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
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
The legal owner of the building is the policyholder. They have the insurable interest, sign the application and are the person paid after a claim. Anyone who merely uses, rents or manages the property cannot insure the buildings for themselves.
There are fixed exceptions to this. With a divided building, the owners' association takes out the policy for all the flats together. With a ground lease or a right of superficies, the holder of that right signs. With co-ownership, all the owners should appear on the policy schedule. Your mortgage lender takes out nothing, but is noted as an interested party.
Whoever signs also bears the obligations: the duty of disclosure on the application (Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code) and the duty to report after a claim (Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code). Who ultimately pays the bill is another question. We deal with that at who pays for buildings insurance.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The basis
Rebuild value
What it costs to rebuild the premises.
Not the market value
Not the WOZ value (the Dutch property valuation)
Guarantee against underinsurance
Permanently fixed
What is included
Everything permanently attached to the building.
Building and installations
Outbuildings
Boundary fences
Optional
Extensions
What is excluded as standard.
Glass
Garden landscaping
Inherent defect and foundations
What is covered
Situation
Standard
With extension
Fire, smoke and lightning strike
Yes
Yes
Storm from force 7 upwards
Yes
Yes
Water damage from a burst pipe
Yes
Yes
Glass breakage
Sometimes
Yes
Groundwater coming through the floor
No
No
Wear and deferred maintenance
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The name on the policy follows ownership, not use
Buildings insurance pays for damage to the building to the person who suffers that financial loss: the owner. If the policy is in the name of an occupier, a family member living there or the company that rents the property from you, the insurable interest is missing and no payment follows under Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code. If you hold a property privately while your business uses it, put yourself on the policy schedule as policyholder and the business as a co-insured user.
Ground lease and right of superficies: your building, someone else's land
With a right of superficies or a ground lease you own the building while the land belongs to someone else. The duty to insure then usually lies with you as the holder of the right, but the deed takes precedence. It may state that the landowner insures, that you have an obligation to rebuild after a fire, or that the payment is settled when the right ends. Read the deed before you sign and report the ground lease situation on the application.
With a flat, the association signs, not you
For a divided building, the owners' association takes out building insurance for the whole complex. That duty follows from Article 5:112 of the Dutch Civil Code and the deed of division. You are a co-insured and not the policyholder, and therefore do not need buildings insurance of your own. What you had installed in your flat does not automatically fall under the association's policy. For that you insure owner's interest alongside the VvE building insurance.
Transfer, inheritance and divorce move the interest
Your insurable interest starts on transfer by the notary, not on signing the purchase contract; have the cover start on the transfer date. If an owner dies, the interest passes to the heirs jointly and the name on the policy should be amended. If one partner stays in the home after a divorce, change both the ownership and the policy. A wrong name leads to a dispute when you claim about who may report and who is paid.
What does your premium depend on?
The name on the policy and the number of owners. A policy in the name of several owners or of a legal entity is assessed differently from a private owner-occupier.
The form of use of the property. Owner-occupied, let, partly used for business or empty: the insurer sets different conditions for each situation.
Rebuild value. The basis of the sum insured and therefore the main factor in calculating the premium.
Construction type and roof covering. Masonry with a hard roof covering is assessed more favourably than timber, thatch or a composite construction.
Outbuildings and boundary features included. Garages, sheds, carports and walls belong to the buildings and count in the sum you declare.
Excess chosen. A higher excess lowers the premium. The choice lies with the policyholder who signs the policy.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your 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.
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.
Not in your own name. As long as your parents are the owners, they have the insurable interest and no payment is made to you under Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code. You may arrange the application and pay the premium, but the policy should be in their name. If ownership passes, report that transfer to the insurer straight away.
Why is my lender on the policy schedule?
The mortgage lender has a right of pledge over the payment and therefore has itself noted as an interested party. With major damage, the insurer can pay them or agree that the money is spent on repairs. It is not the policyholder: it is you, not the bank, who changes, extends or cancels the policy.
May a tenant take out the buildings insurance?
No. The tenant has no interest in the shell of the building and therefore cannot insure it. They do insure their contents and their tenant's interest: the features they installed themselves, such as a kitchen or a fixed floor. The owner keeps the buildings policy, as described on our page about buildings insurance for a rented home.
Does it matter for the cover who signs?
No, the exclusions apply to every policyholder. Outside the cover remain, among other things, groundwater entering through the floor or cellar wall, wear and poor maintenance, damage caused by an inherent defect and to foundations, landscaping and paving, and breakage of glass for as long as glass has not been declared separately. Who signs only determines who is paid.
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.
