What is covered by home contents insurance (inboedelverzekering)?

What is included

Furniture, appliances, clothing, crockery, books, tools. Including what is in the shed, garage or loft.

Often also garden furniture, although these carry their own conditions for damage outside the home.

Against what

Fire, smoke and lightning strike, water damage from a burst pipe, burglary and vandalism, storm.

With a comprehensive cover your own mishaps at home as well: dropping or knocking something over. Extended cover does not do that.

The sub-limits

For jewellery, watches, audiovisual equipment and collections a maximum applies per category — often a few thousand euros for everything together, not per item.

Anything above that amount you insure with a valuables insurance, which also covers items away from home.

On what value

On replacement value: what it costs to buy everything again, not what you paid for it at the time. For an average family that soon exceeds forty thousand euros.