Basic cover
- Fire & lightning strike
- Storm
- Possessions away from home
- Water damage
With water damage it is not the amount of water that decides the matter but where it came from: water from a pipe is something quite different from water coming in from outside.
This page in another language: Nederlands
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
Home contents policy conditions divide water into categories. Water that escapes unforeseen from pipes, appliances or installations is covered. Rain that gets in through an open window, leaking roof covering or a blocked gutter usually is not, or only if a storm came first. Groundwater rising up through the floor and water backing up through the sewer after heavy rainfall have their own provisions again. One pool of water on the floor, three different outcomes.
In the policy conditions, storm is a defined term with a wind force as its lower limit. If the wind is stronger than that limit, storm damage to the contents is insured, including rain that comes in through a hole the storm itself made. If the wind is weaker and a roof tile blows off all the same, that is not storm damage. For the buildings there is also an independent exclusion for neglected maintenance of the roof, gutters and window frames.
Flooding through the failure or overtopping of primary flood defences falls outside almost every personal policy. A separate national scheme exists for that category. We go through each property to see which water risks actually apply and how they relate to the form of cover chosen.
We compare your contents insurance across dozens of insurers, explain where the real differences lie, and arrange the switch from start to finish — without you having to chase it yourself.
Contents insurance
Compare
Get coveredThe structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The basic cover insures the core of your home contents insurance. We show what NH1816 and other insurers offer within it.
As well as fire and storm, also water damage, belongings outside the home and, with comprehensive cover, your own accidents.
The most complete cover. We compare NH1816's extended version with the market.
What is covered
| Situation | Extended | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| Fire, smoke and water damage in the home | Yes | Yes |
| Theft after forced entry | Yes | Yes |
| Knocks and falls at home | No | Yes |
| Loss or theft away from home | Provided that | Provided that |
| Damage during transport, repair or exhibition | Provided that | Provided that |
| Wear, shrinkage, damp and insect damage | No | No |
A home contents policy has sub-limits: for jewellery, audiovisual equipment and collections a lower limit applies than for the rest of the contents. If your items exceed that, you insure them separately on a valuables policy, usually on the basis of a valuation (7:960 DCC). Underinsurance leads to a proportionately lower payout.
What we do
| What we do | At Finass | Direct with NH1816 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 NH1816 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.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
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.
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
A burst inlet hose, a leaking central heating system or a washing machine that overflows all produce covered water damage. Rain that runs in through a leaking roof or a blocked gutter is water from outside and falls under an exclusion that recurs in almost every policy. Sewage and groundwater rising up through drains or floors also generally stays outside the cover. So when you report a leak, always state exactly where the water came from.
The policy conditions tie storm damage to a minimum wind force, measured at the nearest station. Below that limit there is formally no storm, however convincing the damage looks. In case of doubt the measurements for that moment are obtained. If something blows off your roof during a storm and lands on your neighbour's car, that is not a contents claim but a liability question under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code on defective buildings.
Blocked gutters, rotten window frames, loose roof tiles and a roof that was due for replacement are the most frequently used grounds for rejecting a water or storm claim. The insurer does not have to show that you were negligent, only that the damage arose from the defect. So keep maintenance invoices and photographs of repairs carried out; with these two perils that is the only counterweight you have.
Garden furniture, planters and a trampoline blowing out of the garden rarely fall under the contents cover, because cover away from the home is limited and often applies only in a storm. If your trampoline blows a street away and damages a car there, that is liability and not a contents claim. A shed or store also only counts if it is described in the policy.
This is what people ask us most.
Usually not. Water backing up through the sewer or rising as groundwater through the floor and walls is water from outside and falls under a standard exclusion. If the water demonstrably came from a burst pipe or a broken connection in the cellar itself, it is covered. So the source determines the outcome. If in doubt have it established before you clear up.
Then formally there is no storm damage. The policy conditions tie storm to a minimum wind force and that is checked against measurements from the nearest weather station. If the wind stayed below it, the damage is assessed as a consequence of the state of the roof, and that is an exclusion rather than cover.
Flooding through the failure or overtopping of primary flood defences is excluded on personal home contents policies. There is a separate national compensation scheme for that. Water nuisance from extreme rainfall without a breach of a dyke is treated differently by different insurers and is sometimes included, so there the difference between policies really is worth comparing.
Tracing and repairing the defective section of pipe often falls under the buildings insurance, while the damage to your belongings belongs to the home contents insurance. Breaking through to reach the pipe and making good afterwards are separate items that not every policy includes. In a rented home, repairing the pipe is also the landlord's responsibility and not yours.
Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
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 compiled by Finass Verzekert (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.
Maandag- Vrijdag: 09:00- 17:00
We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience on our website.