Buildings cover with a letting clause
- Letting is stated on the policy schedule
- Extended, or limited to fire and storm
- Declare outbuildings and boundary structures
- The vacancy period is stated in the conditions
Second home · letting · loss of rent
The advantages of landlord insurance for your second home
As soon as you let your second home, the risk changes and so does the policy that goes with it. Landlord insurance matches that use and covers gaps that a personal policy leaves open.
- 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: De voordelen van een verhuurverzekering voor uw tweede huis.
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 your own premium with the calculator.
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
A second home you use only yourself is already a different risk from your main home: it stands empty more often and there is less supervision. If you let it as well, an occupant you do not see every day is added. A personal buildings insurance does not cover letting; that policy assumes occupation by the policyholder. Landlord insurance, in effect a buildings policy for let homes, is written for that use.
The first advantage is that the cover matches reality. If you fail to disclose the letting, you breach the duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code and the insurer can, under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code reduce proportionately or refuse altogether. You will not notice that difference with a dripping tap, but you will with a fire. The second advantage lies in the additions such a policy offers: loss of rent and cover for your owner's interest.
The third advantage is how it ties in with your liability. As owner you are the possessor of the structure and, under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code , liable for damage caused by a defect in the building, even where nothing can be held against you. Personal liability insurance generally excludes letting. Also read which insurance you need for a second home.
What landlord insurance adds
The policy consists of three parts, each closing a different gap that letting leaves open.
Owner's interest
The kitchen, bathroom fittings and soft furnishings you let with the property as furnished.
- Often considerable in a holiday home
- Separate from the tenant's contents
- Its own sum insured on the policy
- Record what is yours and what is not
Loss of rent
The rent lost while the home is uninhabitable after a covered loss.
- Only after a covered cause of loss
- Up to the period stated in the policy
- Not for non-payment or vacancy
- Important where a mortgage is running
What is covered
| Situation | Personal policy | Landlord insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Fire and storm damage to the home | Yes | Yes |
| Damage while the home is let | No | Yes |
| Loss of rent after a covered claim | No | Provided that |
| Furnished fit-out you let with the property | No | Provided that |
| Wilful damage or vandalism by tenants | No | No |
| Deferred maintenance and slowly penetrating damp | No | No |
What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) that you receive before you take out cover.
Four advantages, made concrete
What landlord insurance actually gives you compared with an ordinary buildings policy.
The cover matches the use
The biggest advantage is that no argument arises about the use of the property when you claim. A personal policy states that you live in the home yourself; if you let it, that is a fact the insurer would have wanted to know. Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to declare it and Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code governs the consequence if you fail to: a reduced payout or none at all. With a landlord policy the use is stated on the policy schedule and that argument is off the table.
Your rental income continues after a loss
If the kitchen burns out, the home may be uninhabitable for months while your mortgage payments continue. The loss of rent cover pays the rent you lose during that period, up to the period stated in the policy. Note the limit: loss of rent applies only after a covered cause of loss. If your tenant does not pay, leaves without notice or you cannot find a new tenant, that is a business risk and not an insured loss.
Vacancy is arranged rather than concealed
A second home stands empty between tenancies, and sometimes for a whole season. Vacancy is a a change in risk that you must report: the risk of squatting, vandalism, copper theft and frost damage increases. Insurers usually restrict cover during vacancy to fire, storm and explosion, increase the excess or impose requirements on supervision and draining the water system. If the vacancy lasts longer than the period stated in the policy, cover may lapse.
Where the landlord policy also stops
Landlord insurance is no guarantee of payment. Not covered are, among other things, damage the tenant causes themselves, including vandalism by occupants, deferred maintenance, wear and design faults, and damage caused by cannabis cultivation or other illegal use of the home. Vermin, mould and slowly penetrating damp also stay outside it, as do intent and recklessness under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. Short-term letting to changing guests must be declared separately.
What does your premium depend on?
- Rebuild value — the basis of calculation
- Type of letting — permanent, seasonal or holiday letting
- Location of the home — distance, supervision and surroundings
- Construction type and roof covering — brick, timber or thatch
- Periods of vacancy — how long unoccupied
- Extensions chosen — loss of rent, glass, owner's interest
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
I only let my second home for a few weeks a year. Do I have to disclose that?
Yes. Occasional letting is also a use that differs from what a personal policy states. Insurers also assess short-term letting to changing guests as a separate risk, because there is no supervision and keys pass from hand to hand. Disclose it in advance; afterwards, the booking records easily show that letting took place.
What is the difference between owner's interest and tenant's improvements?
Owner's improvements are what you as owner have installed and let with the property: the kitchen, bathroom fittings, floors, sunblinds and, in a holiday home, the furniture too. Tenant's improvements are what the tenant installs or changes; they insure that on their own contents policy. With furnished letting your owner's improvements soon add up, so include a separate sum insured for them.
Does my liability insurance cover the letting?
Usually not. Personal liability insurance is intended for you as a private individual and excludes liability connected with letting property. As possessor of the structure you are nonetheless liable under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code for damage caused by a defect in the building. Take out liability cover for property owners for that.
What happens with damage caused by the tenant?
Fire through carelessness is usually covered, because fire is a named cause. Wilful damage, vandalism and leaving the home in a filthy state fall outside the cover. You then have to rely on the tenant's liability insurance, the deposit or a legal claim. Record the condition of the home at handover with photographs and an inventory schedule.
Do I have to report a claim straight away?
Report a loss as soon as reasonably possible; Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires it. Do not wait until the tenant has left or until you are back on site yourself. Late notification can harm the insurer's interests, for example because the cause can no longer be established, and that can lead to a reduced payout or none at all.
Read more
Within Insuring a home that you let
- Insuring a home that you letthe main page
- De opstalverzekering voor verhuurde woningen alle mogelijkheden bij finass verzekert
- Een verzekering voor je tweede huis wat moet je weten
- Opstalverzekering voor verhuurde woningen alles wat je moet weten
- Verzekering verhuurder woning
- Waarom een opstalverzekering voor je verhuurde woning onmisbaar is
- Verzekeringen verhuurder
Similar pages
Do you let your second home?
Request a quote without obligation; we will check the use, the vacancy period and the conditions.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
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.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
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.