Buildings
- Fire, storm and water
- Burglary damage
- Outbuildings and swimming pool
Insuring a holiday home in Belgium
The Belgian fire policy for simple risks includes natural disaster cover by law, and that makes comparison with a Dutch policy harder than the premium suggests.
- several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
This page in another language: Nederlands · Deutsch
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 situation
- 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
For a second home in Belgium the choice is not about storm or burglary, but about which legal system will handle your claim. The Belgian fire insurance for simple risks is not a fire policy in the Dutch sense: flooding, earthquake, landslip, storm, hail and water damage form part of it by law. A Dutch buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) policy covers those elements too, but not on the basis of the same obligation and sometimes with different limits.
The second point is typically Belgian: the tenant's liability. Under Belgian law the tenant is presumed liable for fire damage to the property let, unless he shows that the fire arose without his fault. If you let out a property on the coast or in the Ardennes, whether you have stipulated a waiver of recourse determines who ultimately pays the bill.
We set your Belgian policy and a Dutch alternative side by side on the extent of cover, the right of recourse and the vacancy clause. See also the holiday home insurance in general and the position in Luxembourg, where the system looks similar on the surface but works out differently.
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Holiday home in Belgium: what is covered?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Home contents
Furniture and equipment you leave there permanently.
- Separate sum insured
- Theft while the property is unoccupied
- Lower sub-limit
Liability
Your liability for the building and towards tenants.
- A part of the facade coming loose
- Injury at the swimming pool
- Particularly relevant when letting
What is covered
| Situation | Covered |
|---|---|
| Fire or storm damage to the home | Yes |
| Water damage while the property is occupied | Yes |
| Water damage during a long period of vacancy | No |
| Damage caused by a tenant | Sometimes |
| Theft of your home contents while the property is let | Sometimes |
| Deferred maintenance and frost damage | 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?
- Zone on the flood map. The designation of the plot determines whether natural disaster cover is granted as a matter of course.
- Coast, Ardennes or inland. Storm exposure, salt air and sloping ground weigh differently from region to region.
- Apartment or detached property. With co-ownership you insure only your own part. With a detached property you insure the whole.
- Rebuild value based on Belgian building costs. The basis is the local rebuilding cost, not the purchase price or a Dutch yardstick.
- Holiday letting and how often you let. Changing occupants increase the risk of damage and theft and affect acceptance.
- Waiver of recourse against tenants. If you waive recourse, the insurer loses an opportunity to recover its outlay.
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.
Flood-prone areas and the Tariferingsbureau
Belgian insurers check the address against the flood maps. If the property lies in an area designated as a risk zone and was built there after that designation, the insurer may refuse flood cover. For existing buildings the Tariferingsbureau Natuurrampen (the Belgian natural disaster tariff board) acts as a fallback. Always ask which zone your plot falls into: that single fact determines acceptance, and it is precisely what people skip when buying.
Tenant's liability and waiver of recourse
If you let out the property, your relationship with the tenant differs from the Dutch position. Belgian tenancy law places the burden of proof for fire damage on the tenant. Your insurer can recover that loss from the tenant, unless the tenancy agreement and the policy include a waiver of recourse. For short-term holiday lets that is almost always desirable; arrange it in writing, not verbally through the letting agent.
What the policy in Belgium does not pay for
Three exclusions come back again and again in Belgian files. First, water damage during a long period of vacancy where the pipes have not been drained or the minimum temperature has not been maintained. Second, damage caused by deferred maintenance to the roof, gutters or pointing. Third, subsidence caused by your own excavation or building work. Intent and recklessness also fall outside cover, in a Dutch policy through Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Owner's liability on the coast and in the Ardennes
An apartment on the coast comes with a joint policy for the co-ownership. That covers the common parts, not your own fittings. For a detached property in the Ardennes the risk lies more in a falling branch, a slippery sloping drive or an unfenced swimming pool. Under Dutch law that falls under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code; check whether your personal liability cover extends to the foreign property.
Letting is commercial use
If you let through a platform, say so. Without notification, damage during the letting period falls outside the cover.
A Dutch policy or a local policy
For most destinations you can choose. A Dutch policy means Dutch conditions, Dutch law and claims handling in Dutch: worth a great deal in the event of a large claim in a country whose language you do not speak. A local policy sometimes fits regional natural hazards better.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is Belgian fire insurance broader than Dutch buildings insurance?
On one point it is: natural disasters such as flooding, earthquake and landslip form part of the fire policy for simple risks by law. A Dutch policy deals with this insurer by insurer and clause by clause. So compare on the extent of cover and on the vacancy and letting clauses, not on the name of the product or on the premium alone.
What happens if my tenant in Belgium causes a fire?
Under Belgian law the tenant is presumed liable for fire damage to the property let, unless he proves that the cause lay outside his fault. Your insurer pays out and can then recover from the tenant. If you want to prevent that, have a waiver of recourse included in both the tenancy agreement and the policy conditions.
Do I have to tell my insurer about holiday letting?
Yes. Letting is commercial use and changes both acceptance and premium. If you fail to mention it, you run into the duty of disclosure. In a Dutch policy that is Articles 7:928 and 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code, and the insurer may then reduce or refuse payment. Also report any change of letting platform or managing agent.
Which vacancy requirements apply in the winter?
The policy usually sets them out word for word: drain the water pipes or maintain a minimum temperature, arrange periodic checks by a named person, and leave the property locked and secured. If you do not meet these and a pipe freezes and bursts, the water damage is excluded. Record who carries out the checks and keep a simple log of them.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Holiday home insuranceThe main page
- Insuring a holiday home in LuxembourgSecond home, Luxembourg, vacancy and letting
- Insuring a holiday home in GermanySecond home, Germany, vacancy and letting
- Insuring a holiday home in the NetherlandsSecond home, the Netherlands, vacancy and letting
- Insuring a holiday home in AustriaSecond home, Austria, vacancy and letting
- Insuring a holiday home in PortugalSecond home, Portugal, vacancy and letting
- Insuring a holiday home in SpainSecond home, Spain, vacancy and letting
- Insuring a holiday home in ItalySecond home, Italy, vacancy and letting
- Insuring a holiday home in IrelandSecond home, Ireland, vacancy and letting
Ready to compare?
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.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
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 (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.