An extra side wall · storm and burglary ·. A corner garden
Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for an end-of-terrace house
The extra side wall of an end-of-terrace home changes three things at once: the rebuild value, the load from wind and driving rain, and the way a burglar approaches the property.
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In brief
An end-of-terrace home has a free-standing side wall where the rest of the terrace has a party wall. That wall counts towards the rebuild value, together with the extra roof area, the side entrance and the outbuilding that often stands on a corner plot. Anyone who enters the home in the rebuild value calculator as a mid-terrace house is immediately underinsured, and only notices at the first large claim.
That side wall is also the side the weather hits. Wind load acts on a surface that a mid-terrace house does not have: loose tiles at the edge of the wall, cladding, a roof edge lifting. If the wall faces south-west, years of driving rain are added, with the pointing and penetrating damp as the result.
The third point is the accessibility. The rear and side walls of an end-of-terrace home often border a path, a strip of greenery or a car park and are not visible from the street. Insurers translate that into requirements for locks and fittings and for the boundary fencing.
What does buildings insurance for an end-of-terrace home cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Most chosen
Extended cover
The named perils: fire, storm, water, burglary and collision.
Fire, smoke and lightning strike
Storm from force 7 upwards
Water damage and leakage
Burglary damage
Widest form of cover
Comprehensive
All sudden and unforeseen damage from outside, unless excluded.
Unnamed causes included
A small mishap while doing DIY
Less discussion when you claim
The essentials
Basis of value
Rebuild value with a guarantee against underinsurance, or a valuation.
Rebuild value calculator
Valuation under 7:960 DCC
Guarantee on your policy schedule
What is covered
Situation
Extended
Comprehensive
Fire, smoke and lightning damage
Yes
Yes
Storm damage from force 7 upwards
Yes
Yes
Water damage from a burst pipe
Yes
Yes
Burglary damage to doors and frames
Yes
Yes
Drilling through a pipe while doing DIY
No
Yes
Subsidence, pile rot and deferred maintenance
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.
Enter the type of home correctly, including after an extension
The rebuild value calculator asks about the type of home, the volume and the number of external walls. An end-of-terrace home declared as a mid-terrace house produces a sum insured that is structurally too low, and with that the guarantee against underinsurance lapses. Correction can only apply for the future; retrospective correction is not possible. Include the side extension, the carport and the free-standing store in the same declaration.
Storm damage starts on the free side
Insurers usually cover storm damage from force 7 and apply a separate excess higher than the standard one. With end-of-terrace homes the damage concentrates on the edge of the wall and the ridge finish: tiles lifting, lead flashing coming loose, wall panels cracking. Maintenance defects that the wind merely reveals, such as weathered tile clips or rot in the fascia boards, remain at your own expense.
The side wall is a damp file, not a claims file
Penetrating damp through poor pointing, rising damp and mould in the cavity are not sudden events and are therefore excluded. Leakage along a side window that has not been painted for years also falls outside cover. What can be covered is sudden water damage because a pipe in the outside wall freezes and bursts. So have the pointing and window frames on the weather side checked more often than on the front facade.
Security on the side nobody sees
A side or back door bordering a path is weighed more heavily than a front door on the street. Certified locks and fittings produce a discount with some insurers and prevent discussion about whether there were signs of forced entry. Damage to the boundary fencing itself, so to a fence, gate or hedge, is covered only to a limited extent or excluded on most buildings policies; check that on your policy schedule.
Burglary prevention at the side
Insurers look at the locks and fittings. Certified hardware often produces a discount and prevents discussion when you claim.
A guarantee against underinsurance is not automatic
If you fill in the insurer's rebuild value calculator correctly, you will usually receive a guarantee against underinsurance: in the event of a claim the actual amount is paid, even if the sum insured turns out to be too low. Your policy schedule states whether you have that guarantee. Without it, the proportionality rule applies, and that also affects small claims.
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What happens if I declared my end-of-terrace home as a mid-terrace house?
The sum insured is then based on less wall and roof area than you actually have, and you are underinsured. Claims are paid proportionately, including small ones. Have it corrected as soon as you discover it. The change applies from the date of amendment and not retrospectively. When making that correction, check the outbuildings on the plot at the same time.
Is storm damage to the side wall always covered?
Only if there was a storm as defined in the policy, usually force 7 or above, and if the damage cannot be traced back to maintenance. Tiles blown loose that were resting only on weathered clips are regularly rejected. Bear in mind that a separate and higher excess applies to storm damage than to other claims.
Is penetrating damp in the side wall insured?
No. Penetrating and rising damp are gradual processes and appear as an exclusion on virtually every policy, including all-risks cover. The same applies to mould and salt efflorescence. A burst pipe in the outside wall is a sudden event and can be covered. So the distinction lies in the cause and not in the damage pattern.
Do better locks and fittings really make a difference?
With an end-of-terrace home they count more heavily than with a mid-terrace house, because the side and rear cannot be seen from the public road. Certified hardware with the accompanying certificate gives a premium advantage with some insurers and makes it easier to show that there was a break-in. Some policies make it a condition for this type of home.
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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