Antiques and interiors · repairability · clauses
Renaissance insurance through Hienfeld
Antiques, clocks, silver and furniture can be repaired, but rarely without a loss in value. With this kind of property the conversation is about the residual value after repair, not about replacement.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Renaissanceverzekering 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
A product name says nothing about the cover. The policy schedule and the clauses do. Finass Advies compares several insurers objectively and, on an application through Hienfeld, sets out what falls under the description: which objects, at which address and on what basis of value. With interior goods including antiques that matters more than with any standard policy, because the line between home contents and valuables runs fluidly here.
With an eighteenth-century cabinet, a longcase clock, silverware or a collection of books, replacement value is not a usable concept. What remains is repair, and after repair a loss in value remains. So look at three things in the conditions: are restoration costs paid, is the loss of value after repair paid, and who appoints the restorer. On an ordinary home contents insurance those provisions are usually missing and a sub-limit applies to antiques.
The second question is which causes count. Antiques rarely break because of a burglary; they break because of dry air, moving and use. Shrinkage cracks from underfloor heating, veneer coming loose, a cracked marble top after a move: those are the real causes of damage, and to a large extent they sit in the exclusions. See also insuring a collection.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare valuables insurance.
What to look out for
Four provisions that determine the dispute with antiques and interior goods more often than the sum insured does.
Repair comes before replacement
The insurer may opt for repair where that is possible. The question is then who appoints the restorer and whether the difference in value before and after repair is paid. If that loss in value provision is not there, you receive the restorer's invoice and bear the loss in value yourself.
Dry air, damp and underfloor heating
Shrinkage, cracks, warping and veneer lifting because of an indoor climate that is too dry or too damp fall under gradual pollution and are excluded. The same applies to woodworm and other vermin. A hygrometer and a humidifier are not a luxury here but the way to prevent damage that no policy pays for.
Moving items and house moves
A large part of all damage arises during a move. Many policies cover removal damage only if a recognised removal firm has been engaged, and always exclude damage from defective packaging. If you move items yourself, the cover is limited. Report a house move in advance, because the new address becomes the location of the risk.
Wear and tear, restoration and deferred maintenance
Excluded are wear and tear and damage from use, damage that arises during treatment or restoration, and damage resulting from deferred maintenance, such as a clock that seizes because the lubrication has dried out. Intent falls under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. Keep maintenance receipts; they rebut the charge afterwards.
What does your premium depend on?
- Insured value of the interior: antiques and ordinary contents assessed separately
- Basis of value: a valuation per item or a total amount
- Type of home: a listed building, older property or new build with underfloor heating
- Security: alarm, locks and fittings and supervision while you are away
- Vacancy and absence: being unoccupied for a long period affects the cover
- Excess: per event, sometimes different for breakage
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Home contents insurance (inboedelverzekering) | Renaissance insurance |
|---|---|---|
| A leaking radiator leaves a water stain on the veneer of your writing desk | Yes | Yes |
| A guest knocks over the display cabinet and the eighteenth-century tea service breaks | Provided that | Yes |
| Burglars take the silverware from the cabinet | Provided that | Yes |
| Your antique mirror breaks during transport to an exhibition | No | Provided that |
| The storage unit where your collection is kept during the sale of your house is broken into | No | Provided that |
| A restorer damages the gilding while renovating a frame | No | No |
With antiques the conversation is rarely about replacement and almost always about repair, and therefore about how much value is left after that repair.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Why is my home contents insurance not enough for antiques?
Because that policy works with replacement value and has a sub-limit for antiques and art. Antiques cannot be replaced and the category is quickly exhausted. More importantly: the home contents policy does not pay for loss in value after repair. With a repaired piece of furniture that is precisely the amount at issue.
Do I have to have everything valued?
Not necessarily everything, but the pieces that represent the most value. A valuation fixes the value bindingly within the limit of Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code, which provides that a payment may not leave you in a clearly better position. For the rest of the interior a total amount with photographs and proofs of purchase as support is often enough.
Am I insured if I am away from home for a long period?
That depends on the vacancy or absence clause. Many policies restrict the cover for theft and water damage as soon as a property is unoccupied for an unbroken period. If you go away for longer, report it and ask what measures are required, such as draining the water supply or supervision by a third party.
What should I do if there is damage?
Report it as soon as reasonably possible; Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires that and also requires you to mitigate the loss. Throw nothing away and have nothing repaired before the insurer or a loss adjuster has seen it. With antiques the condition before repair is the only evidence of the extent of the damage and of the loss in value.