What is included
- Walls, roof, floors and foundations
- Fitted kitchen, bathroom and installations
- Shed, garage and boundary fence
- Solar panels, provided they are declared and insured
Rebuild value · damage to the building · exclusions
What does buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) do?
Buildings insurance pays for damage to the building itself and to everything permanently attached to it. Below you can read what it does, what it does not do and where the line with home contents insurance lies.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Wat doet een opstalverzekering?.
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
Buildings insurance insures the building: walls, floors, roof, foundations, window frames, the fitted kitchen and bathroom, the central heating system, the electrical installation and usually the shed, garage, boundary fencing and paving at the same address. Anything you would take with you when moving is not included; that belongs to home contents insurance. Loose sun blinds, a free-standing garden house or an extension can be classified differently under each policy, so read that list through.
The insurance works not with the WOZ value and not with the sale price, but with the rebuild value: what it costs to build a similar property again on the same site, excluding the land. With an old, large or unusual property that value is often higher than the WOZ value. If you establish the rebuild value with the insurer's valuation tool or address scan and complete it properly, the policy usually gives guarantee against underinsurance: the insurer cannot then rely on the sum insured being too low.
What buildings insurance does not do is at least as important. It is not a maintenance contract and not a guarantee on the construction. Subsidence, foundation damage and pile rot are excluded, as is damage caused by deferred maintenance, wear and design faults. See also the situation with a flat, where the VvE insures the buildings.
What buildings insurance does exactly
The policy pays for repair or rebuilding after a covered event. The form of cover determines how wide that list is.
Rebuild value
The sum insured is the rebuild value, not the WOZ value (the Dutch property valuation) or the market price.
- The cost of rebuilding, excluding the land
- Established with a valuation tool or a survey
- Annual indexation keeps it up to date
- A correct declaration gives a guarantee against underinsurance
Extended or comprehensive
Extended cover applies to named events, comprehensive cover also to sudden accidents of your own.
- Extended: fire, storm, water, burglary
- Comprehensive: also a drill hole through a pipe
- Exclusions apply in both forms
- Glass sometimes as a separate section
What is covered
| Situation | Extended | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| Fire, lightning and explosion damage to the home | Yes | Yes |
| Storm damage to the roof and roof tiles | Yes | Yes |
| Water damage from a burst pipe | Yes | Yes |
| Damaging a pipe or tiled floor yourself while working on the house | No | Yes |
| Breakage of glass in windows and doors | Provided that | Provided that |
| Subsidence, pile rot and wood rot from 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.
Four points that determine what you really get out of it
The cover stands or falls with the sum insured, the form and compliance with your duties to report.
Rebuild value is something other than WOZ value
The WOZ value is a valuation of the market value including the land and serves a tax purpose. The rebuild value is a building calculation: materials, labour, demolition and clearance costs to put the same property up again to the requirements now in force. With a 1930s house, a listed building or a thatched roof, the rebuild value is often clearly above the WOZ value. If you insure on the WOZ value, you insure the wrong amount.
The guarantee against underinsurance is the heart of the policy
If the sum insured is too low, the insurer pays proportionately less than your loss: even on a small claim. With guarantee against underinsurance that does not arise, as long as you completed the valuation tool truthfully and report changes. With listed and unusual properties, a valuation under Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code the value for a fixed period; within that term any discussion about the value is ruled out.
What buildings insurance never does
Excluded are, among others subsidence, foundation damage and pile rot, damage caused by deferred maintenance, wear, design and material faults, and damage caused by vermin, woodworm, mould and slowly penetrating damp. Groundwater penetrating the floor or a wall and flooding caused by the failure of a primary flood defence also fall outside the ordinary cover. Damage caused deliberately or recklessly is excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Reporting keeps the cover in place
An extension, dormer window, solar panels, room letting, a business at home, building work or a long vacancy changes the risk and often the rebuild value as well. When you take out the policy, the duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code; a breach can reduce the payout or cause it to lapse (Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code). You report a claim as soon as reasonably possible, as set out in Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires, and you limit the damage where you can.
What does your premium depend on?
- Rebuild value: the basis of calculation for the policy
- Construction type and roof covering: brick, timber or thatch
- Year of construction and state of maintenance: older premises, higher risk
- Postcode area: burglary, storm and water risk
- Type of cover: extended or comprehensive
- Excess and extensions: glass, solar panels, outbuildings
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.
What comes under buildings and what under contents?
The rule of thumb: turn the house upside down, and everything that stays in place falls under the buildings and everything that falls out under the contents. Walls, roof, fitted kitchen, bathroom and boiler are buildings. Furniture, clothing, appliances and curtains are contents. Borderline cases such as a free-standing garden house, laminate or sun blinds are classified differently under each policy; check that in the conditions.
Is buildings insurance (opstalverzekering) compulsory?
Not by law, but almost every mortgage lender sets it as a condition and records that in the mortgage deed. Without financing it remains voluntary. With a flat, the VvE insures the whole building collectively. You then do not take out buildings insurance yourself, but you do check whether the VvE's sum insured and excesses are adequate.
Does buildings insurance cover damage from settlement?
No. Settlement of the foundations, pile rot and damage from a falling groundwater level are excluded by almost every insurer. It concerns a gradual process rather than a sudden event. Cracking resulting from it is also outside the cover. There are local and national schemes for repairing foundations. Those are separate from your insurance.
What is the difference between extended and comprehensive cover?
Extended cover applies to a list of named events: fire, storm, burglary, water, lightning and impact. Comprehensive cover adds sudden and unforeseen damage from outside, such as a drill hole through a water pipe or a ladder falling through the roof light. The exclusions remain the same under both forms; comprehensive is therefore wider, but not unlimited.
Is the sum insured adjusted automatically?
Usually yes. Insurers index the rebuild value each year on the basis of building cost figures, so the premium rises with it. That indexation only corrects for price rises, not for your building work. If you have added an extension, fitted a dormer window or turned the loft into living space, you have to report that separately; otherwise the sum insured no longer matches the property.
Read more
Within Opstalverzekering
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Want to know what your home needs?
Request a quote without obligation. We check the rebuild value and compare premiums and 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.