The landlord insures · tenant's interest · contents
Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for a rented home
If you rent a home, the owner insures the structure and you are left with two other risks: your tenant's interest and your liability for damage to the rented property.
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 your own premium with the calculator.
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
Buildings insurance goes with ownership of the building. Your landlord, whether a private individual or a housing association, takes it out and pays the premium; you normally never see that policy and cannot claim on it yourself. If a roof tile blows off or a pipe in the cavity cracks, you report it to the landlord and not to your own insurer.
What you have had fixed to the home yourself falls precisely outside it. A kitchen you bought, a glued floor, a plastered wall or an added conservatory is tenant's improvements: it is attached to the property, so it is not contents, and it does not belong to the landlord, so his buildings policy does not cover it. You insure it as a separate section on your home contents insurance.
The third element is liability. If you cause damage to the rented home, the landlord or their insurer can recover it from you. If you want to know how the division of roles looks from the letting side, read who pays for the buildings insurance.
What does buildings insurance cover in a rented home?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The basis
Rebuild value
What it costs to rebuild the premises.
Not the market value
Not the WOZ value (the Dutch property valuation)
Guarantee against underinsurance
Permanently fixed
What is included
Everything permanently attached to the building.
Building and installations
Outbuildings
Boundary fences
Optional
Extensions
What is excluded as standard.
Glass
Garden landscaping
Inherent defect and foundations
What is covered
Situation
Standard
With extension
Fire, smoke and lightning strike
Yes
Yes
Storm from force 7 upwards
Yes
Yes
Water damage from a burst pipe
Yes
Yes
Glass breakage
Sometimes
Yes
Groundwater coming through the floor
No
No
Wear and deferred maintenance
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Tenant's interest is your own item
Everything you fixed permanently in place yourself counts as tenant's interest: kitchen units, bathroom tiling, sun blinds, laminate, a dormer window installed with permission. The landlord insures the structure as it was let, so your investment falls outside it. Declare that value separately on your home contents insurance. If you do not, after a fire or a burst pipe you are left with a bare shell and a bill nobody pays.
You cannot ride along on the landlord's policy
The buildings insurer pays the owner. If you caused the damage, that insurer may recover the amount paid from you. Some tenancy agreements contain a waiver of recovery; many do not. So ask in advance what your contract says and keep it with your policies. Without that agreement, after a kitchen fire you are not the beneficiary of the buildings policy but the party sent the bill.
Your liability as a tenant
If damage arises to the rented property through your carelessness, you are liable under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. Personal liability insurance (AVP) has a tenant's liability section for that. Not covered: damage you caused intent , damage arising from your profession or business at home, and damage that arose gradually because you let a leak run for years. Report damage immediately; Article 7:941 DCC requires timely notification.
If you rent a flat, there is a VvE in between
With room letting or a flat, the owners' association insures the whole building on a collective policy; the owner-landlord contributes to it through the service charge. Your tenant's interest and contents remain your own responsibility even then. What the joint policy covers exactly is set out under insuring a flat with a VvE and in the VvE building insurance.
What does your premium depend on?
Value of your tenant's interest — The combined replacement value of the kitchen, floors, bathroom and other fixtures you paid for yourself.
Level of the contents sum insured — Tenant's interest runs on the contents policy, so the total sum insured counts.
Type of home and construction type — A ground-floor flat in an old building is assessed differently from a flat in a recent block.
Burglary protection — Certified locks and fittings and smoke alarms count, even where the landlord installed them.
Liability section chosen — Family cover with tenant's liability costs more than cover for a single person without that section.
Excess — A higher excess per event lowers the premium, but you then bear more yourself on small claims.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
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.
Do I have to take out buildings insurance as a tenant?
No. Buildings insurance goes with ownership of the building and that lies with your landlord. What you do arrange yourself is home contents insurance with the tenant's interest section for everything you had permanently installed, plus liability insurance for damage you cause to the rented property.
Who pays if a pipe bursts in the wall?
Repairing the pipe and the brickwork is at the landlord's expense; that is the structure. Your own belongings that got wet fall under your home contents insurance. The kitchen you installed yourself falls under tenant's interest. Three parties, three policies, so report the damage immediately to both the landlord and your own insurer.
I have caused a fire in my rented home. What now?
The landlord claims for the structure from his buildings insurer. That insurer may then recover the amount paid from you, unless a waiver of recovery has been agreed in the tenancy agreement. Your liability insurance with tenant's liability absorbs that. If there was intent, that cover lapses and the claim remains entirely with you.
My landlord asks me to show buildings insurance. Is that right?
That request is almost always badly worded. What landlords want to see is liability insurance and sometimes home contents insurance with tenant's interest. Buildings insurance in your name for a property that is not yours cannot be taken out; you have no insurable interest in the structure. Ask for the requirement to be clarified.
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.
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