Home insurance in the Netherlands (2026 guide for expats)

Home insurance in the Netherlands, also called house insurance, comes in two parts: buildings insurance (opstalverzekering), which covers the structure of your house, and contents insurance (inboedelverzekering), which covers everything inside it. If you buy a house with a mortgage, building insurance is effectively required by your lender. In 2026 a combined buildings-and-contents policy typically costs around €10–€30 per month, depending on your home. Here is how to pick the right cover.

Types of home insurance

Buildings insurance (opstalverzekering)

Buildings insurance covers the physical structure of your home: walls, floors, roof and fixed installations such as the kitchen and central heating. It protects against damage from events like fire, storm and water. If you buy with a mortgage, your lender will almost always require it. As a rough 2026 guide, expect around €30–€40 per month for an average home, since the premium is based on the rebuild value (herbouwwaarde), not the market price.

Contents insurance (inboedelverzekering)

Contents insurance covers your movable belongings inside the home — furniture, clothes, electronics and jewellery — against theft, fire and other unexpected damage. It is useful whether you own or rent, because as a tenant the building itself is your landlord's responsibility but your possessions are not. In 2026 contents cover commonly runs €5–€15 per month, depending on the insured value of your belongings.

Combined home insurance (woon-/combinatieverzekering)

You can bundle buildings and contents into one combined policy (combinatieverzekering), which usually works out cheaper than two separate policies and is simpler to manage. A combined policy in 2026 typically costs around €10–€30 per month depending on your home type, postcode and the rebuild and contents values.

How much cover do you need? The rebuild value

This is the part that confuses almost everyone: buildings insurance is not based on what you paid for the house. It is based on the rebuild value (herbouwwaarde) — what it would cost to rebuild the same house on the same plot after a fire. That figure excludes the land, which is why it often sits well below the purchase price in cities and above it in some rural areas.

You do not have to estimate this yourself. Every Dutch insurer uses a rebuild value calculator (herbouwwaardemeter) that asks for the type of house, the floor area, the year of construction and the finish level. Fill it in honestly and you get a guarantee against underinsurance (garantie tegen onderverzekering): if the figure later turns out too low, the insurer still pays the full damage.

Contents insurance works the same way, with an inventory calculator (inboedelwaardemeter) based on household size, income and home type. As a rough guide, a couple in a three-room flat lands around €40,000–€60,000 of contents; a family house with a fitted kitchen and garden equipment passes €80,000 easily.

Renting or buying: what you actually need

If you rent and have improved the place yourself — a fitted kitchen, flooring, a bathroom upgrade — that is called huurdersbelang, and it belongs on your contents policy rather than your landlord's. Check that your insured amount includes it: it is regularly forgotten and easily runs into thousands of euros.

What is and is not covered

Dutch home policies are broadly similar in what they cover. The differences that decide a claim are usually in the exclusions.

Normally covered: fire and smoke, storm damage from around wind force 7 upwards, water from a burst pipe or a leaking washing machine, theft and burglary including the damage caused breaking in, glass breakage, and vandalism.

Normally not covered: gradual deterioration and poor maintenance, groundwater and flooding from major rivers or the sea, earthquake, damage you caused deliberately, and — this one catches people out — water that came in through a window or door you left open. Mould and rot from long-term damp counts as maintenance, not as damage.

Where to arrange home insurance

New to the Netherlands? Start with our overview of insurance in the Netherlands to see what is compulsory and what is not, or read on about health insurance, car insurance and legal insurance.