Second home
- Buildings cover at rebuild value, insured separately
- Contents on site insured separately
- Declare periods without supervision
- Prevent frost damage by draining the system
Second home · vacancy · letting
Insurance for your second home: what do you need to know?
A second home is not covered by your ordinary home policy. What you need depends on how you use the property: living in it yourself, leaving it empty or letting it.
- 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 verzekering voor uw tweede huis: wat moet u weten?.
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
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
With a second home the insurer looks mainly at one question: how is the property used? A home you visit regularly yourself is one thing, a home that stands empty all winter is another, and a home you let is different again. Each of those three situations has its own conditions. What is certain: your ordinary home insurance applies only to the address for which it was taken out, and a personal buildings policy does not cover letting.
What you declare on the application determines whether you are paid when you claim. Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to disclose, when taking out the policy, everything relevant to assessing the risk: the use, the extent of any vacancy, letting and unusual construction. If it turns out afterwards that the property was used differently, the insurer may reduce the payout proportionately or refuse it altogether under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code. That also applies where the change only arose after the policy was taken out and you did not report it.
Besides the buildings cover, the contents and your liability come into play. Your contents insurance at home usually does not cover the belongings in the second home, or only temporarily. And as owner you are possessor of the building: Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code makes you liable for damage caused by a defect in the building, even without fault. Also read which insurance you need for a second home.
Three situations, three sets of conditions
How you use your second home determines which policy goes with it and which restrictions apply.
Vacancy
The property stands empty for a longer period, for example between tenancies or during refurbishment.
- Disclose as a change in risk
- Cover often falls back to fire and storm
- Higher excess or supervision requirements
- The period is stated in the policy conditions
Landlord policy
The home is let to third parties on a permanent or holiday basis.
- Letting is stated on the policy schedule
- Declare owner's improvements separately
- Loss of rent as an addition
- Arrange liability for letting separately
What is covered
| Situation | Own use | Let |
|---|---|---|
| Fire, storm and water damage to the premises | Yes | Yes |
| Cover under a personal home policy | Provided that | No |
| Your own contents in the home | Provided that | No |
| Loss of rent after a covered claim | No | Provided that |
| Damage during a long period of vacancy | Provided that | Provided that |
| Vandalism by occupants or illegal use | No | No |
What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) that you receive before you take out cover.
What you have to arrange in advance
Four points that most often lead to a refused claim with a second home.
Declare the actual use
The application asks about occupancy, and that answer determines the conditions. Do you stay there yourself a few weekends a year, does the property also stand empty, or do you let it? All three call for a different policy. The duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code is not optional: when you claim, the insurer tests what it would have done with the correct information. If the answer was wrong, the payout may, under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code be reduced or refused.
Vacancy is a change in the risk
A second home stands empty for part of the year by definition. As long as you are there from time to time, that is usually not a problem. With a long period of vacancy it is different: the risk of squatting, vandalism, copper theft and frost damage increases. Insurers then usually restrict cover to fire, storm and explosion, increase the excess or require supervision and draining of the water system. Beyond the period stated in the policy, cover may lapse entirely.
Letting calls for a separate policy
If you let the property, a buildings insurance for homes that are let is needed. On it you can include two things that an ordinary policy lacks: your owner's interest, meaning the kitchen, bathroom fittings and furnishings you let with the property, and loss of rent, the rent lost while the home is uninhabitable after a covered loss. Loss of rent does not apply to non-payment or difficulty in letting. That remains your own risk.
What falls outside every cover
Whatever the use, a number of causes remain excluded: deferred maintenance, wear, design and material faults, subsidence and foundation damage, and damage caused by vermin, mould and slowly penetrating damp. Also cannabis cultivation or other illegal use and wilful damage by occupants are excluded, as are intent and recklessness under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. If your second home is abroad, local policy conditions and a local insurance requirement often apply as well.
What does your premium depend on?
- Rebuild value: the basis of calculation
- Use of the premises: own use, vacancy or letting
- Location and supervision: distance from your home address
- Construction type and roof covering: brick, timber or thatch
- Year of construction and state of maintenance: older premises, higher risk
- Type of cover and excess: limited or extended
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, risk and 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.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
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.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is my second home covered by my existing home insurance?
No. Buildings insurance applies to the address stated on the policy schedule. For a second home you take out separate buildings insurance, matched to the use. That also applies to a holiday home, a chalet or a flat you keep alongside your main home. With a flat the buildings cover may be arranged through the owners' association; check that before you insure twice.
Are my belongings in the second home insured?
Usually not under your contents insurance at home. That covers the contents at your home address and sometimes temporarily elsewhere, but not permanently at a second address. For belongings kept permanently in the second home, take out separate contents insurance. If you let it furnished, it is not contents but owner's improvements, which you declare on the landlord policy.
How long may my second home stand empty?
That is set out in the policy conditions and varies by insurer. Often a period applies beyond which cover automatically falls back to fire, storm and explosion, or lapses. So report vacancy in advance and agree what applies. Also take practical measures: drain the water system, have post removed and make sure someone checks the property periodically.
What if I let the house to holiday guests from time to time?
Short-term letting to changing guests is a separate risk for insurers and is not automatically covered. There is no supervision, keys pass from hand to hand and the property stands empty between bookings. Declare this form of letting expressly. If you do not, the duty of disclosure of Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code comes into play and you risk a reduced or refused payout when you claim.
Do I need separate liability insurance?
For your own use, your personal liability insurance often covers a second home as well, but check that in the conditions. As soon as you let it, that cover usually stops. As possessor of the structure you remain liable under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code for damage caused by a defect in the building. Arrange liability cover for property owners for that.
Read more
Within Insuring a home that you let
- Insuring a home that you letthe main page
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Similar pages
- The advantages of landlord insurance for your second home
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for let homes
- Why buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) is essential for your second home
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for let homes: all you need to know
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) when letting: what does the landlord arrange?
Is your second home properly insured?
Request a quote without obligation. We will check the use, the vacancy and the sum insured.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
About our service
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.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
This page was written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.