policy and who does not therefore depends on your position: owner, tenant or member of an owners' association.
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Work out for yourself what it would cost.
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.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
There is no law requiring you to insure your home. In reality it amounts to that for homeowners: virtually every mortgage lender makes buildings insurance a condition, because the home is the security for the loan. If the property burns down, the security disappears while the debt remains. Anyone who owns without a mortgage may decide for themselves, but then carries the full rebuilding risk.
Tenants do not need buildings insurance. That belongs to the landlord as owner of the property. As a tenant you insure your own belongings with home contents insurance (inboedelverzekering), and if you wish, fixtures you installed yourself through tenant's improvements, for example a kitchen, floor or sun blind you fitted yourself.
With a apartment right the owners' association insures the whole building with a single buildings policy. You contribute to it through the service charge and do not take out separate buildings insurance yourself. That goes wrong with a dormant VvE, which often has no current policy. Read also who has to take out the buildings insurance.
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Who needs the policy
Three positions, each with a different answer to the same question.
Owner of a flat
The VvE insures the building as a whole for all owners together.
- One buildings policy for the block
- Payment through the service charge
- The division regulations set the line
- Dormant VvE: often no cover
Tenant
You insure your own belongings, not the building.
- The buildings cover sits with the landlord
- Home contents insurance for your belongings
- Tenant's interest for your own alterations
- Liability arranged separately
What is covered
| Situation | Arrange it yourself | Runs through someone else |
|---|---|---|
| Owner of a house with a mortgage | Yes | No |
| Owner of a house without a mortgage | Yes | No |
| Owner of an apartment right | No | Yes |
| Tenant of a home | No | Yes |
| Owner of a separate garage unit or holiday home | Yes | No |
| Member of a dormant VvE | Provided that | Provided that |
What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) that you receive before you take out cover.
What does your premium depend on?
- Rebuild value: the basis of calculation for the policy
- Type of premises: house, flat or garage unit
- Construction type and roof covering: brick, timber or thatch
- Use of the premises: occupied, let or empty
- Type of cover: extended or comprehensive
- Excess and extensions: glass, solar panels, outbuildings
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, risk and 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.
Why 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.
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.
Four points about the requirement
Where the requirement comes from and when you can still be without cover.
No statutory obligation, but a contractual one
The law does not require you to insure your home, unlike motor vehicles, where Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) imposes a duty to insure. With a home, the requirement lies in the mortgage conditions. Many mortgage deeds also state that the insurer may pay the claim directly to the lender. If cover lapses because the premium was not paid, you are also in default towards your lender.
With a flat it lies with the VvE
The owners' association insures the building as a whole. The division regulations, for which Article 5:112 of the Dutch Civil Code provides the basis, determine what is communal and what is for the individual owner's account: floor finishes, internal walls and the owner's own alterations often fall outside the communal cover. With a a dormant VvE there is regularly no current policy, and then the whole block is uninsured.
Separate property falls outside your home policy
A garage unit elsewhere in the neighbourhood, a holiday home, a second home or a let property does not fall under the buildings policy for your own home. Every separate building calls for its own cover, with its own conditions for use, vacancy and supervision. Anyone who assumes it is included only discovers otherwise when they claim, and then rebuilding that object is entirely at their own expense.
Having a policy is not the same as being covered
Even with a current policy, a fixed list of risks remains outside cover: subsidence, foundation damage and pile rot, deferred maintenance, wear and tear and construction or material faults and damage caused by vermin, mould and slowly penetrating damp. Intent and recklessness are excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. And an incorrect declaration when taking out the policy can reduce the payment or cause it to lapse (Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code).
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) required by law?
No. There is no law requiring owners to insure their building. For almost everyone the requirement comes from the mortgage conditions, because the home is the security for the loan. Anyone who owns the home without a mortgage may decide for themselves. In doing so you carry the full risk that rebuilding after a fire or storm is at your own expense.
As a flat owner, do I have to arrange anything myself?
Not for the structure: the owners' association does that for the whole building. You do insure your own contents and often also the items the division regulations place with the individual owner, such as floor finishes and your own alterations. Check with the VvE that the policy is current, what the sum insured is and whether the excess has been recorded.
What if the VvE is dormant?
A dormant VvE does not meet and often has no current buildings insurance, while the association does exist by operation of law. The building is then uninsured and in a fire each owner bears their share of the rebuilding costs. Activating the VvE and taking out a joint buildings policy is then the first step. An individual policy on the whole building is not a solution.
I rent: do I really need nothing?
No buildings insurance, but you do need home contents insurance for your own belongings. If you have installed a kitchen, floor, sun blind or shed yourself, insure that through tenant's interest; it belongs to the building but was paid for by you. Personal liability insurance (AVP) is also sensible for damage you cause to the rented property or to others.
Is my second home included on my ordinary policy?
No. A second home, holiday home or let property is a separate object and needs its own buildings insurance. Extra conditions often apply around vacancy, supervision and draining water pipes in winter. Where a property is let, cover for vandalism and water damage is also regularly more limited than for an owner-occupied home.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)The main page
- Types of buildings insurance and the properties they are intended forHome, unusual property, letting
- The VvE's buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)Deed of division, rebuild value, owner's interest
- Your own garage box: why buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) is neededSeparate building, use, rebuild value
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for a garage box: is it compulsory and what does it cover?Separate structure, no occupation, VvE or your own policy
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) required by a mortgage, VvE or ground leaseMortgage deed, deed of division, Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code
- Is buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) compulsory?Not by law, but by contract, VvE
- The basics of buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)Structure, rebuild value, contents
- Do you need buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)?Owner, tenant, flat
Read more
Not sure whether your property is insured?
Request a quote without obligation. We check which properties fall under your policies.
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 compiled by Finass Verzekert (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.