Basic cover
- Fire & lightning strike
- Storm & precipitation
- Explosion & induction
- Smoke & soot damage
With Unigarant's buildings product everything turns on the risk description: how the home is used (permanently occupied, for recreation, let or temporarily empty) determines whether you have cover when you claim.
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A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
Every buildings policy contains a short sentence recording what kind of property it is and how it is used. That description of the risk is not an administrative formality: the insurer has based the premium and the underwriting on it. If the use changes — you start letting, the house stands empty for six months after you move, or you now only use it in season — that sentence has to be amended.
We regularly use this product for homes that are not occupied all year: a second home, a holiday home on a park, or a house on the market while you have already moved. It is precisely there that insurers set additional requirements. See also our pages on buildings insurance for an empty home and the a let home.
The basis for this is Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code: when taking out the policy you must state all the facts you understand to be relevant to the insurer. If it emerges afterwards that you did not pass something on, Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code gives the insurer the option of reducing or refusing the payout, depending on what it would have done had the information been correct.
We compare your buildings insurance across dozens of insurers, explain where the real differences lie, and arrange the switch from start to finish — without you having to chase it yourself.
Buildings insurance
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Get coveredThe structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The basic cover insures the essentials. We show what Unigarant and other insurers offer here.
As well as fire and storm, also burglary, theft and water damage to your home.
The most complete cover. We compare Unigarant's extended versions with the market.
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 | Provided it is declared | Yes |
| Groundwater coming through the floor | No | No |
| Wear and deferred maintenance | No | No |
What we do
| What we do | At Finass | Direct with Unigarant |
|---|---|---|
| Comparison across several insurers | Yes | No |
| Advice based on your own situation | Yes | Sometimes |
| One point of contact for claims | Yes | Sometimes |
| Cancellation with your current insurer arranged | Yes | No |
| We determine whether Unigarant is the best choice | Yes | No |
| Advice fees for you as a customer | No | No |
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
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.
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
A home that is permanently occupied is a different risk from a property that stands empty during the week. So report it if you start letting, if you leave while the house has not yet been sold, if building work is being carried out or if rooms are occupied by others. Do so in writing and keep the confirmation: when you claim, that is the only way to show that the insurer was aware.
If the house stands empty for a longer period, insurers often limit the cover to fire, storm and lightning, and cover for burglary, vandalism and water damage lapses. Practical conditions apply as well: draining the water pipes before winter, closing the stopcock, or keeping the heating at a minimum setting. These are warranty conditions. If they are ignored and frost damage results, there is no payment.
If you let the home, permanently or through a booking platform, the risk changes fundamentally: there are changing users, there is no supervision and damage is discovered later. Vandalism by a tenant is usually excluded, and so is theft without signs of forced entry to the property, because the tenant had a key. We then place you with a policy expressly intended for letting.
Not covered are: damage during a vacancy or squatting, damage arising during unreported building work, consequential damage from poor maintenance of the roof and gutters, and water coming in from the ground or the drains. Intent and recklessness are excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. With a holiday home, cover outside the season may also be restricted; check that expressly.
This is what people ask us most.
You can, but only if the recreational use is expressly stated in the risk description. A holiday home is assessed differently from a main residence: there is less supervision, and outside the season the cover may be restricted. If you also let the home to third parties, that has to be stated separately. Without that entry you risk a claim outside the season not being paid.
Report it as soon as you know. The insurer will usually then adjust the cover to a restricted form, generally fire, storm and lightning, and set conditions about checks and draining the pipes. If you do not report it, damage from burglary or water during that period can go unpaid. Cancelling the insurance is not a solution: the property is then insured against nothing at all.
Yes. During building work, windows and doors stand open, scaffolding is in place and naked flames are used. The property is also often unoccupied. Insurers usually accept that, but with additional arrangements about the duration and the security in place. Report the work in advance and ask for written confirmation setting out the period and the cover.
That depends on what the insurer would have done had the information been correct. If it would have accepted the home at a higher premium or with a clause, the payout is reduced proportionately. If it would have refused, the claim is lost entirely. That follows from Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code. If you are unsure whether something is relevant, pass it on. It cannot be put right afterwards.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
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 compiled by Finass Verzekert (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.
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