What to look out for when buying home insurance

What property insurance policies are there?

Imagine you have water damage from a burst water pipe. Maybe your ceiling or your walls are damaged. Of course then there is only one thing you want and that is to restore everything to its former state as quickly as possible. This involves a lot of costs. If you are insured with buildings insurance, this insurance will compensate you for the damage to your home. Please note that building insurance does not compensate for damage due to poor maintenance. When you want to take out building insurance, you have the choice of two different coverages, namely: comprehensive coverage and All-risk.

The comprehensive coverage

Do you want to purchase basic home insurance? Then choose the comprehensive coverage. This insurance covers damage incurred by: fire, explosion, storm (from wind force 7), unforeseen water damage, burglary, vandalism, oil, collision, falling trees and damage caused by shards from windows or mirrors.

All-risk

All-risk insurance covers all damages to your building, except damages that are excluded in a number of situations. These may include earthquakes, floods, wars, etc. You also have the option to choose additional insurance, such as glass coverage.

Prevent underinsurance

If you insure with an amount lower than the reinstatement value, it means you are underinsured. This is because the amount for which you insure your house is also the maximum amount the insurer will pay out in case of damage. If the damage costs are higher than the reinstatement value, then the costs are for your own account. When taking out building insurance, it is therefore important that you insure yourself with the correct reinstatement value.

Homeowners insurance

Are you living in an apartment? Then it is not always necessary to take out building insurance. In most cases, the Owners' Association (VvE) takes out building insurance for the entire building, including the apartments. In the case of a building insurance, the insurer pays for the costs to the common parts of the building, such as the walls, floors and facades. If you have renovated your apartment, you may choose to insure it additionally. In fact, home improvements are often not assumed in the building insurance of the VvE. Are you moving into an apartment or do you live in an apartment? To be sure, check with your owner's association whether there is buildings insurance for the complex.

Cost of building insurance

We have already briefly discussed the amount to be insured. Did you know that you already have a home insurance policy for 6 euros per month? The insurance premium you pay periodically for your building insurance is calculated on such things as:

• Residence;
• The rebuilding value of the home;
• Prevention measures;
• The contents and finishes of the house;
• Damage history;
• The desired coverage.

Compare building insurance

In the most favorable situation, of course, you will have a building insurance policy with the best conditions at the lowest price. A discount on your building insurance contributes directly to this. Many home insurance companies will give a discount on your regular premium if your house is well secured and has a "Politiekeurmerk Veilig Wonen" or "Borg" certificate. Insurers estimate that the chance of damage is much smaller in that case.

Alpina is happy to help you in your search for the best home insurance by providing you with a complete and up-to-date range of home insurance policies from our affiliated insurers. Use our calculation module of and we will search for the building insurance that best suits your home. Besides saving a lot of time in manually comparing different insurance policies, you will often find the most advantageous home insurance policy at Alpina.