Own location
- Contaminated firefighting water
- Leaking storage tank
- Burst pipe
Compare environmental damage insurance
After a fire the fire service uses thousands of litres of water. That water picks up whatever was in your premises and soaks into the ground. The cost of clearing it up appears on no buildings policy at all.
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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.
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 activities
- 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
Environmental damage insurance covers the clean-up costs of contamination of soil, groundwater or surface water, where it results from an unexpected escape of polluting substances caused by an insured peril. That can be on your own site or on someone else's land.
The obligation to clean up comes from the duties of care under the Dutch Environment and Planning Act (Omgevingswet), in particular Articles 1.6 and 1.7, supplemented by whatever your council's environment plan says. The council has primary responsibility for enforcing this and can impose a clean-up order.
Your liability insurance does not solve this. It covers loss for which you are liable to someone else; cleaning up your own site is not that. And as owner you can be held responsible even where you did not cause the contamination yourself.
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We compare your environmental damage insurance across dozens of insurers, explain where the real differences lie, and arrange the switch from start to finish — without you having to chase it yourself.
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What does environmental damage insurance cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Third-party sites
Contamination that moves to a neighbouring plot.
- Overflowing pollution
- Damage to crops or garden
- Investigation costs
Working and construction sites
Contamination arising during work elsewhere.
- Leaking machine on site
- Tank struck during excavation
- Separate section or policy
What is covered
| Situation | MSV | AVB |
|---|---|---|
| Clean-up of your own site after a fire | Yes | No |
| Contaminated firefighting water in the soil | Yes | No |
| Pollution running on to the neighbouring plot | Yes | Sometimes |
| Leaking diesel tank on your yard | Yes | No |
| Historical contamination from before your arrival | No | No |
| A gradual leak you could have noticed | 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.
What does your premium depend on?
- Business activities and risk class: storage of fuel or chemicals weighs heavily
- Area and position of the site
- Storage present: tanks, manure, hazardous substances
- Soil conditions and groundwater level
- Sum insured per event and per year
- Baseline survey: a soil survey at inception
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
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.
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.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Firefighting water is the most underestimated item
In a fire the fire service uses large quantities of water, which picks up whatever is in the building: oil, solvents, cleaning agents, soot particles. Clearing up contaminated firefighting water can easily run to tens of thousands of euros. That is not covered by your buildings or contents insurance, because it is not damage to your building or your contents.
As owner you can be liable without having caused it
Owners of contaminated plots can be held responsible, even where they did not cause the pollution. If the party responsible cannot be traced or is insolvent, you come into the picture after all. That makes the insurance relevant not only to businesses with high-risk processes but also to owners of commercial property.
What the Environment and Planning Act did and did not change
For new cases of contamination the framework remains the same in substance: it runs through the duties of care in Articles 1.6 and 1.7 of the Environment and Planning Act and the rules in the environment plan. Historical contamination from before 1987 falls outside that duty of care and rests with the authorities. If such a case is discovered now, the rules on chance findings apply, which are aimed at control rather than clean-up. Importantly, the civil law liability risks have not changed with the Environment and Planning Act.
Gradual is not insured, sudden is
The cover is built on an unexpected escape as the direct result of an insured peril. A tank that leaks slowly for years and that you could have noticed during normal maintenance falls outside it. Inspection and registration of storage facilities are therefore not paperwork but a condition of cover.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Does my AVB not cover environmental damage?
Only in so far as you are liable to someone else. Cleaning up your own site does not fall under that, and that is precisely where the costs usually arise. Environmental damage insurance is needed for it.
What does it cost to clear up contaminated firefighting water?
It quickly runs to tens of thousands of euros, depending on what was in the building and how deep it has penetrated. It is one of the most common claims under this policy.
Am I liable if I did not cause the pollution?
You can be. Owners of contaminated plots can be held responsible, certainly where the party responsible cannot be traced or is insolvent. This insurance is therefore relevant to owners of commercial property as well.
What is a baseline survey?
A soil survey at the start of the insurance or of your activities. It records what was already in the soil, so that existing and new contamination can be distinguished later. Insurers often ask for one where activities carry a high risk.
Is historical contamination covered?
No. Contamination that was already there falls outside the cover. For cases from before 1987 there is moreover no duty of care. Those rest with the authorities, and where one is discovered now the rules on chance findings apply, which are aimed at control.
Does the cover also apply at clients' sites?
Only with a section or policy for working and construction sites. For contractors and installation firms that is a separate consideration, because there the risk lies precisely outside their own site.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Environmental damage insurance for real estate: cover per locationHistorical contamination, tenants, baseline survey
- Environmental damage insuranceSoil, firefighting water, clean-up
- Environmental damage: soil contamination and clean-up costsSoil, firefighting water, clean-up
- VvE environmental damage insuranceFirefighting water, oil tank, clean-up costs
- Environmental damage insurance for real estateClean-up, your own site, third-party site
- Environmental damage insurance for a VvE (Dutch owners' association) through Avéro Achmea
- Environmental damage insurance for propertyClean-up costs, tenants, baseline situation
- Environmental damage in propertyHistorical contamination, tenants, baseline survey
Insurers we compare
A selection. Which insurers appear in your comparison depends on your situation and the cover you choose.
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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.
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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. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.