Exclusive insurance for unusual possessions
With a villa, an art collection, jewellery or a classic car, a standard policy runs aground on two points: the sum insured and the way value is established after the event. Specialist cover deals with both in advance.
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Work out for yourself what it would cost.
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- 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
An ordinary contents policy works with an estimated sum insured and with sub-limits: a maximum per category, for example for jewellery, art, audiovisual equipment or possessions away from the home. If what you actually own exceeds that, the cover is not so much absent as capped, and that only becomes clear when you claim. Specialist cover replaces that model with an specified list or a demonstrably established total value, with the amount insured known for each item.
The second difference is agreed value valuation. When you claim, the indemnity principle of Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Codeapplies in principle: a payout must not put you in a clearly better position, and the insurer may therefore argue about the value. If the value has been assessed in advance by an expert under the arrangement referred to in that article, that value is in principle fixed and the discussion moves from the value to the loss itself. With art, antiques, jewellery and classic cars, that is the difference between a settlement taking weeks and one taking months.
In practice it involves a few recurring covers: a buildings insurance for a villa or country house where the rebuild value does not follow from a standard table, a valuables insurance for jewellery, watches and art, and a car collection or classic car policy where limited use and storage are the starting point. Finass Advies compares the offerings of several insurers objectively and includes the insurers that accept this kind of risk.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare personal liability insurance (AVP).
The same independent view, whatever insurer
We work with dozens of insurers and choose whichever fits your situation best — not whichever pays us the most. That means advice built around you, not around one brand.
Insurers
Independent
AdviceWhy 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.
What to look out for
Four provisions that count for more than the premium where unusual possessions are concerned.
Sub-limits are the quiet restriction
A standard policy almost always has a maximum per category, and in addition a lower maximum for possessions away from the home. A watch that disappears on holiday is therefore covered for a fraction of its value. Specified cover removes that cap, but only for the items actually declared.
Prevention clauses are not advice but a condition
With higher values, clauses appear on the policy schedule: a certified alarm with remote signalling, a safe of a particular grade, certified burglary protection, or a requirement about where a classic car is kept. If a warranty clause is not complied with, there is in principle no cover when you claim, even where the failure had little to do with the loss.
Declare what you actually own and do
Letting the house, prolonged vacancy, part of the collection on loan to a museum, or a classic car driven at events: each is a circumstance the insurer wants to know about. Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to answer fully when you apply; non-disclosure may, under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code, lead to the payout being reduced or refused.
What even a specialist policy does not cover
Outside the cover are wear, restoration damage and an inherent defect in the item, such as craquelure in a painting or woodworm in antique furniture. Also a fall in value through market movements, because insurance pays for damage and not for a fall in value, and intent and recklessness (Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code). Also disappearance without an identifiable event is generally excluded: mislaying something is not the same as theft.
What does your premium depend on?
- Agreed value: the established value per item or of the collection
- Nature of the possessions: jewellery, art, property or a classic car are weighted differently
- Security and storage: alarm grade, safe and where the possessions are kept
- Area of cover: at the risk address only, in Europe or worldwide
- Use and frequency: do you wear or drive it, or is it kept in permanent storage
- Excess: a higher excess lowers the premium
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is arranged
| Situation | Standard package | Exclusive package |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings and contents are valued before the policy is taken out instead of being calculated | No | Yes |
| When you claim you have one fixed contact instead of a changing service team | No | Yes |
| An injury claim after an accident on your land exceeds the usual sum insured | Provided that | Yes |
| Art, jewellery and a wine collection are included within the same package | No | Provided that |
| The classic car you drive a few times a year belongs on the same policy | No | Provided that |
| The thatched roof leaks through years of deferred maintenance | No | No |
A specialist package widens the limits and the service, but removes no exclusion whatsoever.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
When is a valuation needed?
As soon as the value of an item exceeds the sub-limit on your ordinary policy, or where the value does not appear from a purchase receipt, as with art, antiques and heirlooms. A valuation by an expert fixes the value in advance, so that no argument arises about it when you claim. Valuation reports have a limited period of validity; renew them in good time, otherwise you fall back on value being established after the event.
What happens if I do not comply with a prevention clause?
That depends on the wording. With a warranty clause, compliance is a condition of cover and the insurer may refuse when you claim, even without any connection between the failure and the loss. With an ordinary obligation, the question is whether the failure affected the loss. So read the clauses on your policy schedule and tell us if a measure is not practically feasible.
Are my possessions also insured when I take them with me?
Only if the geographical cover allows it. Valuables cover may apply worldwide, but often with conditions about how the item is carried and kept: not in checked baggage, not left unattended in a vehicle, in a hotel safe where one is available. If those are not met, the claim is refused, even under worldwide cover.
Will I receive the agreed value on a total loss?
With a valid expert valuation made in advance, that value is in principle binding on both parties, within the exception Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code provides for. Without a valuation, the value at the time of the loss applies and the insurer may have it established itself. For partial damage, in both cases the repair costs and any diminution in value are considered.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Why we work with different insurersThe main page
- Insurance through HienfeldUnderwriting authority, specialist risks, valuation
- AssicuroBroking, agreed value, unusual items
- Compare exclusive valuables insuranceValuation, safe clause, worldwide
- Insuring valuables: proof and security requirementsBurden of proof, safe clause, away from home
- Insuring exclusive valuablesValuation, worldwide, revaluation
- Insuring exclusive home contentsValuation, sub-limits, art