Best Home Insurance in Europe 2026

1. Determine what you need to insure

If you are a renter, you need contents insurance to protect your belongings. Your landlord's building insurance covers the structure. If you are a homeowner, you need both building and contents insurance. If you own an apartment, the building (VvE) may have collective building insurance, in which case you only need contents insurance. Check with your VvE (Vereniging van Eigenaren) before buying building insurance separately.

2. Calculate the correct insured amount

For contents insurance, estimate the total replacement value of everything you own. Most people underestimate this. Walk through each room and add up the cost of replacing all items at current prices: furniture, electronics, clothing, kitchenware, books, decorations. A typical Dutch household has 50,000-100,000 EUR in contents value. Under-insuring means you may only receive a proportional payout (if you insure for 40,000 but own 80,000, you receive only 50% of any claim).

3. Compare policies and premiums

Use comparison platforms to compare multiple insurers. Key factors to compare: monthly premium, excess (eigen risico, typically 0-250 EUR per claim), coverage limits for specific items (electronics, jewelry, bicycles often have sub-limits), whether the policy covers replacement value or current value, and special conditions for high-value items.

4. Document your belongings

Before you need to make a claim, create an inventory of your valuable possessions. Take photos or videos of each room, keep receipts for expensive items, and store this documentation outside your home (cloud storage, email to yourself, or at a family member's house). This significantly speeds up the claims process and helps prove ownership and value.

5. Review annually

After major purchases (new laptop, furniture, bicycle) or life changes (moving in with a partner, having children), update your insured amount. Most Dutch insurers offer an annual index increase to account for inflation, but this may not cover significant new purchases. Also review your coverage annually when switching is possible, to ensure you still have the best available rate.