Insuring a building, site or object through OOM
A warehouse, a clubhouse, a piece of land or a free-standing object rarely fits a standard policy. The question is always the same: who is the owner, and what happens if it turns out to be defective.
- Several insurers compared objectively
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Work out for yourself what it would cost.
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- 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.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
Finass acts as an intermediary through OOM Verzekeringen, among others. We use that insurer for risks with a cross-border element: property or residence outside the Netherlands, or foreign interested parties with an object here. We are not tied to it. We compare several insurers objectively and the choice follows from what the object needs. For a club's premises we also look, for example, at clubhouse insurance, and for shared business space at insurance for a multi-tenant business building.
What sets a building, site or object apart is the liability of the owner. Under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code you are liable if a structure does not meet the standards it may be expected to meet and therefore creates a danger: a loose roof sheet, a subsided entrance step, a boundary fence blowing over. You need not have done anything wrong. For movable objects a comparable rule applies in Article 6:173 of the Dutch Civil Code. If the object stands unattended, the conversation shifts to supervision and security, because that is precisely where an insurer looks for the cause when there is a claim.
Material cover on such an object is almost always fire and storm cover, extended if you wish with burglary, water and glass. Wider perils are more limited than for a home. Whatever else you insure: damage from deferred maintenance, wear, construction faults and gradual influences falls outside the cover, and flooding from a primary flood defence and earthquake are excluded on almost every buildings policy. Compare the set-up with an ordinary buildings insurance to see what you do and do not get.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare personal liability insurance (AVP).
The same independent view, whatever insurer
We work with dozens of insurers and choose whichever fits your situation best — not whichever pays us the most. That means advice built around you, not around one brand.
Insurers
Independent
AdviceWhy arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
What to look out for
With free-standing objects, the risk of argument lies above all in what you said when applying.
Report the use and any void
A building that stands empty, has live-in guardians or is temporarily used for something else is a different risk from the building you declared. Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report everything relevant to the acceptance. If you conceal it, the insurer can rely on Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code and reduce or refuse the payment. Also read what goes wrong when use is not reported.
Maintenance is your own responsibility
What is insured is a sudden, unforeseen event. Rust, wood rot, subsidence, leaking joints and a roof at the end of its life are not. With a claim under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code, deferred maintenance works against you twice over: it supports the liability and it can cost you the cover.
A site without a building
A bare site, a car park or a landing stage has no fire risk to speak of, but it does have a liability risk: a loose paving slab, an open manhole cover, a tree falling over. For that you do not need buildings cover but liability cover, with the site expressly named as an insured location.
Sum insured and underinsurance
If the sum is too low, a loss is paid proportionately. Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code also provides that you may not be better off: an insurer pays no more than the loss actually suffered. Have the rebuild value established and update it after a refurbishment or an extension.
What does your premium depend on?
- Construction type and roof covering: brick and a hard roof are rated differently from timber or thatch
- Use of the machine: storage, letting, a club or a void
- Location: in the Netherlands or beyond, and how accessible it is
- Rebuild or replacement value: the basis for the sum insured
- Security and supervision: fencing, detection and how often it is checked
- Perils chosen: fire and storm only, or burglary, water and glass as well
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Item cover | Liability |
|---|---|---|
| A roof sheet blows off your warehouse and damages a passer-by's car | No | Yes |
| The same storm makes a hole in the roof of the warehouse itself | Yes | No |
| A walker falls through the rotten decking of your landing stage | No | Yes |
| A fire in the building that has stood without a user for six months | Provided that | No |
| The entrance step has subsided after years of drought and has to be replaced | No | No |
| Your car park floods when a dyke breaches | No | No |
With a bare site only the right-hand column remains, and that is precisely the column most often forgotten.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Am I liable if something falls off my building?
In principle yes. Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code places liability with the owner of a structure that does not meet the standards it may be expected to meet. Whether you knew of the defect makes no difference. It is therefore sensible to arrange liability cover for the object, alongside the material insurance that pays for damage to the building itself.
Can I insure an object abroad from here?
Sometimes. It depends on the country, the construction type and the use, and on whether there is a local obligation to insure. Some insurers accept foreign property held by Dutch policyholders, others do not. We establish that in advance, so that you do not end up with a policy that founders on the location when you claim.
What happens if the property stands empty for a long time?
The cover is then normally reduced to fire, storm and sometimes lightning; burglary, vandalism and water damage often fall away. Report the void as soon as it arises, even if the policy is already running. If you do not, you risk the insurer relying on the duty of disclosure in Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code when you claim.
Is glass included as standard?
No, glass breakage is almost always a separate section or a separate policy. With a clubhouse or a building with a large glass frontage that is a real cost, certainly with insulating glazing. Look at the glass insurance for that and consider whether to take it out per pane or per area.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Why we work with different insurersThe main page
- Insuring a business storage facility through OOM VerzekeringenThird parties' goods, fire load, declaring the use
- Insuring a multi-tenant business building through OOM VerzekeringenChanging tenants, heaviest use, loss of rent
- Insuring a clubhouse through OOM VerzekeringenVolunteers, canteen, hire to third parties
- Insuring a private storage facility through OOM VerzekeringenBelongings away from home, signs of forced entry, storage
- The combined policy from OOM VerzekeringenUnusual property, vacancy, one policy schedule
- Property management and insuranceLet property, Article 6:174 DCC, vacancy
- Insuring your property investmentRebuild value, use, liability
- Insuring grave monuments through OOMHeadstone and surround, cemetery regulations, subsidence