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Personal insurance through Nationale-Nederlanden
A private package looks watertight as long as you look at the sections. The claims that lead to argument almost always fall in the space between two sections.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Particuliere verzekeringen via Nationale-Nederlanden.
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
Finass acts as an intermediary for the private range from Nationale-Nederlanden and compares it objectively with more than thirty other insurers. A home package bundles buildings, home contents, liability and often legal expenses under one policy number. Convenient for the overview, but each section has its own description of what is insured and where the boundary lies.
The liability section covers more than just your own mistake. As the owner of a home you are liable under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code for damage caused by a defective building, for example a roof tile that comes loose and falls on a parked car. As the keeper of a pet you are liable under Article 6:179 of the Dutch Civil Code, even without doing anything wrong. These forms of strict liability do not require you to have acted carelessly, as the tort provision of Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Anyone building an extension, refurbishing or having a dormer window fitted runs up against the boundary of the home package. Buildings insurance relates to the existing building. The works in progress, the materials delivered and the damage the builder causes to your home or to the neighbours' house do not fall under it. For that there is the Construction all risks (CAR) insurance, which you can take out as the client or which the builder arranges for the project.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare construction all risks (CAR) insurance.
What to look out for
Four places where sections do or do not fit together.
Valuables above the sub-limit
Jewellery, watches, art, photographic and audio equipment and collections have, within the contents cover, their own maximum per category. Anything above that is not insured, even where the total contents sum is generous. Away from the home, moreover, there is often only cover against limited perils. A separate valuables policy works with a description and a valuation for each item.
Care, custody and control: borrowed, hired or in your keeping
If you damage an item belonging to someone else that you had in your keeping, that is excluded on the liability section. The care, custody and control exclusion affects the borrowed trailer, the hired ladder, your employer's laptop and the neighbours' keys. Some policies make a limited exception for staying as a guest or for items you have in your keeping temporarily; read that passage word for word.
Refurbishing changes the risk on every section
During a refurbishment the roof is open, materials lie in the garden and third parties walk across your land. Report the refurbishment to your insurer in advance: a void, a dismantled roof or the absence of locks and fittings can limit the cover for storm, water and burglary. If the home becomes temporarily unoccupied, there are normally separate conditions and a duty to report.
What is not included
Outside the cover are damage caused intentionally (Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code), damage caused by wear, deferred maintenance, vermin, mould or groundwater, and damage connected with a profession or business. If you work from home, your business equipment is not home contents and your professional liability is not personal liability. Earthquake and flooding from a primary flood defence are also excluded.
What does your premium depend on?
- Rebuild value of the home: the basis for the buildings cover
- Contents value: established with a value calculator or a valuation
- Postcode and construction type: burglary risk and construction count
- Type of cover chosen: extended or all-risks for each section
- Composition of the household: determines who falls under the family cover
- Excess: can be set for each section
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Extended | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| While vacuuming you knock a vase off the shelf and the pieces damage the parquet floor | No | Yes |
| Your washing machine overflows and the water goes through to the floor below | Yes | Yes |
| While hanging a lamp you drill into a water pipe in the wall | No | Yes |
| The freezer in the garage fails in a power cut and the contents spoil | Provided that | Yes |
| Your awning tears in a gust of wind while it was rolled out | No | No |
| The garden set and the barbecue disappear from your back garden | No | Provided that |
All-risks adds your own mishaps in and around the home to the named events, but lifts no exclusion at all.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Do I have to report a refurbishment to my home insurer?
Yes. A refurbishment changes the risk and many policies oblige you to report changes to the building. If you do not report it, the insurer can fall back on the changed circumstances when you claim. Discuss straight away who insures the works in progress: your buildings policy does not, and the builder does not always have project cover in place.
My builder damages the neighbours' house. Who is liable?
In principle the builder, who should have public and employers' liability insurance for it. As a private client you can also be held liable as the owner of the building under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code, for example where there is subsidence. So ask for the builder's policy schedule before work starts and record in writing who takes out the CAR insurance.
Are my belongings insured away from home as well?
To a limited extent. Contents away from the home are usually covered only against a short list of perils, and then often up to a lower amount. Theft from a car is normally excluded or strongly limited, even where there is damage from forced entry. For a laptop, camera or musical instrument you regularly take with you, valuables cover with worldwide effect is the better solution.
Is my child insured if it causes damage to someone else?
Children living with you fall under the family cover of the liability section. For children under fourteen, moreover, the parents are liable for the act. Students living away from home are often still co-insured as long as they are unmarried and in full-time education; check that passage before you assume it.