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'+(more?'With a leak, insurance almost never pays for the leak itself, but it does pay for what the escaping liquid has damaged. That distinction between cause and consequence governs the whole assessment.
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The starting point is the same for every leak: the defective part is not an insured loss, the consequential loss often is. A split coolant hose, a worn seal or a leaking pipe is a defect arising from wear and tear or age, and wear and tear is excluded on every general insurance policy. What the escaping liquid then damages can be covered, provided the event itself falls under the policy.
In a vehicle this arises with coolant, engine oil, fuel, AdBlue and with water coming in through a blocked sunroof drain or a detached door membrane. Own-damage cover pays for no inherent defect and no mechanical defect. If you drive on while the cooling system empties and the engine seizes as a result, that is regarded as the consequence of an operating error and not as a sudden external event. If oil leaks onto the carriageway and the road authority has the surface cleaned, that is a liability matter falling under the third-party liability section of the motor policy.
If the leak is in a home, the file lies with a different policy. The buildings insurance pays for the water damage to the building and usually also for the costs of tracing the leak: the breaking open and reinstatement needed to find the leak. The home contents insurance pays for damaged belongings. What you still have to do after discovering it is set out on the page what to do about a leak, and the cover question itself at is a leak in the home insured.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare car insurance.
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Four points that come up again and again with a leak claim.
A pipe that bursts is a sudden event. A connection that has been dripping for months is not. Almost every policy excludes damage caused by gradually acting influences: damp, penetrating water, rising groundwater and mould. The longer a leak goes unnoticed, the smaller the chance that the damage is still classed as sudden.
The plumber who replaces the pipe or the engineer who fits a new seal is not paid for. That is maintenance. What can be included are the costs of reaching the leak and reinstating the floor or wall afterwards. Check whether your conditions expressly mention those tracing costs and up to what limit.
Frost damage to pipes or to a cooling system is refused if you failed to take reasonable measures, such as draining or heating during a long vacancy. With a vehicle the same applies to an incorrect coolant mixture. Here the insurer tests this against your obligation to prevent and limit loss.
Outside the cover are wear and construction defects, a fall in value after a proper repair and consequential loss such as lost income or alternative accommodation beyond the agreed period. Damage caused deliberately is excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. Report the loss in good time: Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code links that obligation to the moment you discover the leak or could have discovered it.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
Which policy does the leak land on?
| Situation | Car policy | Buildings or contents policy |
|---|---|---|
| Coolant escapes through a split hose and the engine seizes | No | No |
| Rain comes in through a blocked sunroof drain and damages the upholstery | Provided that | No |
| Leaked engine oil that the road authority has cleaned from the road surface | Yes | No |
| A burst water pipe soaks the plasterwork of your living room | No | Yes |
| The breaking open and reinstatement needed to trace that leak in the wall | No | Provided that |
| Your laptop and books are ruined by that same water | No | Yes |
Which policy pays depends not on where the leak is, but on which property was damaged.
This is what people ask us most.
That is not an own-damage claim but liability: you are damaging or soiling someone else's property. The third-party liability section of your motor insurance handles that claim, even where it is only cleaning costs. Repairing the leaking engine or pipe remains at your own expense, because that is a defect in your own vehicle.
Only if a covered cause can be identified, such as a window broken by hail or damage after a flood named in the conditions. If the water comes in through a blocked sunroof drain or a perished seal, that is maintenance and therefore excluded, including the consequential damage to upholstery and electronics.
You first report the loss to your own contents or buildings insurer, who pays for it and recovers it where necessary. Whether the neighbour is liable depends on fault; where there is a defect in the building, Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code can apply to the owner of the building. If you live in a flat, also look at the owners' association's buildings policy.
Report as soon as reasonably possible. Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report in good time and to limit the loss; waiting can harm the insurer's interests and lead to a reduced payment. Take photographs before anything is stripped out or dried, and keep the part replaced or the affected materials.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
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