Is home insurance compulsory?
If you’re planning to buy or rent a property, it’s a good idea to take out home insurance to protect yourself against the financial risks associated with damage caused to your home, its contents or both by fire or other disasters. It’s important to be aware that home insurance is sometimes compulsory. When this is – or isn’t – the case is explained below.
Home insurance, property insurance or contents insurance?
First of all, it’s useful to know that home insurance is also referred to as ‘property insurance’ or ‘fire insurance’ in Belgium.
However, this type of insurance covers more than just damage caused by fire, it also covers damage to your home caused by storm, lightning, hail or other natural disasters. That’s why ‘property insurance’ is also a commonly used term.
When your contents are also covered under a home insurance policy, it is sometimes referred to as ‘contents insurance’.
When is home insurance compulsory?
Whether home insurance is compulsory or not varies by region and also depends on whether you rent or own your property.
Tenants
If you live and rent accommodation in Flanders, you have been legally obliged since 1 January 2019 to take out home insurance. This became compulsory in Wallonia on 1 September 2018, but is not yet a requirement in Brussels.
Although tenants in Brussels are not legally required to take out home insurance, you are still advised to have tenant’s liability and home contents insurance in order to avoid having to pay the cost of any damage yourself. Moreover, it is often stipulated in a lease that tenants have to take out home insurance.
To learn more, check out KBC Home Insurance for tenants.
Owners
As an owner, you’re not obliged to take out home insurance, but it’s advisable to insure your home and its contents against damage so that you’re protected from the associated financial risks. No less than 95% of owners in Belgium have taken out this type of cover, making it the most popular of all non-life insurance products.
To learn more, check out KBC Home Insurance for owners.
Useful information about KBC Home Insurance for tenants
You are covered for the risks listed in the general conditions. These include damage caused by fire, storm, water, collision, (attempted) theft in your home and of contents outside the home. Risks that are not covered include loss, deliberate damage and flooding. The full list of exclusions can be found in the general conditions.
KBC Home Insurance for tenants may include one or more of the following types of insurance cover: tenant’s insurance, home contents insurance, theft insurance for home contents, soil decontamination insurance (home insurance) and legal assistance insurance for tenants (legal assistance insurance). These forms of insurance cover are designed for tenants of private homes. No commercial activity or liberal profession is carried out in the insured home.
- This product is governed by the laws of Belgium.
- Insurance cover under this policy is valid for a term of one year and is tacitly renewed unless you cancel it no later than three months before the main renewal date.
For policies taken out or tacitly renewed on or after 1 October 2024, you have up to two months before the main renewal date to cancel them. As a consumer, you can cancel your insurance contract at any time starting from the second insurance year, with effect after two months have elapsed from the day after the registered letter was submitted for delivery, the writ was served or the date of the acknowledgement of receipt. - Your intermediary is the first point of contact for any complaints you may have. If no agreement can be reached, please contact KBC Complaints Management, Brusselsesteenweg 100, 3000 Leuven, complaints@kbc.be, tel. 016 43 25 94. If you cannot find a suitable solution, you can contact the Belgian insurance industry’s ombudsman service: Ombudsman van de Verzekeringen, de Meeûssquare 35, 1000 Brussels, info@ombudsman-insurance.be, www.ombudsman-insurance.be. This does not affect your legal rights.
Contact your insurance expert or visit our website to request a quotation for KBC Home Insurance for tenants.
KBC Home Insurance for tenants is a product provided by KBC Insurance NV, Professor Roger Van Overstraetenplein 2, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
VAT BE 0403.552.563, RLP Leuven, IBAN BE43 7300 0420 0601, BIC KREDBEBB.
Company licensed by the National Bank of Belgium, de Berlaimontlaan 14, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, for all classes of insurance under code 0014 (Royal Decree of 4 July 1979, Belgian Official Gazette of 14 July 1979).
Member of the KBC group
Read this information carefully before taking out this insurance
Useful information about KBC Home Insurance for owners
You are covered for the risks listed in the general conditions. These include damage caused by fire, storm, water, collision, (attempted) theft in your home and of contents outside the home. Risks that are not covered include loss, deliberate damage and flooding. The full list of exclusions can be found in the general conditions.
KBC Home Insurance for owners may include one or more of the following types of insurance cover: home insurance, home contents insurance, theft insurance for home contents, swimming pool insurance, garden insurance and soil decontamination insurance. These are forms of property damage insurance. These forms of insurance cover are intended for owners-residents of private homes who do not use their home for commercial activities or liberal professions.
- This product is governed by the laws of Belgium.
- Insurance cover under this policy is valid for a term of one year and is tacitly renewed unless you cancel it no later than three months before the main renewal date.
For policies taken out or tacitly renewed on or after 1 October 2024, you have up to two months before the main renewal date to cancel them. As a consumer, you can cancel your insurance contract at any time starting from the second insurance year, with effect after two months have elapsed from the day after the registered letter was submitted for delivery, the writ was served or the date of the acknowledgement of receipt. - Your intermediary is the first point of contact for any complaints you may have. If no agreement can be reached, please contact KBC Complaints Management, Brusselsesteenweg 100, 3000 Leuven, complaints@kbc.be, tel. 016 43 25 94. If you cannot find a suitable solution, you can contact the Belgian insurance industry’s ombudsman service: Ombudsman van de Verzekeringen, de Meeûssquare 35, 1000 Brussels, info@ombudsman.as, www.ombudsman.as. This does not affect your legal rights.
Contact your insurance expert or visit our website to request a quotation for KBC Home Insurance for owners.
KBC Home Insurance for owners is a product provided by KBC Insurance NV, Professor Roger Van Overstraetenplein 2, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
VAT BE 0403.552.563, RLP Leuven, IBAN BE43 7300 0420 0601, BIC KREDBEBB.
Company licensed by the National Bank of Belgium, de Berlaimontlaan 14, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, for all classes of insurance under code 0014 (Royal Decree of 4 July 1979, Belgian Official Gazette of 14 July 1979).
Member of the KBC group.
