NH1816 · compared independently · advice from Finass
Home contents insurance through NH1816
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.
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
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.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Basic cover
The basic cover insures the core of your home contents insurance. We show what NH1816 and other insurers offer within it.
Fire & lightning strike
Storm
Possessions away from home
Water damage
Extended cover
As well as fire and storm, also water damage, belongings outside the home and, with comprehensive cover, your own accidents.
Burglary, theft & vandalism
Jewellery & valuables (limited)
Machinery & equipment
Comprehensive cover
The most complete cover. We compare NH1816's extended version with the market.
Garden & garden furniture
Jewellery & valuables (limited)
Glass breakage
Higher cover for valuables
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.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
From the pipes or from outside
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.
Storm has a lower limit
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.
Maintenance is a condition, not advice
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.
The shed, the garden and what stands outside
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.
Value & stock
Machinery & installations
What does your premium depend on?
Location and water management. Low-lying ground, the polder water level and how close open water is all determine the water risk of the location.
Type of roof covering. Thatch, flat bitumen and tiles react differently to storm and that feeds through into the assessment.
Age and state of repair. The year of construction and the last maintenance of the roof, gutters and window frames determine the chance of water getting in.
Presence of a cellar or basement. Contents below ground level suffer water damage sooner and often have their own restriction.
Sum insured for the contents. The basis remains the value of what is there, whichever peril occurs.
Excess for water and storm. For these two perils a different excess regularly applies from the rest of the policy.
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.
My cellar is flooded after heavy rain. Is that covered?
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.
Roof tiles blew off, but it was not officially a storm.
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.
Is damage from flooding included?
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.
Who pays for tracing the leak?
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.
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.
