Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for a semi-detached house
A semi-detached house is literally what the name says: you share not only a wall but usually a roof structure, a gutter and a roof surface with exactly one other owner.
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A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
The name points to what matters in insurance terms. With this type of house the roof structure often runs unbroken across both houses, with a system of purlins, a continuous gutter and sometimes a shared chimney flue. In many older houses the vertical party wall ends at loft level rather than above the roof surface, which makes the loft in effect a single space.
On the other hand you have three elevations of your own and usually your own drive. The rebuild value is therefore clearly higher than for a terraced house, and there are more often outbuildings on the plot: an attached garage, a carport, a garden shed. These are only covered if they have been declared.
The third point is that you depend on one neighbour. If his half of the roof is not maintained, if his gutter stays blocked or if he carries out work on the shared structure, that affects your house directly. A liability question between two owners runs through Article 6:162 or 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code.
What does buildings insurance for a semi-detached house cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Most chosen
Extended cover
The named perils: fire, storm, water, burglary and collision.
Fire, smoke and lightning strike
Storm from force 7 upwards
Water damage and leakage
Burglary damage
Widest form of cover
Comprehensive
All sudden and unforeseen damage from outside, unless excluded.
Unnamed causes included
A small mishap while doing DIY
Less discussion when you claim
The essentials
Basis of value
Rebuild value with a guarantee against underinsurance, or a valuation.
Rebuild value calculator
Valuation under 7:960 DCC
Guarantee on your policy schedule
What is covered
Situation
Extended
Comprehensive
Fire, smoke and lightning damage
Yes
Yes
Storm damage from force 7 upwards
Yes
Yes
Water damage from a burst pipe
Yes
Yes
Burglary damage to doors and frames
Yes
Yes
Drilling through a pipe while doing DIY
No
Yes
Subsidence, pile rot 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.
Ask how far the fire-resistant separation continues
If the party wall stops at loft level, there is no barrier between the two houses under the tiles. A fire in one loft is then a fire in the other within minutes. For older houses insurers ask about this construction and can offer more favourable conditions if it is altered. If you are opening up the roof for insulation anyway, that is the moment to carry the separation up above the roof surface.
The shared gutter is a water file with two owners
A continuous gutter running across both houses overflows when it is blocked, regardless of which side the leaves are on. The resulting leak is often gradual and therefore excluded, even under comprehensive cover. Agree with your neighbours who cleans it and when, and record that. In the event of a sudden break or a gutter bracket coming loose after a storm, there may well be cover, provided maintenance was demonstrably in order.
Outbuildings on the plot are not included automatically
This type of house usually comes with an attached garage or store, sometimes a carport or a free-standing garden shed with electricity. Every outbuilding belongs separately in the declaration, together with its construction type: timber or corrugated sheeting is assessed differently from masonry with a hard roof covering. If they are missing from the sum insured, there is no cover for the outbuilding after a fire and you are underinsured on the whole as well.
What is not paid for on either half
Poor maintenance of the shared structure, so rot in a purlin, washed-out pointing in the party wall or a weathered gutter, falls outside the cover. The same applies to damp penetration and to settlement of the foundations under both halves; see foundation damage. If your neighbour carries out work on the shared wall and that causes damage, it is a liability matter under Article 6:162 DCC and not damage to your building.
Extension and dormer window
An extension or dormer window raises the rebuild value. Report it after the work, otherwise you will become underinsured without noticing.
A guarantee against underinsurance is not automatic
If you fill in the insurer's rebuild value calculator correctly, you will usually receive a guarantee against underinsurance: in the event of a claim the actual amount is paid, even if the sum insured turns out to be too low. Your policy schedule states whether you have that guarantee. Without it, the proportionality rule applies, and that also affects small claims.
Rebuild value with three elevations of your own. More facade area and roof surface than a terraced house, less than a detached property.
Outbuildings on the plot. An attached garage, carport, store or garden shed must be declared separately.
Roof structure and fire-resistant separation. A continuous roof without a separation up above the roof surface increases the risk of fire spreading to the house next door.
Year of construction and condition of the roof. A shared roof surface is assessed as a whole, even where only your half has been renewed.
Postcode area. The location partly determines the burglary risk. An exposed side elevation and drive play a part in that.
Type of cover and excess chosen. Extended or comprehensive cover, with a separate and higher excess for storm damage.
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.
Both owners, each for the half belonging to their house. In reality this only arises when there is damage: if the wall is damaged by an event at one of the two, the insurer of the affected house settles it and recovers where necessary. If the ownership boundary is unclear, check the deed of transfer and the land registry records.
My neighbours do not maintain their half of the roof; is that my problem?
For your own policy it is, as soon as damage results. A gradual leak caused by poor maintenance is excluded, even where it was the other party's maintenance that fell short. What remains is to hold your neighbour liable under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code as the owner of a defective structure. Set the situation down in writing and photograph the defects before damage occurs.
Is the attached garage automatically insured?
No. Outbuildings are only covered if they have been declared on the application, stating the construction type and floor area. That also applies to a carport, a garden shed with electricity and a canopy. If the garage is used for business or a classic car is kept there, report that separately; the use counts in the underwriting.
Why does the insurer ask about the loft separation?
Because with this type of house the roof often runs across both properties. If the party wall stops at loft level, fire can travel unhindered under the tiles to the other half and the scale of the damage doubles. A separation carried up above the roof surface limits that considerably, and with some insurers it can lead to more favourable conditions.
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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