Buildings
- Fire, storm and water
- Burglary damage
- Outbuildings and swimming pool
Insuring a holiday home in Luxembourg
Luxembourg has no statutory natural disaster scheme like its neighbours, so cover for flooding along the Moselle and the Sûre depends entirely on your own policy conditions.
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- We compare the offerings of several insurers
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In brief
People who buy a second home in Luxembourg often assume that insurance practice follows the Belgian model. On one point it does not. In Belgium natural disaster cover is tied to the fire policy by law, and in France there is a state scheme. In Luxembourg flood cover is a contractual choice made by the insurer. If it is not in your conditions, it does not exist.
That makes the location decisive. Properties on the Moselle, the Sûre and the Our are exposed to river flooding. In the narrow valleys of the Ardennes it is rainwater running off the slopes. So do not ask whether you have a good policy, but in what terms water from outside is described in it and what sub-limit applies to it.
A second peculiarity: many Luxembourg second homes are not let to holidaymakers but on long leases to cross-border workers and expats. That is a different product. In that case also look at buildings insurance for a rented-out home. The broad comparison is on our holiday home insurance.
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Holiday home in Luxembourg: 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?
- Distance to the Moselle, Sûre or Our. A location on a river plain drives both acceptance and the sub-limit for water.
- Sloping ground and run-off. In the valleys it is rainwater from the slope that shapes the loss, not the river.
- Basement or cellar below ground level. Storeys below ground level increase the loss from every form of water.
- Rebuild value based on Luxembourg building costs. Local building and labour costs form the basis, not the purchase price.
- Form of use: own use or long-term letting. Letting to a permanent tenant is a different product from a holiday home.
- Water defences in place. Thresholds, non-return valves and pumps are taken into account in the assessment.
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.
Water from outside is contractual, not statutory
Unlike in Belgium, in Luxembourg there is no statutory link between the fire policy and natural disasters. Flooding, run-off rainwater and landslip are elements of cover that you have to find expressly in the wording. Note the distinction between water breaking its banks and water entering through saturated ground or a flooded road: those two are often dealt with separately, and sometimes only one of them is covered.
Valley locations in the Ardennes and along the Moselle
The types of loss differ from region to region. On the Moselle it is rising river water in cellars and garages below ground level. In the Ardennes valleys it is water and mud coming down the slope in heavy rain and running into the lowest storey. Insurers impose requirements for this: thresholds, non-return valves and no valuable contents in the basement. If you do not meet them, cover is restricted.
Long-term letting changes the product
If you let to a cross-border worker or expat for a longer period, this is no longer a holiday home but a let property. That affects acceptance, the contents cover, which then largely falls away, and your liability as landlord. Under Dutch law, liability as possessor of the building rests on you under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code, even if the tenant lives there every day and neglects the maintenance.
What is not reimbursed
The following are generally outside the cover: groundwater rising through the cellar floor without there being a flood, frost damage to pipes in a property left unheated and undrained over the winter, and damage caused by deferred maintenance to the roof, gutters or drainage. If you conceal the actual use when you apply, that engages the duty of disclosure under Articles 7:928 and 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code.
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.
Does Luxembourg work in the same way as Belgium?
On the most important point it does not. In Belgium natural disaster cover is tied by law to the fire policy for simple risks. In Luxembourg it is a contractual choice made by the insurer. So you have to find the flood cover set out word for word in your conditions. If it is missing, water from outside is not covered, however complete the policy may otherwise look.
Is water coming down the slope the same as flooding?
Usually not. Policies distinguish water that breaks the banks of a watercourse from rainwater that runs off across the ground and enters the property. Those two are dealt with separately and sometimes only one is covered. Ask the insurer to confirm this distinction in writing if your property lies in an Ardennes valley.
I let long term to an expat; is that a holiday home policy?
No. With a permanent tenant the property is a let property. Contents cover then becomes largely superfluous, your liability as owner becomes more important and acceptance works differently. Report the form of use and have the policy amended; letting that has not been declared leads to argument about the duty of disclosure when you claim.
Can I insure the property from the Netherlands?
Often you can, and given the size of the Luxembourg market that is regularly the practical route. You get Dutch conditions, Dutch law and a Dutch-speaking claims handler. Do have it checked expressly how the Dutch policy deals with river water and with run-off rainwater. Those are precisely the two perils that make the difference here.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Holiday home insuranceThe main page
- Insuring a holiday home in GermanySecond home, Germany, vacancy and letting
- Insuring a holiday home in BelgiumSecond home, Belgium, vacancy and letting
- Insuring a holiday home in IrelandSecond home, Ireland, vacancy and letting
- Insuring a holiday home in AustriaSecond home, Austria, vacancy and letting
- Compare holiday home insuranceVacancy, letting, local rebuilding costs
- Insuring a holiday home in the NetherlandsSecond home, the Netherlands, vacancy and letting
- Insuring a holiday home in PortugalSecond home, Portugal, vacancy and letting
- Insuring a holiday home in FranceSecond home, France, vacancy and letting
Read more
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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.
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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.