Policy overview · duplicate cover · gaps in cover
How do you know which insurance you have?
There is no central register listing all your insurance. You reconstruct it yourself, and that usually produces two surprises: something running twice and something missing altogether.
- Several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Hoe weet u welke verzekeringen u heeft?.
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
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
Start with your bank statements for a full year. Premiums are debited monthly or annually and the description almost always contains the name of the insurer or the underwriting agent. That is also how you find policies you had forgotten existed. Then search your email for words such as policy schedule, renewal and insurance card; most insurers send an annual renewal notice with the policy number and the sum insured.
Part of your cover runs through other people. Your partner's liability insurance often covers the whole family, continuous travel insurance can be attached to a credit card, legal expenses cover can run through your trade union and accident cover through your employer. For a car, check through the registration database of the RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority) whether the vehicle is recorded as insured; that is at the same time the test of the obligation under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM). At insurers themselves, policy and claims data are recorded in the database of Stichting CIS, which you have a right to inspect.
Then set four things side by side for each policy: the type of cover, the sum insured, the excess and the clauses on the policy schedule. Only then do you see whether something runs twice. Two home contents policies at the same address lead to the loss being shared between the insurers and not to a double payment. You therefore pay twice the premium for one lot of cover. What a policy actually covers you can read in the policy conditions.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare personal liability insurance (AVP).
What to look out for when taking stock
Four places where such a review almost always turns something up.
Cover that runs through someone else
Children living at home normally fall under their parents' AVP, and students living away often do too, but not always and not without limit. Travel insurance attached to a credit card sometimes applies only if the trip was paid for with that card. Always check the condition under which that co-insurance applies. That is precisely the point at which such cover falls away.
Policies that no longer suit your situation
A sum insured set years ago is too low after a refurbishment or the purchase of valuables. Where there is underinsurance the insurer pays proportionately, even for a small claim. Conversely, you pay too much for own-damage cover on a car that is now worth little.
Gaps nobody notices until there is a claim
No legal expenses cover in a dispute with a builder, no business liability cover while a business is being run from home, or a home that during a long refurbishment no longer falls under the ordinary buildings policy. Report such changes actively; unreported changes in risk can, under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code lead to a reduced payout or to a refusal to pay.
What you will not find on any policy
Even a complete overview does not cover everything. Intent and recklessness (Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code), wear, deferred maintenance and design faults and war risks and nuclear reactions are excluded everywhere. The same applies to damage that already existed before the policy started. You cannot take out cover for a problem that is already running.
What does your premium depend on?
- Number and type of policies: more cover with one insurer can give a discount
- Sum insured: the maximum payout per event or per year
- Excess: a higher excess lowers the premium
- Risk address and household composition: postcode, type of home and the number of people co-insured
- Claims history: earlier claims count towards acceptance and premium
- Payment term: paying annually is usually cheaper than paying monthly
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
Which policy covers what
| Situation | AVP | Home contents insurance (inboedelverzekering) |
|---|---|---|
| Your child kicks a ball through the neighbours' window | Yes | No |
| A leaking washing machine soaks into your own laminate flooring | No | Yes |
| The same leak comes through into the ceiling of the neighbour below | Yes | No |
| Your bicycle is stolen at the station | No | Provided that |
| Your dog bites a passer-by in the calf | Yes | No |
| You drop the television at your holiday home while cleaning | Provided that | No |
If a situation falls under two policies at once, the insurers share the loss between them. You receive one payment.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is there a central register with all my insurance?
Not for consumers. Insurers record policy and claims data in the database of Stichting CIS, but that is a system for acceptance and fraud control, not an overview service. You do have a right to inspect the data recorded about you. For a workable overview, the combination of bank statements, email and policy schedules remains the quickest route.
How do I check whether my car is insured?
Through the RDW registration database you can use the registration number to check whether the vehicle is recorded as insured. That register is decisive for the obligation under Article 2 WAM. If no insurance is recorded while you are paying premium, get in touch straight away: an administrative error can lead to a fine and to suspension of cover.
Two policies cover the same thing. Will I be paid twice?
No. Non-life insurance pays the loss actually suffered and no more than that. If the same loss falls under two policies, the insurers share the burden between them under a contribution provision in the conditions. So you pay premium twice for one payment. Look specifically for such overlap in home contents, travel, legal expenses and liability.
I can no longer find my policy conditions. What now?
Ask the insurer or your adviser for the version belonging to your policy number. The policy schedule usually shows a code and a date identifying the version. After that, keep the policy schedule, the conditions and the insurance card together, digitally or on paper. When you claim, which version of the conditions applies is often the first thing to be established.