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
Unlike a home on foundations, with a houseboat everything hangs on the hull: the steel or concrete hull, the barge or vessel on which the superstructure stands. If that hull is weakened by corrosion or concrete rot, the result is not a leak but the risk that the whole thing sinks. Insurers therefore periodically require a hull inspection, and the report from that determines whether cover is possible and on what conditions.
The second point is the mooring. That is rarely your property: you rent water from a local authority or a harbour company and hold a mooring permit. Damage to the jetty, mooring posts, shore connections and utilities does not automatically fall under the boat policy, and liability for damage your boat causes to third parties runs through Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code and, where a building-like structure is involved, possibly through Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code.
We compare the houseboat product from Nationale-Nederlanden with the rest of the market, looking at the inspection requirements, the treatment of the superstructure and the contents, and the liability section for the mooring. For the belongings on board a separate solution is often needed alongside the hull cover.
Through Finass or direct with Nationale-Nederlanden?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Third-party liability insurance
Third-party liability insurance is required by law and covers damage you cause to others with your boat, not damage to your own boat.
Damage to other vehicles
Injury to third parties
Damage to buildings and objects
Damage caused by passengers
Third-party liability + fire and theft
Alongside third-party liability cover, protection against damage to your own car from external causes you cannot prevent.
Fire and storm damage
Theft and burglary
Windscreen breakage and glass damage
Collision with animals
Comprehensive insurance
The most complete cover, including for damage you cause yourself, theft and total loss. We compare Nationale-Nederlanden's comprehensive version with the market.
Hail damage
Damage through your own fault
Vandalism
Unknown party at fault
What is covered
What we do
At Finass
Direct with Ansvar
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Provided it is declared
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Provided it is declared
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether Ansvar is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
What we do
What we do
At Finass
Direct with Nationale
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Sometimes
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Sometimes
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether Nationale is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The hull is the whole risk
Steel hulls rust from the inside, concrete barges suffer concrete rot around the reinforcing steel. Both processes are slow and are therefore excluded as gradual action. What can be covered is the sudden consequential damage when water comes in. Have the hull measured periodically and keep the reports: without a recent measurement, the insurer will almost always ask after a sinking whether the defect was already known.
The superstructure, the contents and the vessel are three separate things
The hull cover relates to the hull and the superstructure. What is inside, from the kitchen to the bookcase, falls under a contents section with its own limit. Fixed alterations you have made yourself can fall between the two if they have not been reported. When taking out cover, list what is fixed and what is loose, and record it with photographs and invoices.
Mooring, jetty and utility connections
The jetty, the mooring posts and the connections for water, electricity and drainage are usually owned by the landlord or the local authority. If your boat damages them in high water or a storm, that is a liability matter. Check whether your policy has a liability section for the houseboat and whether the mooring tenancy agreement places liability on you for the parts you use yourself.
Where the cover stops
Almost always excluded are damage from rust, corrosion, concrete rot, woodworm and osmosis, damage from deferred maintenance of mooring equipment, and damage arising during work at a yard without that having been reported. Letting the houseboat to third parties and business use also fall outside the private cover. If you move the boat, report it in advance: transport over water is normally a risk to be insured separately.
Contents & equipment
Contents & equipment Insuring the contents and equipment as well.
Assistance on the water
What does your premium depend on?
Hull material and year of build. Steel, concrete or a renovated hull from an old vessel each show a different pattern of damage.
Outcome of the last inspection. Wall thickness measurement or concrete testing determines whether cover is possible and on what conditions.
Mooring and water management. A sheltered inland harbour differs from a mooring on open water with waves and commercial shipping.
Value of the hull and superstructure. The rebuild or replacement value forms the basis for the hull premium.
Contents covered as well. The limit chosen for the belongings on board forms a separate section alongside the hull cover.
Liability cover. Cover for damage to the jetty, neighbouring vessels and utilities is rated separately.
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.
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.
Almost always. Insurers periodically require a wall thickness measurement for a steel hull or testing for concrete rot in a barge. Without a recent report, hull cover is often unobtainable, or an exclusion applies for damage connected with the state of the hull. Keep all the reports. When you claim they are your evidence that the defect was not already known.
Are the contents on board covered as well?
Not automatically. The hull cover relates to the hull and the superstructure. Your furniture, equipment and personal belongings fall under a separate contents section with its own limit. Fixed alterations you have made yourself may or may not belong to the superstructure, depending on the description. Report those alterations when taking out cover and record their value.
Who is liable if my boat damages the jetty?
In principle you as the owner, under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code and, with a building-like structure, possibly Article 6:174 DCC. The mooring tenancy agreement also often governs who maintains which part. Check whether your policy has a liability section covering damage to the jetty, mooring posts and neighbouring vessels.
What if I want to move the houseboat?
Transport over water is normally a separate risk that does not fall under the ordinary mooring cover. Report a move or a visit to a yard in advance, so that the insurer can determine whether temporary cover is needed. If your mooring changes permanently, that is information you have to report. The surroundings, after all, determine a large part of the risk.
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.
