Second home · United Kingdom · vacancy and letting
Insuring a holiday home in the United Kingdom
For a British holiday home you almost always end up with a local policy under English or Scots law, and the national flood safety net that protects ordinary homes is precisely what does not apply to second homes.
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.
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
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
Since the United Kingdom left the EU, an insurer needs a British authorisation in order to cover a risk located there. When it comes to it your policy therefore moves to the British market: English-language conditions, English, Scots or Northern Irish law and a British disputes route. Access to Kifid is then closed, and the Dutch provisions on the duty of disclosure and notification of claims do not apply.
The UK does have a reinsurance arrangement that keeps flood cover affordable for ordinary homes, but it excludes second homes, let properties and new build after the cut-off date. Your holiday home is therefore assessed on the open market like any other, on the basis of the flood map for the address.
Two other British peculiarities determine acceptance: subsidence on the clay soils in the south and east, and the listed status that applies to many older properties. If your house is elsewhere, also look at Ireland and at the general holiday home insurance.
Holiday home in the United Kingdom: what is covered?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The building
Buildings
The home at rebuild value, based on local building costs.
Fire, storm and water
Burglary damage
Outbuildings and swimming pool
The fit-out
Home contents
Furniture and equipment you leave there permanently.
Separate sum insured
Theft while the property is unoccupied
Lower sub-limit
As the owner
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.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
British supervision determines where the policy comes from
A risk in the UK may only be covered by an insurer with British authorisation. So you usually take out cover locally, under English or Scots law. Expect that the terms cannot be translated one for one: buildings, contents and liability cover slightly different things from the Dutch opstal, inboedel and aansprakelijkheid. Have the conditions compared on substance and establish which disputes body has jurisdiction.
The flood safety net does not apply to your second home
The national reinsurance arrangement keeps flood cover within reach for ordinary homes, but second homes, properties you let and new build after the cut-off date fall outside it. Your holiday home is therefore assessed against the flood map for the address in the normal way. On a river plain or by an estuary that can be decisive; ask for an indicative acceptance before you buy and take it into account in the price.
Subsidence on clay soil has its own regime
In the south and east of England clay soil shrinks in dry weather, particularly where large trees stand close to the foundations. The result is cracking in walls and doors and windows that stick. This subsidencecover is normally in the policy, but with a clearly higher excess than the other perils. An earlier claim stays attached to the address and makes new insurance considerably harder.
Listed status and thatch change the rebuilding sum
If the property is listed or lies in a conservation area, repairs must be carried out with prescribed materials and techniques. A sum insured based on ordinary building costs then falls short. A thatched roof is assessed separately, with requirements for the chimney and the sweeping regime. Frost damage in an unheated house, damp penetrating weathered pointing and damage during unreported letting also remain outside cover.
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.
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.
Can my Dutch insurer still cover the British house?
Often not. Since the departure from the EU, British authorisation is required to insure risks located there, and by no means every Dutch provider has it. You then end up with a local policy with English-language conditions and English or Scots law. We find out which route is still open in your situation and what that means for the conditions.
Does the national flood scheme apply to my holiday home as well?
No. The reinsurance arrangement that keeps flood cover affordable for ordinary homes excludes second homes, let properties and new build after the cut-off date. Your house is therefore assessed against the flood map for the address in the normal way. Ask for an indicative acceptance before you buy, particularly on river plains and by estuaries.
What is subsidence and how is it covered?
Ground movement that causes cracks in walls and foundations, especially on clay soil in dry weather and where large trees stand close to the house. The cover is normally in the policy, but with a clearly higher excess than the other perils. If a claim has been made at this address before, new insurance becomes noticeably harder.
Where do I go if I have a dispute with the British insurer?
To the British disputes body named in the policy, not to Kifid. That means correspondence in English and its own time limits within which you must respond. So record the damage in writing from day one, keep photographs and reports, and have a local loss adjuster estimate the repairs before you have anything repaired.
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.
