House insurance

• Buildings which are empty/abandoned are not covered for fire and natural damage
• Rental insurance is only included when the landlord has informed the company and it is specified in the insurance certificate

The insurance is valid at the insured location that is agreed and specified in the insurance certificate.

Consequential damage is damage that occurs as a result of other damage – the “main” damage. It is not always easy to know the cause of damage. Therefore, in some cases, a claims adjuster is sent out to find out what the cause of the damage is. Whether you get the main damage, consequential damage, neither or both, is assessed in accordance with the terms and conditions.

The most common consequential damage occurs due to water leakage and builder error. Water leakage can often cause floors and walls to be ruined by water. And sometimes builders make errors that cause damage to other things than what is being worked on. This is consequential damage which you can apply to have covered by fully comprehensive insurance. It can therefore be worth going for our best cover, which gives you more peace of mind in relation to such consequential damage.

Damage to the actual boiler that is due to lightning strike, short circuit or electrical fault, or breakage, may be covered by the insurance, with an age deduction on the boiler.

Boiler leaks that cause consequential damage can also be covered by the house insurance.

An insurance-approved waterguard is well worth investing in. Uncontrolled water is a common cause of damage to properties.

With leak protection system, you reduce the risk of the water damage becoming more extensive than it needs to be.

In addition, you reduce your excess if the waterguard has prevented more substantial damage.

Are you planning to rent out your home or parts of it? If so, you need rental insurance as additional cover. This covers damage caused by the tenant, unpaid rent and costs of eviction up to amounts specified in the terms and conditions.

A tenancy agreement should be signed by the parties and the tenant should pay three months’ rent as a deposit.

The landlord and tenant must each have their own contents insurance to cover their own things.

Yes, both standard and fully comprehensive house insurance include liability insurance. This covers liability that you may incur as the owner of your property, including injuring other people or damaging things.

For example, as a homeowner you can be held liable for snow and ice that slides off your roof and injures others, or if tree felling in your garden causes damage to the neighbour’s car.

Full value insurance means that the building is insured to an amount that covers the costs of building a new equivalent, or substantially equivalent, house. Full value guarantee is the same as full value insurance.

With house insurance from DNB, your home is insured for its full value, ensuring that you will receive compensation to repair or rebuild your home if needed, giving you peace of mind.

If you do not wish to rebuild the house in the same location, you will be reimbursed for the market value minus the land value.

Some buildings cannot be full value insured. As a rule, this applies to

• buildings that are significantly run down due to age, use or lack of maintenance.
• buildings that are going to be demolished or have been sold for demolition

Both house insurance and contents insurance offer cover that can help you if you have pests in the house.

A simplified rule of thumb is that the house insurance can apply to damage to the actual building (woodwork, insulation etc.)

Long-tailed silverfish, bedbugs and cockroaches

Animals that do not cause damage to the building are not considered pests in the house insurance terms and conditions. Long-tailed silverfish, bedbugs and termites fall into this category. It’s nonetheless very difficult if these creatures invade your home. Fortunately, if you have top contents insurance you are covered for the costs of combating long-tailed silverfish, bed bugs and cockroaches, up to the amount specified in your terms and conditions.

Mice and rats

Mice and rats can gnaw through woodwork, wires, cables and even pipes. In addition, the smell of dead mice and rats can be unpleasant. It’s usually in winter, when it’s cold outside, that they find their way inside in search of food. Therefore, it’s worth taking extra care during this period. With fully comprehensive house insurance, you are covered for damage that mice and rats do to your home, as well as for combating the pests.

Ants

There are different types of ants. Some types, such as carpenter ants, can cause major damage to the building by gnawing holes and pathways through woodwork and insulation materials. Other types of ants are not necessarily considered pests, but are just inconvenient, such as black garden ants.

If you have house insurance with ancillary benefits for fungus, rot and insect damage, you are covered for damage and combating ants that cause damage to the building.

Yes, house insurance is the same as detached house insurance. You can therefore insure your detached home with house insurance.

Normally neither standard nor fully comprehensive house insurance covers repairs to leaky roofs, when the damage is caused by a lack of maintenance. However, fully comprehensive house insurance can cover consequential damage you may incur from water leakage from the roof.

Remember to check whether the roof might be covered by any guarantees you may have on the roof or the house.

There are also cases where roof damage that causes water damage is covered by the house insurance. For example, when a storm knocks off roof tiles or a tree falls onto the roof. You may then be covered for both repairs to the actual roof, and also consequential damage.

Damp and water in the basement can cause mould and rot. This poses a health risk to those who live in the house and can also produce major material damage. The problem should therefore be handled quickly with drying and ventilation, while also addressing the cause of the problem.

Often damp and water in the basement are related to inadequate or lack of drainage around the house, blocked drainage pipes or poor ventilation and air flow that products high humidity and condensation. The house insurance normally does not cover lack of maintenance.

If you have water damage or other consequential damage to the house due to extreme weather, flooding or burst pipes, you may be covered by your house insurance. In that case, your things will be covered by the contents insurance.

When you live in a housing cooperative or co-ownership arrangement, you must contact the board about using the house insurance for water damage. Part of your service charge goes towards paying house insurance. However, if your things have been damaged, it’s your contents insurance that applies. You pay for this yourself, outside of the housing cooperative, and can therefore also contact the insurance company yourself.

Nonetheless, with water damage, it is important to act quickly to avoid consequential damage in other apartments or residential units. For example, if the water damage is caused by a pipe breakage, the water supply must be turned off using the stopcock. A plumber should be contacted if you cannot stop the water yourself.

Natural damage is damage caused by nature. With house insurance, you are insured against natural damage, for example caused by storms, flooding, landslides, storm surges and earthquakes. Damage that is caused by, for example, frost, drought, rain, snow, ice, animals, insects and fungus do not count as natural damage.

No, instead you can insure the garage through ancillary benefits in your house insurance. The same applies to a boat house, annex and several other additional buildings.

Many people choose to save electricity if they are going away or when electricity prices go up. That’s understandable, but it’s important to remember that some rooms should not be allowed to freeze. When it gets cold outside, the safest option is to keep the heating on just enough so the pipes in the house don’t freeze. If you do not keep the bathroom, kitchen or other areas with pipes warm enough, you risk having to foot some of the bill yourself if you get frost or water damage.

Has the damage already occurred? You can try warming the pipes by turning up the heating in the room or using a hairdryer or other gentle heat to thaw the pipes. Remember to check for water leaks when the pipes thaw. If you’re not able to thaw the pipe afterwards, you need to report the damage to us and get help from a plumber.

Settling damage often occurs when the ground the house is standing moves and changes. Then insufficient or inadequate foundation, errors in assembly or materials, or weak construction can lead to settling damage.

Fully comprehensive house insurance covers builder error up to 10 years after the work has been completed, but damage that occurs over time or is not maintained will generally not be covered.

Should the damage occur suddenly, for example in the event of natural damage or as a result of development in the area involving blasting and digging, the insurance can cover this under the terms and conditions.

Remember that new buildings often have guarantees that cover settling damage to pipes and foundation walls.

Yes, you can get a combination discount on house insurance and an extra discount if you join the DNB customer programme. Check out discounts on insurance.