Collection at home · sculptures outdoors · building work
Art insurance through Hienfeld
A collection hangs, stands and sometimes was already there before the house was altered. With an art policy, where the works are matters more than the total value.
- Several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
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- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Kunstverzekering via Hienfeld.
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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- 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.
In brief
Finass Advies compares the offering of several insurers objectively. Hienfeld is one of the parties we work with and comes into the picture for collections that do not fit a standard application form. What you buy there is not wider cover, but a more precise description of where the works are and how they are fixed. The background to working through an authorised agent is set out on Hienfeld.
With a private collection the location of the risk is the pivot. The policy schedule names one address, but something hangs in the second home, something stands in a store after a purchase, and part is in the safe. Each of those places must have been declared. A work that hangs somewhere other than declared falls outside the description, even if the total sum insured is amply sufficient.
A second point is the garden. Sculptures and objects outdoors fall under a separate, lower sub-limit on many policies, or are only included if they are anchored. Bronze and copper works are also sought after for the material, not for the art. So ask expressly about the provision on objects in the open air and about the requirements for fixing. The general product line is set out under art insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare valuables insurance.
What to look out for
Four points that make the difference with a collection in and around the home.
Building work with the collection in the house
During building work, dust, vibration and contractors are the greatest threat. Many policies contain a building work clause that limits the cover as soon as there is prolonged work in the house, and virtually all policies exclude damage caused by work being carried out. Report the building work in advance and have works stored elsewhere temporarily. That storage location must then have been accepted.
Hanging and fixing
A work that falls off the wall because a hook has given way leads to the question whether the fixing was sound. Damage from unsound fitting or from an inherent defect in the hanging system is regularly refused. Have heavy works hung professionally and keep the invoice. In case of doubt that is your evidence.
Objects in the open air
Separate rules apply to garden sculptures: sometimes cover only for theft after forced entry or where anchoring can be shown, sometimes a lower maximum. Excluded in any event is the effect of the weather: patina, frost damage to stone, weathering and green film are not a sudden event but the consequence of standing outdoors.
What falls outside every variant
On a specialist policy too, inherent defect, gradual effects of damp and light, damage during restoration and vermin or woodworm remain excluded. The same applies to a fall in value through the market. Deliberately inflicted damage falls under the exclusion in Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
What does your premium depend on?
- Composition of the collection: paintings, works on paper, sculpture or mixed
- Number of risk locations: main home, second home and storage
- Objects outdoors: whether present and how they are anchored
- Security: alarm, monitoring connection and locks and fittings
- Climate in the home: humidity control and sunlight on the walls
- Basis of value: a valuation report or purchase documentation
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Home contents insurance (inboedelverzekering) | Fine art insurance |
|---|---|---|
| During a leak from the flat above, water runs down the frame of a canvas | Yes | Yes |
| Burglars take two paintings from the living room | Provided that | Yes |
| A guest spills red wine over a work on paper during a dinner | Provided that | Yes |
| A work you hung in your second home falls off the wall there | No | Provided that |
| A work on loan is damaged during transport to the museum | No | Provided that |
| A work turns out after examination to be a forgery and is worth almost nothing | No | No |
An art policy works per item and per place. The home contents policy works with one amount for everything in one home.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
What do I have to report if a work hangs elsewhere temporarily?
The address and the period. The policy names the location of the risk, and a work that regularly hangs elsewhere falls outside it. For short moves some policies have a temporary extension with a maximum duration and a lower amount. Ask which period applies, because after that the extension lapses without your being told.
Are sculptures in my garden insured against theft?
Only if the policy names objects in the open air and the requirements set have been met. An anchoring requirement and a separate maximum often apply. Weather and weathering are excluded in any event, because they go with the object standing outdoors. Record the siting and the anchoring with photographs at the moment the sculpture is installed.
Why does the insurer ask about my home and not only about the works?
Because most damage comes from the surroundings: a leak from above, a burglary through a back door, an indoor climate that is too dry because of underfloor heating. So the underwriter assesses the property, the security and the place where the works hang. That helps determine the premium and the clauses that go on the policy schedule.
What happens if I do not report a purchase?
New acquisitions usually fall under automatic cover of limited amount and duration. If you do not declare the work after that, it is uninsured. On the application the duty of disclosure in Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code also applies. An incorrect or incomplete picture of the collection can reduce the payment under Article 7:930 DCC.
Read more
Within Art on home contents or valuables insurance
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