Glass insurance: types of glass and equivalent repair
What glass cover is worth depends on the glass actually installed: single, insulating, laminated, fire-resisting or a toughened glass frontage at height.
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.
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A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
<p>On a glass insurance the subject is panes serving to admit light in the building. That sounds simple, but a building rarely contains just one type of glass. Single glazing in a rear extension, insulating glazing in the window frames, laminated glass in an entrance, fire-resisting glazing in a partition wall and a toughened glass frontage at ground level each have their own repair cost and lead time.</p>
<p>On replacement, the requirement of like-for-like repairapplies: fire-resisting glass must again be fire-resisting, insulating glass again insulating. That is the difference between cover that solves the problem and cover that leaves part of the bill unpaid. Accessibility counts as well: a pane on the fifth floor calls for scaffolding, a cherry picker or a glass vacuum lifter.</p>
<p>This page is about glass as part of the building. On who has to insure it under the lease, and how you arrange that across a whole portfolio, see glass insurance for property investors.</p>
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The basics
Liability
AVB for property damage and injury, BAV for professional errors.
Damage to third parties
Employers' liability
Care, custody and control as an extension
Your business
Assets and continuity
Business contents, goods and lost turnover during downtime.
Business contents at replacement value as new
Goods at cost price
Business interruption or additional costs
If you employ people
Staff
Sickness absence, accidents and the traffic risk.
Continued pay for 104 weeks
Group personal accident
WEGAS for traffic risks
What is covered
Situation
AVB
BAV
Cyber
Injury to a visitor or customer
Yes
No
No
Damage to a client's property
Sometimes
No
No
Financial loss caused by an advisory or calculation error
No
Yes
No
Downtime after a ransomware attack
No
No
Yes
Data breach involving personal data
No
Sometimes
Yes
Damage to property in your care
No
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.
What counts as glass on the policy, and what does not
The cover relates to panes that serve to admit light and are fixed in the building. Outside it fall, usually, mirrors, shower screens, glass table tops, aquarium glass, plastic roof lights and separate panes in outbuildings. Also, stained or leaded glass and etched glass are often limited to the value of ordinary glass. If you want those items covered, they must appear expressly on the policy schedule.
Condensation between double glazing is not breakage
With insulating glazing the edge seal fails over time and moisture forms between the panes. That is not breakage but wear, and it falls outside the cover; glass insurance does not pay for failed double glazing. The same applies to scratches, damaged coatings and glass attacked by cleaning agents or facade cleaning. Only actual breakage or cracking leads to payment.
Emergency boarding and accessibility
After a breakage the building is open. Boarding up with sheet material, clearing broken glass and securing the premises until the glazier arrives are cost items that are not included in every policy. The same goes for the use of a cherry picker or scaffolding on tall facades. Check whether these additional costs are covered and up to what limit. On large frontages they mount up quickly.
Conversion work and vacancy change everything
During conversion work glass breaks more often, and then through the actions of third parties; most policies exclude breakage during construction, demolition or maintenance work from. Glass that breaks while the building stands empty is also often not covered, or covered only on a limited basis. You must report both situations under Article 7:928 DCC; you report a loss without unnecessary delay, as Article 7:941 DCC requires.
What does your premium depend on?
Type and thickness of the glazing. Single, insulating, laminated or fire-resisting glass differ considerably in repair cost per square metre.
Total glass area. The amount of glass in the building is the main basis of calculation for this cover.
Height and accessibility. Glass on upper floors or in a facade only reachable with a cherry picker costs more to repair.
Use of the premises. A shop frontage on a nightlife street carries a different breakage risk from the windows of a flat above.
Vacancy. Vacant buildings have a higher risk of vandalism and are accepted differently or on a limited basis.
Excess per event. A higher excess keeps small glass claims out of the policy and reduces the premium.
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.
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.
No. Moisture between the panes arises because the edge seal stops doing its job after years. That is wear of the unit and not breakage. Glass insurance pays only for actual breakage or cracking. Replacing failed insulating glazing is therefore maintenance and is for the owner's account.
Are mirrors and shower screens covered by glass insurance?
Usually not. The cover is limited to panes that serve to admit light and are fixed in the building. Mirrors, glass shower screens, table tops and internal glass doors fall outside it, as do plastic roof domes. If you want them included, they have to be described separately on the policy schedule.
What happens if the building stands empty?
Vacancy increases the risk of vandalism and broken windows. Insurers then often restrict cover, or let it lapse entirely after a certain period. So report vacancy before it starts. It is a circumstance that affects the assessment of the risk. We discuss in advance which insurer accepts vacancy and on what conditions.
Who pays for boarding up a window after a breakage?
That depends on the conditions. Emergency boarding, clearing broken glass and the use of a cherry picker or scaffolding are additional costs that are not included in every policy or that have a limit of their own. On large frontages that is a substantial amount. We check this item before you sign.
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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