The whole building
- Foundations, roof, facades and load-bearing structure
- Stairwell, hall, lifts and storage units
- Pipework and communal installations
- Standard fittings at completion
Deed of division · rebuild value · owner's interest
The VvE's buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)
For a block of flats, the owners' association takes out one buildings insurance policy for the whole building. You insure your own contents and usually your own improvements. Below you can read where that line runs and where it goes wrong in practice.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: De opstalverzekering van de VvE.
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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 activities
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
A flat is legally an apartment right: you are a co-owner of the whole building and have the exclusive right to use your own home. That is why each owner does not insure their own part; instead the VvE takes out one buildings policy for the whole building. The premium runs through the service charge or the VvE budget. The division regulations, to which Article 5:112 of the Dutch Civil Code relates, usually set out that obligation.
The VvE policy covers the building: the structure, roof, facades, stairwell, lifts, pipework and communal areas, and usually also the standard kitchen, bathroom and fixed floors as installed at completion. What you have installed since then does not automatically fall under it: a more expensive kitchen, an extended bathroom or a costly floor is called owner's interest or owner's improvement, and you insure it separately, usually on your contents policy.
Your home contents never falls under the VvE policy; you insure that yourself. If water damage comes from the flat above, three policies quickly become involved: the VvE's buildings policy, your contents policy and the upstairs neighbour's liability insurance. See also buildings insurance and the apartment right.
Who insures which part
Three layers that fit together, with one line that is often missed.
Own improvements
What you installed yourself above the standard at completion.
- A more expensive kitchen or bathroom
- A glued floor or fixed parquet
- An air conditioner or sun blind you installed
- Often insurable on the contents policy
Home contents
Everything you take with you when you move never falls under the VvE policy.
- Furniture, clothing, equipment and bicycles
- Loose rugs and curtains
- Valuables often up to a maximum
- Its own sum insured and its own excess
What is covered
| Situation | VvE policy | Your own policy |
|---|---|---|
| A leak through the roof of the block | Yes | No |
| Damage to the communal hall | Yes | No |
| A luxury kitchen you installed yourself | Provided that | Yes |
| Furniture and appliances in your home | No | Yes |
| Damage from a neighbour's leaking washing machine | Provided that | Provided that |
| Subsidence, pile rot and deferred maintenance | 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 VvEs run into in practice
Four points that determine whether the block is really covered in a major claim.
Underinsurance is the biggest VvE risk
Many VvEs are still insured on a rebuild value set years ago. Building costs have risen considerably since then; if the sum insured stands still, the insurer pays proportionately less on a major claim and the association bears the difference. Have the value reassessed periodically, preferably with a valuation under Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code, which fixes the value for a set period.
Own improvements fall between two stools
The VvE policy insures the building as completed. If you have since installed a more expensive kitchen, a glued floor or a second bathroom, that is owner's interest. Insure it on your own contents policy, or have the VvE extend the cover. If nobody does, the difference only becomes apparent after a fire or a leak, and you pay it yourself.
A dormant VvE is not without obligations
Also a a dormant VvE that never meets exists legally and is required by the division regulations to insure the building. If there is no current policy, all owners are left empty-handed in a fire and the mortgage lender may object. Activate the association, appoint a board and take out one buildings policy for the whole block.
What the VvE policy also does not cover
A buildings policy covers neither wear and tear nor maintenance. Excluded are subsidence, foundation damage and pile rot, damage caused by deferred maintenance, construction and material faults, and damage caused by vermin, mould and slowly penetrating damp. Flooding caused by the failure of a primary flood defence also falls outside the cover, and intent or recklessness is excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. A healthy maintenance fund is therefore not a luxury.
What does your premium depend on?
- Rebuild value of the complex — the basis of calculation for the VvE
- Number of apartment rights — size and number of floors
- Year of construction and state of maintenance — the long-term maintenance plan counts
- Use of the rooms — residential only or business premises too
- Postcode area — burglary, storm and water risk
- Excess and extensions — glass, lifts, owner's interest
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
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
The questions we are asked most often about this.
As a flat owner, do I have to take out buildings insurance myself?
Usually not. The VvE insures the whole building with one buildings policy and settles the premium through the service charge. You insure your own contents and your own improvements. Do check that the VvE actually has a current policy and that the sum insured for the building is up to date.
Who pays for the damage to my kitchen after a leak?
That depends on what is there. The kitchen as installed at completion usually falls under the VvE policy. If you had a more expensive kitchen installed yourself, the excess value is owner's interest and falls under your own policy. If an upstairs neighbour caused the leak, their liability insurance also comes into play.
What is a dormant VvE?
An association that exists on paper but does not function: no board, no meetings, no reserve fund and often no insurance. The obligation to insure the building does remain. In a fire or storm, all owners are then uninsured. Activating the VvE and taking out a buildings policy is the first step.
What if the VvE's sum insured is too low?
Underinsurance then applies: the insurer pays in proportion to the sum insured against the actual rebuild value. In a major claim the difference is borne by the association and therefore by all owners. An up-to-date valuation prevents that and fixes the value for a set period.
Does a VvE need other insurance besides buildings cover?
Often yes. Usual are liability insurance for the association, for damage to third parties caused by the building or the communal areas, and directors' and officers' liability insurance for the board members. Depending on the block, glass cover, legal expenses insurance (rechtsbijstandverzekering) or cover for lifts may be added.
Read more
Similar pages
- Does everyone need buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)?
- A flat and buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering): what is it and what does it cover?
- VvE buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) through Avéro Achmea — compare & calculate your premium
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for an apartment
- Insuring a dormant VvE
- Insuring an owner's interest in a VvE
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) for a VvE
Is your VvE's sum insured still correct?
Request a quote without obligation; we check the rebuild value of the block and compare the conditions.
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.