Main residence · pitch · self-build
Insuring a tiny house for private use through OOM Verzekeringen
Anyone living in a tiny house does not have a home within the meaning of most policies. That works through into the buildings cover, the contents cover and even your liability cover.
- 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: Een tiny house particulier verzekeren via OOM Verzekeringen.
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 Advies compares several insurers objectively. OOM Verzekeringen comes into play for items that cannot be placed in a standard product, and a tiny house is a prime example. For a private individual it turns on one practical question that is often skipped: is this your main residence or a second home? Not only the cover for the item hangs on that, but also your contents and liability insurance, because those assume an address where you live. Business use follows a different route; see tiny house, business.
If you live there permanently, your registration, your postal address and your insurance declaration must all match. A home contents insurance insures the contents at the risk address. If your old house is still listed there, your belongings are effectively uninsured. Personal liability insurance (AVP) ties cover to your household and to the property you occupy. That too requires a correct declaration. If you use the house only at weekends or in summer, the conditions for recreational use apply, with an obligation to drain the water and restrictions during vacancy.
The second point is the basis of value. A tiny house is often built by the owner or by a small builder, with a great deal of labour and sometimes with second-hand materials. What it costs to have it built again has nothing to do with what you spent on it. Have it recorded whether settlement is at rebuild or at replacement value and whether the installations, the kitchen and the fitted units are included. For cover of solar panels the same logic applies as on an ordinary roof; see buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) with solar panels.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare holiday home and chalet insurance.
What to look out for
Four points that are structurally different for private use of a tiny house.
Self-build is a question of acceptance
If you built it yourself or had it built by an uncertified party, an insurer will want to know who installed the electrics, the gas and the water system and whether it has been inspected. Without an inspection report, acceptance is difficult. Damage caused by an inherent defect, a construction fault or badly executed work is excluded, and with self-build that is the first question asked after a fire.
Heating without a mains connection
A wood burner, a pellet stove or a gas bottle is a major risk in a small volume. Insurers set requirements on the flue, on the pass-through of a timber wall, on the clear space around the stove and on periodic sweeping of the flue. If those are not met, fire damage is not covered. Keep sweeping certificates and the installation statement with your policy documents.
The pitch is not yours
Many tiny houses stand on land rented from a local authority, a farmer or a housing association, with a temporary permit. The address on the policy schedule is decisive: if the house moves, that must be reported in advance. Damage during lifting, loading and driving is excluded and requires separate transit cover. Failure to renew a permit is also not an insured peril.
Water, frost and a small volume
A lightly insulated timber structure cools quickly and warms quickly. If you are away in winter, freezing pipes is a real scenario, with all the consequential damage that brings. In addition, flooding from a primary flood defence, earthquake and slow-acting damp and mould damage remain outside the cover on virtually every policy, whatever the form of construction.
What does your premium depend on?
- Legal status of the item: movable on a chassis or permanently attached to the land
- Type of use: main residence, second home or seasonal use only
- Construction and who built it: professional builder, kit or self-build
- Rebuild or replacement value: including fitted units, kitchen and installations
- Heating and energy supply: wood burner, gas bottle, batteries and solar panels
- Pitch: your own land, a rented plot or a managed site
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Basic | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| Fire spreads from the neighbours' shed | Yes | Yes |
| A storm tears the roof covering loose and rain reaches the insulation | Yes | Yes |
| A pipe freezes while you are away for weeks in winter | No | No |
| Someone forces the door and takes the battery pack from the plant room | No | Provided that |
| The fitted kitchen you built yourself is lost in the fire | Provided that | Provided that |
| The solar panel inverter fails with no identifiable cause | No | No |
Have it described on the policy schedule what belongs to the item, or that will only be worked out after a loss.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
My tiny house is my home address. Which policies do I need?
Three: cover for the item itself, contents cover at the correct risk address, and personal liability insurance covering your household at that address. The last two are forgotten most often, because when people move they arrange the property and leave the rest as it was. Notify the change in writing and check that the new address appears on every policy schedule.
Can I combine a mortgage or finance with this insurance?
That depends on the status of the item. A lender usually asks for buildings insurance with a right of pledge, and that is only possible for immovable property. If the house is movable, no buildings policy is possible and cover for the item as a chattel applies, which affects the form of finance. Have the status determined before you apply for finance.
Are the fittings included on the item policy?
Fixed elements such as the kitchen, the bathroom, the stairs and the fitted cupboards belong to the item; loose belongings, clothing, electronics and tools do not. In a tiny house that line is blurrier than elsewhere, because much of the furniture is built in. Have it described on the policy schedule what falls under the item, and include a contents sum matching what is actually there.
What if I do not use the house for a season?
Report it, because a long period of vacancy changes the cover. Many policies then limit cover to fire and storm and drop burglary and water damage. The obligation to drain the water also continues to apply: if a pipe freezes while the water has not been shut off, the claim is refused. Agree who will call by and record those checks, with photographs as well.
Read more
Within Why we work with different insurers
- Why we work with different insurersthe main page
- Oom verzekeringen tiny house verzekering zakelijk
- Oom verzekeringen strandhuisjes verzekering voor privegebruik
- Oom verzekeringen opslagplaats verzekering particulier
- Oom verzekeringen zakelijk strandhuisjes verzekering voor verhuur
- Oom verzekeringen oom verzekeringen
- Oom verzekeringen zakelijk strandpaviljoen seizoen verzekering
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