Holiday home and chalet
- Buildings and contents cover separately
- Construction type determines acceptance
- Timber and thatch increase the risk
- Name outbuildings and the terrace
Chalet · holiday home · letting and standing empty
The categories and types of holiday home insurance
A holiday home is seldom lived in permanently and is often let out. Which insurance you need depends on the type of construction and on the use.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: De categorieën en soorten recreatiewoningverzekeringen.
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In brief
Holiday homes are not a single clear-cut category. A brick holiday home on your own land, a timber chalet on a park and a static caravan with a fixed pitch are treated differently by insurers. What counts is the construction type, whether the property is permanently fixed to the ground, whether the land is held on ground lease or rented, and above all how the property is used.
That last point is where things usually go wrong. A holiday home that you also let to third partiesis in a different category for the insurer from one you use solely yourself. Letting that you do not declare engages the duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code. The insurer can then reduce or refuse the payout under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code, even for a claim that has nothing to do with the letting.
In addition, as the owner of the structure you are strictly liable under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code. If a guest is injured by a terrace that gives way or a piece of roof that comes loose, you are liable even though you are not at fault. Your personal liability insurance (AVP) usually does not cover that where the property is let. See also which types of property are insured separately.
The three categories at a glance
Which insurance you need follows from the construction and the use of the property.
Static caravan and mobile unit
Not permanently fixed, and therefore covered by separate static caravan insurance.
- Not an ordinary buildings policy
- Often market value or purchase price
- The pitch and park rules count
- Storm damage has its own conditions
Own use or letting
The form of letting determines which category the policy falls into.
- Own use only
- Letting through a park or platform
- Loss of rent as an extension
- Vacancy clause with a time limit
What is covered
| Situation | Own use only | Letting as well |
|---|---|---|
| Fire and storm damage to the holiday home | Yes | Yes |
| Break-in damage outside the season | Provided that | Provided that |
| Loss of rent after a covered claim | No | Provided that |
| Vandalism by tenants or their visitors | No | Provided that |
| Frost damage to pipes in the winter period | Provided that | Provided that |
| Wet rot, mould and deferred maintenance | No | No |
Which limits, periods and exclusions apply to you is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) that you receive before you take out cover.
Four points with a holiday home
Where the categories come unstuck in practice.
Permanent occupation changes the category
A holiday home is insured as a property in recreational use. If you live there permanently, or let someone else live there permanently, the policy no longer matches. The same applies to letting to migrant workers or to a tenant with a residential address. State the actual use; Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code requires it, and if you conceal it the insurer can rely on Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code. The local authority's zoning plan also plays a part here.
Standing empty outside the season limits the cover
Holiday homes stand empty for a large part of the year. Almost every policy therefore has an vacancy clause which, after a stated period, reduces the cover to fire, storm and lightning strike. Break-in, vandalism and water damage then fall outside it. Insurers also set winter requirements: heating at a minimum setting or draining the water pipes. If those are not met, frost damage to pipes is not covered.
Owner's interest and guest damage get mixed up
Where the property is let, the fitting-out of the house is your owner's interest: kitchen, sanitary ware, furniture and white goods. Guests bring in no contents of any significance, so the damage lands with you. Many policies, however, exclude damage caused by tenants , or cover it only as an additional module with an excess. Arrange a deposit and an inventory report, and ask in advance whether tenant vandalism can be insured.
What structurally falls outside every category
Whatever the construction, no policy covers damage caused by deferred maintenance, wood rot and wear, by vermin, mould and slowly penetrating damp, or by subsidence and groundwater. With timber chalets that is not a borderline case but the most common cause of loss. Damage caused deliberately or recklessly also remains excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. With this type of property, periodic maintenance forms part of the conditions of cover.
What does your premium depend on?
- Construction type and structure — brick, timber or movable
- Rebuild or replacement value — the basis of calculation
- Use — your own use or letting
- Degree of occupation — empty for the season or all year
- Location and park — supervision, water and storm risk
- Extensions chosen — loss of rent, glass, contents
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, risk and 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.
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Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
Can I add a static caravan to an ordinary buildings policy?
No. Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) is intended for structures permanently fixed to the ground. A static caravan or movable unit is insured through a separate static caravan policy, usually on the basis of market value or purchase price. The conditions differ, among other things for storm and for transport to another pitch. Ask in advance which basis of value is used for the payout.
Do I have to declare that I let my holiday home?
Yes, even if you only let it for a few weeks a year. For the insurer, letting is a change of risk: people who do not know the property are staying there and the use is more intensive. Some policies exclude short-term letting altogether, others accept it subject to additional conditions. Concealing it engages the duty of disclosure and can cost you the payout on any claim.
Are the contents of my holiday home included?
Not automatically. The contents of your main home are insured at the address where you live; belongings in a holiday home fall outside that, or are covered only up to a small amount. For the fitting-out of a holiday home you take out separate contents cover. Where the property is let, that fitting-out counts as the owner's interest and stricter requirements often apply to locks and supervision.
What if the local authority finds that someone is living there permanently?
Then the use differs from what is stated on the policy and from the zoning plan. The insurer can restrict the cover or terminate the policy, and rely on Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code when you claim. If you want the property to be lived in permanently or let on a long-term basis, declare that in advance so that the policy is matched to the actual use.
Am I liable for injury to my paying guests?
As the owner of the structure you are strictly liable under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code where the property does not meet the standards that may be expected of it. A terrace that gives way, a defective staircase or a roof panel that comes loose is enough. If you let the property, your personal liability insurance usually does not cover that and property owners' liability insurance is needed.
Read more
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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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This page was written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.