Movable or immovable · relocation · off-grid
Insuring a tiny house for business use through OOM Verzekeringen
Tiny houses used for business fall between two policies. The first question is not what needs to be insured, but whether the item is a building in law.
- 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 zakelijk 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 activities
- 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 range offered by OOM Verzekeringen and by more than thirty other companies. This provider is used for items that cannot be placed in the familiar boxes, and a tiny house is a textbook example. We choose the party on the basis of the form of the item and its use, not the other way round. If you live in the house yourself, a different route applies: see tiny house, private.
The distinguishing point is the legal status. If the house stands on a chassis with wheels, it is movable property and no buildings insurance fits it; cover then runs through a policy for the item with a list of perils resembling that of a chalet. If it stands on a masonry or bolted foundation and by its nature and fitting-out is intended to stay there, it is immovable and buildings insurance can be issued. If you choose the wrong form, the cover does not match the item and a claim is followed by argument about the insured interest.
Business use adds two things. You let the house to guests, or you place it as an office, consulting room or temporary accommodation. Letting gives rise to liability towards users: under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code you are liable as possessor for a defect in the structure, and under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code for insufficient care as operator. Those claims belong on a public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) for a leisure business, not on the policy for the item. For lost bookings you need business interruption insurance needed.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare buildings insurance (opstalverzekering).
What to look out for
Four points that are structurally different for a tiny house than for an ordinary building.
Relocation is a separate event
The charm of a tiny house is that it can travel. For insurance that is a problem: damage during transport, lifting, siting and travel on the road is excluded on virtually every buildings or item policy. If you move the house to another location, report it in advance, because the address appears on the policy schedule. The journey itself requires separate transit cover, taken out by you or by the haulier.
Wood burner, gas and self-build
Many tiny houses have a wood burner, a gas bottle and installations put in by the owner or the builder. Insurers set requirements: an approved flue, a flue swept periodically, an inspected gas installation. Where those are missing, fire damage is often not covered. Damage caused by an inherent defect or construction fault also falls outside the cover, and with self-build that is a real ground for refusal.
Off-grid installations and batteries
Solar panels on the roof, an inverter and a battery pack in the store make the house self-sufficient, but also more of a fire risk. Declare these installations separately and check whether they are included in the sum insured; how that works on an ordinary roof is set out at buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) with solar panels. Damage to the installation itself through a technical fault is usually excluded and belongs under guarantee or under electronics cover.
The pitch and the permit
Tiny houses often stand on a temporary pitch with a planning permission for a limited period. When it expires, the house has to go. Insurers ask about the permit status, because an item without a valid permit is difficult to rebuild after a total loss. Record what happens if the local authority wants the site back, and bear in mind that government measures and the non-renewal of a permit are not insured perils.
What does your premium depend on?
- Movable or immovable: determines which type of policy is possible at all
- Construction and materials used: timber frame construction weighs differently from a masonry core
- Rebuild or replacement value: the basis for the payout
- Type of use: letting to guests, office or temporary accommodation
- Heating and energy supply: wood burner, gas, batteries and solar panels
- Location of the pitch: standing alone in a field or on a managed site
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Basic | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| Fire from the adjoining warehouse reaches the house | Yes | Yes |
| A guest leaves the shower running and the timber floor warps | No | Provided that |
| The furnishings disappear after a guest passes on the access code | No | No |
| A storm lifts the house off its pads and shifts it half a metre | Provided that | Provided that |
| Hail smashes the solar panels on the roof | No | Provided that |
| The floor tilts because the ground beneath one corner has washed away | No | No |
The use matters more here than the item; have letting or office use put on the policy schedule in so many words.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Can I insure a tiny house on wheels as a building?
As a rule no. An item that can be moved and is not permanently attached to the land counts as movable property. That calls for a policy for the item whose perils resemble those of chalet insurance. If you apply for a buildings policy anyway, a claim produces argument about the insured interest. Have the status determined in advance, therefore, and recorded on the policy schedule.
I let the house through a booking platform. Does that change anything?
Yes. Letting for a fee is commercial use and changes the circle of people staying in the house. You must report that under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code. Concealing it can lead under Article 7:930 DCC to a reduced payout or none at all. You also need liability cover towards guests, because injury to a guest is not damage to the item.
Are the furnishings included?
Only where that has been arranged expressly. Fixed elements such as the kitchen, the bathroom and the stairs belong to the item; loose belongings, equipment and linen do not. For letting, that calls for a separate contents section. Theft of those is usually paid only where there are signs of forced entry, which is difficult if you have given guests the access code.
What happens in a storm or high water?
Storm damage is usually covered above a wind force threshold and subject to an excess. Damage from flooding out of a primary flood defence and from earthquake is excluded on virtually every policy. A light item on a low foundation is also prone to being lifted and shifted; insurers therefore set requirements on the anchoring and on acting upon warnings.
Read more
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