Letting · unknown use ·. A row of units
Insuring a business lock-up through OOM Verzekeringen
A garage unit is structurally simple, but you rarely know what the tenant puts in it. That unknown use determines both acceptance and how a claim is settled.
- 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 zakelijke garagebox 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
We act as a broker for, among others, OOM Verzekeringen. That company comes into the picture for free-standing objects and for owners who do not live in the Netherlands, two situations in which an ordinary home policy does not work. Finass compares several insurers objectively; which company it becomes follows from what cover is needed and not from a preference. The general structure of the cover is set out on the page buildings insurance for a garage box.
What is distinctive about a business unit is that you do not use it yourself. You let it, or you own several as an investment. That shifts the risk to somebody else's behaviour in your property. Units are used for working on cars, for storing jerrycans and gas cylinders, for charging batteries, and sometimes for activities they are not intended for. If the insurer discovers after a fire that the unit was used for a cannabis farm or a workshop, discussion about the use declared almost always follows. Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to make a correct declaration, and Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code governs what happens if that declaration was wrong.
The second theme is liability. As the possessor of the structure you are liable under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code for damage caused by a defect, even without fault of your own: a falling up-and-over door, a collapsing roof, loose asbestos sheets. That claim is separate from your buildings policy and belongs on a liability insurance for property. If the unit is in a block with a deed of division, the association insures the building as a whole and you are left only with the owner's interest; see VvE buildings insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare buildings insurance (opstalverzekering).
What to look out for
Four points on which a garage unit policy works out differently from what owners expect.
The contents are never included
The buildings cover concerns the walls, roof, floor and the up-and-over door. Everything inside it belongs to the tenant or to you personally, and falls outside the policy. A car that burns out in the unit, tools that are stolen, stored trading stock: none of those losses is paid under the buildings policy. Record in the tenancy agreement that the tenant is responsible for their own belongings and that you are not liable for the contents.
Fire spreading within a row of units
Units usually stand in a block, with a thin dividing wall and sometimes a continuous loft or roof structure. One fire then means damage to five units belonging to five owners. If you own the whole block, you bear that loss as a whole. If the fire arose from a defect in your building, the neighbours and their insurers can seek recovery from you under Article 6:174 or 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Limited cover for unattended property
A unit that nobody visits goes months without supervision. Insurers therefore often restrict cover to fire, storm and explosion and exclude water damage, vandalism and sometimes burglary damage to the building. Damage caused by long-running leaks, frost in pipes that have not been drained and subsidence also remains outside cover. Check for each quote which perils are actually included rather than relying on the word 'extended'.
Letting belongs on the policy schedule
If you let the unit, that is business use. A policy issued for your own use does not cover it, even if the premium would have been the same. Also ask for a loss of rent section if you let several units: without that section the loss of rent after a fire is not made good. You can read more about the division between the parties under buildings insurance where the property is let.
What does your premium depend on?
- Number of units and the form of construction: a single unit or a continuous block
- Construction type and roof covering: brick with a hard roof covering counts differently from timber or corrugated sheeting
- Rebuild value: the basis for payment per unit
- Declared use: keeping a vehicle, storage or a workshop
- Location and surroundings: an enclosed courtyard with supervision or a remote strip of land
- Loss of rent included: whether or not there is cover for lost rental income
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Basic | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| A tenant works on his car and a fire starts in the unit | Yes | Yes |
| The up-and-over door blows out of its runners during a storm | Yes | Yes |
| A leak in the neighbouring unit floods your floor | No | Provided that |
| Graffiti is sprayed over the doors of your block of units | No | Provided that |
| The rental income stops while the unit is repaired after a fire | No | Provided that |
| After thirty years, concrete rot attacks the floor of the block | No | No |
What an insurer still pays for an object without daily supervision differs more from policy to policy than the premium suggests.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
My tenant works on cars in the unit. Is that a problem?
Yes. Working on cars means flammable liquids, welding, battery chargers and sometimes a diesel heater. That is a different risk from parking and must be reported. If it is not reported and a fire occurs, the insurer can limit or refuse payment. Set out in the tenancy agreement what use is permitted and check periodically that it is complied with.
Who insures the unit if it belongs to a VvE?
Where a building is divided into apartment rights, the owners' association insures the whole building, including the units. You then only insure what you installed yourself and your own liability. Ask the VvE for the policy schedule and check that the rebuild value is up to date, because an out-of-date valuation leads to underinsurance for all owners at once.
Is asbestos in the roof still insured?
The roof itself falls under the buildings cover, but the extra cost of controlled removal and the consequences of released fibres are excluded on virtually every policy. Clearance costs also have their own limited section. With older units with corrugated sheeting that is a real point; have it recorded in advance what the insurer does and does not include.
Do I have to report a claim straight away?
Yes. Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report the damage as soon as you are reasonably aware of it and to cooperate with the investigation. With a unit you rarely visit that is awkward: a leak can run for months before you see it. So agree with the tenant that they inform you immediately and record that obligation in the contract.
Read more
Within Opstalverzekering
- Opstalverzekeringthe main page
- Your own garage box: why buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) is needed
- Garagebox verzekeren heb je een opstalverzekering nodig
- Opstalverzekering voor je garagebox is het verplicht en wat dekt het
- Damage to your lock-up: what buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) does and does not cover
- Garage of garagebox verzekeren alles wat je moet weten over de opstalverzekering
- Opstalverzekering garagebox
Similar pages
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for a garage box
- Your own garage box: why buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) is needed
- Insuring a garage box
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for a garage box: is it compulsory and what does it cover?
- Damage to your lock-up: what buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) does and does not cover
- Insuring a garage or lock-up: what buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) does and does not do
- Insuring a garage or garage box
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