What does contents insurance cover?
For damage to your belongings in your home due to a fire, you can use contents insurance, but the coverage is much broader than that. A fire hole in the laminate floor and theft from the shed are also covered.
Most people have contents insurance, but when damage occurs, they often forget to file a claim on the insurance. That's a shame. You always pay the premium neatly and if there is a claim, do declare the damage to the insurer. Even if it is only a small amount of damage. Damage does not mean you will pay more in premiums as is the case with car insurance.
What does the insurer actually reimburse?
Coverage against fire is the most important coverage, but, for example, the insurer also pays out for damage caused by storm, lightning and some water damage. In recent years, all-risk contents insurance has become popular. In this insurance, even damage caused by your own fault is paid out. For example, you are moving a cabinet and it falls forward and smashes through the glass table. Both the damage to the table and the cabinet and its contents will be paid for by the insurer. Of course, any deductible is settled first.
What does contents insurance pay out but you forget to claim?
According to the Association of Insurers, Dutch people pay an average of €10 per month for home contents insurance. Every year, 8% of the insured submit a claim on the contents insurance. Probably many more claims can be submitted, because insureds often only claim the extensive damages. After a kitchen fire you do file the claim, but what do you do with a burn hole in the new sofa? Even with this damage, you are entitled to recover damages. If the damage is not repairable, you may even be entitled to a new couch. Theft from the garden or a shed/garage is also co-insured under certain conditions.
Taking out household contents insurance? Calculate your premium!
Especially with all-risk contents insurance, coverage is broad
The policy terms of all-risk contents insurance state that all damage to your household contents is insured, unless literally excluded. For example, intentionally causing damage to your household contents is not insured. The same goes for damage caused by flooding and an earthquake.
What is insured is, for example, dropping the phone in the toilet, but here we must immediately make a comment. Damages to phones and tablets were often claimed on the all-risk contents insurance. Some insurers therefore decided to greatly increase the deductible. As a result, a cracked phone screen, for example, is insured, but an excess of, say, €150 means you have no use for this coverage in the contents insurance. Or smartphones are even completely excluded.
Just file all claims
In case of damage, it is best to just call the insurer and explain the situation. If it is not insured, you will hear about it. Often insurers will ask you to submit a (digital) claim report form. Based on this, insurers can better assess the damage.
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