Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for schools
A school building combines two awkward extremes: hundreds of minors inside during the day, alongside long periods in which the building stands completely empty and unattended.
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
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
The first question with a school is not which cover you choose, but who owns the building. In primary and secondary education, legal ownership, the economic right to claim and management do not always lie with the same party. The local authority and the school board each have their role. Check the deed and the arrangements on school accommodation before you take out a policy, otherwise two parties insure the same thing or neither of them does.
The second theme is the empty period. Weekends, evenings and above all the summer holidays produce the most familiar claims: arson in a bin against the facade, broken windows, graffiti and burglary of the IT room. A detection system monitored by an alarm receiving centre is therefore often a clause rather than a choice for schools.
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.
Practical classrooms determine the fire risk
A primary school with only ordinary classrooms is a different risk from a school with technology rooms, a cookery room, a welding area or a chemistry laboratory. Naked flames, gas connections, extraction and the storage of chemicals call for separate declaration and for clauses on storage cabinets and ventilation. Also state whether courses or evening classes take place outside school hours; that extends the time installations are in use.
The summer holiday is effectively a vacancy
Six weeks without users means that a leak is only discovered at the start of the school year and that a fire can spread unhindered. Agree with your insurer how often the building is checked during that period, whether the water supply is turned off and whether detection remains monitored. Record these agreements. After a claim they determine whether the vacancy clause in your conditions applies.
Grounds, bins and liability
The playground, the bicycle shelter, the fences and the storage buildings belong to the buildings. Waste bins against the facade are the best known source of ignition; place them free-standing and locked. If a pupil is injured by defective climbing equipment or a ceiling panel coming loose, that is the owner's liability under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code. For mistakes by staff, Article 6:170 DCC applies. Those claims belong on a liability policy.
What is not covered
Outside the cover are: graffiti and vandalism where the agreed detection was not in operation, damage caused by poor maintenance of flat roofs and window frames, and groundwater rising through the floor of a semi-basement. Teaching materials, interactive whiteboards and laptops do not belong to the buildings either but to the business contents, and the cost of temporary classroom units is a separate arrangement.
What does your premium depend on?
Construction type and building system. Traditional construction, system build and temporary classroom units are each assessed differently for fire spread.
Practical classrooms present. Technology, cookery and chemistry bring naked flames, gas and chemicals into the building.
Monitored detection. Fire and intruder detection monitored by an alarm receiving centre shortens the time to intervention outside school hours.
Supervision during holidays. Agreed inspection rounds and utilities turned off determine whether a long vacancy is acceptable.
Location and exposure of the grounds. A freely accessible playground on the edge of an estate attracts more vandalism than an enclosed inner courtyard.
Solar panels and rooftop plant. Installations on the school roof change the rebuild sum and bring extra cabling and inverters with them.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
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.
Who takes out the buildings insurance for a school building?
That depends on the ownership situation and the accommodation arrangements. In school accommodation, the local authority and the school board each play a role and that division is recorded for each building. Check the deed and the arrangements before you sign. Without that check there is a risk that the building is insured twice or that nobody has covered the shell.
Is vandalism in the playground covered?
Vandalism to the building can fall under extended cover, but often only if the agreed security was in operation. Damage to loose items in the playground and to pupils' bicycles is not included. Set out which site features, fencing and storage buildings form part of the insured buildings, otherwise a dispute will arise about it after a claim.
Do we have to report the summer holiday as a vacancy?
The holiday itself is not a vacancy within the meaning of the conditions, but it is a period without users. Discuss in advance what measures you will take: inspection rounds, turning off the water, detection that remains monitored. Set those agreements down in writing with your insurer, so that no dispute arises about supervision and duty of care after a claim in August.
Are interactive whiteboards and computers covered by buildings insurance?
No. Buildings insurance covers the building and everything permanently attached to it, such as installations, fitted cupboards and the roof covering. Teaching materials, interactive whiteboards, laptops and furniture belong on a business contents insurance, possibly supplemented with electronics cover. Check that the sum insured for those keeps pace with the digitalisation of your classrooms.
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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