What does buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) cover?
The cover depends not on the damage but on the cause. Fire, storm and a burst pipe appear in almost every policy. What is paid beyond that differs by form of cover.
- Several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
This page in another language: Nederlands
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.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
Every buildings policy starts with a list of covered perils: fire, explosion, lightning, storm, burglary and vandalism, impact, water from pipes and appliances, smoke and soot, and damage from falling trees or cranes. A claim is paid if the cause is on that list. With comprehensive cover it is the other way round: every sudden and unforeseen event is then covered, except what is expressly excluded. You notice that difference above all with your own accidents, such as drilling through a pipe.
Besides the damage itself, the policy usually pays a number of additional costs: clearing the debris, emergency provisions to prevent further damage, tracing and repairing a leak, landscaping after a fire or explosion, and sometimes staying elsewhere temporarily for as long as the home is uninhabitable. Each of these items has its own limit, usually expressed as a percentage of the sum insured.
Two elements often appear separately on the policy schedule. Glass is an additional section with many companies; how that fits with the contents is set out at glass on home contents insurance. And foundation damage falls under the cover only if the cause is a covered peril; settlement caused by the ground itself does not. The background to that is set out at foundations and buildings insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare buildings insurance (opstalverzekering).
Independent, personal, sorted quickly
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
Compare
Get coveredWhy arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
Where the cover starts and ends
Four perils where the policy conditions require more than just that there is damage.
Storm has a wind force threshold
Storm damage is covered from a wind speed stated in the policy conditions, usually force seven. If a roof tile blows off in weaker wind, the insurer will point to maintenance. Loose items in the garden, fencing, sun blinds and aerials are also often limited or excluded from the storm cover.
Water: the cause determines everything
Water coming from a pipe, central heating system or washing machine is covered. Water that comes in through the ground or the drains, or rain penetrating through an open window or a leaking roof, usually is not. Damp penetrating walls and slowly leaking pointing also fall outside the cover, because they are not a sudden event.
Burglary, vandalism and attempts at it
Damage from forced entry to doors, frames and locks belongs on the buildings policy, the stolen items themselves on the contents policy. Without traces of forced entry a claim is hard to establish. During a long vacancy or where a home is under construction, this cover is almost always limited to fire and storm.
What no version includes
A comprehensive policy does not pay either for damage caused by wear, poor maintenance, faults in construction or design, vermin, mould and rot. Flooding caused by the failure of a primary flood defence, earthquake, civil commotion and nuclear reactions are excluded as standard, and Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code excludes damage caused deliberately or recklessly by the insured.
What does your premium depend on?
- Type of cover chosen: fire and storm, extended or comprehensive
- Rebuild value: determines the basis of the premium calculation
- Glass cover included: a lot of facade glass or unusual glazing counts
- Construction type and roof: thatch and timber count more heavily than masonry with tiles
- Claims history at the address: previous water or burglary claims play a part
- Excess per event: sometimes higher for storm or water
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Extended | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| You let a ladder slip and pull the gutter off the facade | No | Yes |
| A car drives into the front garden wall and the front door | Yes | Yes |
| The boiler fails through an inherent defect in the heat exchanger | No | No |
| Digging for a new fence damages your gas connection | No | Yes |
| Vandals daub the facade with graffiti without breaking in | Provided that | Provided that |
| A tree blows over from the neighbours' garden and lands on your carport | Yes | Yes |
With extended cover the list of perils determines the outcome, with comprehensive cover the list of exclusions. That is why your own accidents appear only on the right.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is a leaking roof covered?
The consequential damage from rainwater coming in is sometimes covered, but repairing the roof itself almost never. A leaking roof points to maintenance, and maintenance is excluded. If the roof has been damaged by a covered peril such as a storm or a fallen tree, the position is different: the repair is then part of that claim.
Does the policy pay for a burst water pipe behind the wall?
Yes, water damage from a pipe is one of the standard covered perils. Most policies also pay for the breaking out and making good needed to trace the leak, often up to a limit stated in the conditions. Freezing is usually covered, provided you took reasonable measures: in an unheated or empty home, the insurer expects the system to have been drained.
What does the insurer pay towards additional costs?
Besides the repairs, this concerns clearance costs, emergency provisions, costs of limiting further damage and temporary accommodation if the home is uninhabitable. These items usually appear in the conditions as a percentage of the sum insured. Report them separately when you notify the claim, because they are not automatically included in the repairer's estimate.
Are solar panels on my roof covered?
Panels fixed to the roof are usually counted as part of the buildings and therefore share in the cover, provided you have reported them and the sum insured has been adjusted for them. Loss of yield, an inverter failing through an inherent defect and errors during installation are excluded. You can read more about that at solar panels and buildings insurance.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)The main page
- What does buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) cover and what does it not?Building, rebuild value, exclusions
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) through a.s.r.Rebuild value, underinsurance, gradual damage
- Comparing buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) by policy sectionBasis of valuation, storm, foundations
- What does buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) cover?Permanently attached, outbuildings, exclusions
- Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering): what is it and what does it cover?Rebuild value, building, exclusions
- What does buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) cover?Permanently attached, outbuildings, boundary fencing
- Water damage on buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)Consequential damage, cause, groundwater