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Your home is worth more than your policy says

We check whether your home insurance really covers your home.

Most fire policies were never really chosen

Anyone buying a home takes out a mortgage. And in that same conversation the fire policy gets added, at the moment you have ten other things on your mind. Signed, and years later you are still paying the same policy, for a home that meanwhile has a conservatory, solar panels or a converted attic.

That only becomes a problem after the damage. Home insurance pays out on the basis of what is in your policy. If your home is valued too low in it, you get part of your loss and not the whole of it. The same goes for your contents: most people badly underestimate what is in their house.

And the premium says little about the cover. Fire, storm, water and natural disasters are in every home insurance policy. The difference is in what comes alongside: whether theft is included, how much you pay yourself when there is a claim, and whether your garden shed or terrace is part of it. Two policies can cost the same and still give a completely different conversation on the day your cellar is under water.

Do you rent? Then home insurance is not really a choice. You are liable for damage to the home you rent, even when there is nothing you could have done about it.

Why Ōmata

You open the chat and we ask only the questions that set your cover and your premium. What kind of home it is, how old, how large, what has been added since, and whether you own or rent. No three-page form, no details we will not use afterwards.

With that we go and look at different insurers and come back with the policy that fits your home, with a sum insured that matches what is in and around your house today. If you agree, we put it in place, including cancelling your existing policy.

And if something goes wrong, you can use the same chat or call the number on your policy. You reach the same point of contact. We file your claim, follow your file and take it up with the insurer when that is needed.

How to start

  1. You send a message through the chat on this page.

  2. You answer a few targeted questions about your home. No long questionnaire.

  3. You get a tailored proposal usually within two working days, explaining what is covered, up to what amount, and what is not in the policy.

  4. If you agree, you confirm the proposal.

What a conversation with Ōmata looks like

You do not need to know which policy you are looking for, and there is no form to fill in.

Start your request

Viktor is online

You are talking to an AI assistant. You can ask for a human colleague to take over at any time.

  • CustomerWater is coming through the ceiling of my flat. The neighbour upstairs says it is not coming from his place.
  • ŌmataReport it to your insurer today and photograph the ceiling and the damp patch. The insurer’s expert will establish the cause. Do you rent or own?
  • CustomerI rent. I have fire insurance through my broker from a while back.
  • ŌmataWe will check whether tenant liability and water damage are included. Do you know the policy number or the insurer’s name?
  • CustomerThe insurer’s name, yes. I still need to look up the policy number.
  • ŌmataNoted. Send me the policy as soon as you have it — I will pass this on to our expert. You will hear from us usually within two working days.

Try it yourself

Who this is for

Anyone who lives somewhere. The difference is not whether you need it, but what you have to insure and what someone else already does.

  • Owner-occupiers

    Building and contents together, and liability if it spreads to the neighbour.

  • Tenants

    Your contents, and tenant’s liability towards your landlord. The second is what gets forgotten most.

  • Owners who let

    The building, and the rent that stops when the property is uninhabitable.

  • Anyone renovating

    A renovation changes the value and sometimes the risk. Reporting it is not a formality.

  • Anyone with a second home

    A property standing empty for weeks follows its own rules on theft and water damage.

Who this is not for

  • Students covered by their parents’ policy. Student rooms are often covered by the parental home policy. Check there before taking out a separate policy.
  • Anyone in a property the owner fully insured. Some leases place the insurance with the owner with a waiver of subrogation. Your contents are still yours.
  • Anyone using premises purely commercially. A shop or an office belongs in a commercial fire policy, with business interruption cover.
  • Anyone living abroad temporarily. A Belgian home policy covers a Belgian address. For a stay elsewhere other rules apply.

What home insurance covers

Home insurance — in Belgium usually called fire insurance — generally covers fire, explosion, storm and hail, water damage, glass breakage, electrical damage and natural disasters. Property owner’s liability comes with it, and for a tenant policy tenant’s liability. Theft is a separate section.

  • Fire, smoke and explosion The core of the policy, and the reason it is still called fire insurance in Belgium.
  • Storm, hail and snow load Together with water damage the largest number of claims, and usually limited in size.
  • Water damage A burst pipe, a leaking boiler, rainwater coming in through a damaged roof.
  • Natural disasters Flooding, earthquake and landslide are compulsorily covered with the fire section in Belgium.
  • Glass breakage and electrical damage Windows, verandas and hobs, and whatever fails in a power surge.
  • Property owner’s and tenant’s liability The damage your home causes to others, and as a tenant damage to your landlord’s property.
  • Theft, as a separate section Not included as standard.

    It is added, with conditions about locks and about what is kept outside.

What home insurance does not cover

Not covered are wear, defects you knew about and did not repair, and damage that develops gradually. Nor are valuables above a certain limit without declaration, or damage during major works you did not report.

  • Wear and deferred maintenance A roof that has leaked for years or a pipe already corroded through.

    The policy covers a sudden event.

  • Gradual damage Damp building up over years, a crack slowly growing.

    Without a sudden moment there is no claim.

  • Valuables above the limit Jewellery, art and collections are covered up to an amount.

    Above it they have to be declared separately.

  • Theft without the section If theft is not expressly in your policy it is not covered — even though the rest of the home is.
  • Unreported renovations Major works change the risk and the value.

    Not reporting them can jeopardise cover.

Just ask

Tenant or owner: that decides everything

If you own and live there, you insure the building and your contents. One policy, two amounts.

If you rent, you first insure your contents. But there is a second part that gets forgotten most: tenant’s liability. As a tenant you are liable to your landlord for damage to the property, even when you did nothing wrong. If the flat burns out through a faulty washing machine, the landlord comes to you — and without that cover you stand alone.

Estimating your contents: almost everyone is too low

Ask someone what their contents are worth and the answer is almost always too low. That is because we think of what we bought recently, not of what it would cost to buy everything again.

Walk through your home once in your head and add up: furniture, beds, kitchen appliances, lighting, flooring, curtains, clothing, books, toys, bikes, tools, electronics. Everything that would fall out if you turned the house upside down. That is your contents, and the figure surprises most people.

What is included as standard, and what is not

Storm, hail, water damage, glass breakage and electrical damage are in almost every policy. Natural disasters too: flooding, earthquake and landslide are compulsorily covered with the fire section in Belgium. For homes in a recognised risk zone separate rules apply; mention it if you know that applies to you.

Theft is not in there as standard. It is a separate section with its own conditions: which locks, whether there is an alarm, what counts as forced entry and what is kept outside. Anyone taking it should read those conditions once.

What determines the price

A figure without your details is a guess. What determines the premium, we can list.

  • The property

    Type, year built, floor area and building materials.

  • Contents value

    What it would cost to buy everything again.

  • Location

    Among other things whether the home is in a recognised risk zone.

  • Covers

    Theft, legal expenses and all-risks cover, or not.

  • Excess

    What you carry yourself per claim.

  • Claims history

    What has happened in recent years.

Frequently asked questions

I rent. What do I need to insure myself?

Your contents, and your tenant’s liability towards the landlord. The second is what gets forgotten: as a tenant you are liable for damage to the property unless you can show the fault was not yours. Do check your lease first for a waiver of recovery; that changes what you need.

How do I estimate my contents?

Add up what it would cost to buy everything again, not what you once paid. Furniture, appliances, floors, curtains, clothing, bikes, tools, electronics. Most people are too low. Have the amount set with the insurer’s valuation grid; they then waive the average rule.

Is water damage from the neighbours covered?

Yes, water damage is in almost every home policy, wherever the water came from. Your insurer pays your loss and works out afterwards who is liable. Report it quickly and take photographs: the cause is harder to establish later.

Is theft included as standard?

No. Theft is a separate section with its own conditions about locks, alarms and what counts as forced entry. Also watch the limits for jewellery, art, collections and expensive bikes: above them they have to be declared separately.

What about flooding?

Flooding, earthquake and landslide are compulsorily covered with the fire section in Belgium.* For homes in a recognised risk zone separate rules apply. If you know that applies to you, mention it when you open your file.

I am renovating. Do I have to report it?

Yes. A renovation changes the value of your home and sometimes the risk. Reporting costs nothing; not reporting can jeopardise cover. For major works a contractors all risks policy is worth considering as well.

Who is behind Ōmata?

Ōmata Insurance is the AI-first studio of the Induver group and a sister company of Group Induver NV: two companies within the same group, not parent and subsidiary. Ōmata puts you in touch with Group Induver NV, an insurance broker holding FSMA number 016880; that is where the advice and the policy come about. The full identification is set out in the legal notices.

About Ōmata

Ōmata is the AI-first insurance studio of Group Induver. You tell us what you want to insure over chat; usually within two working days you receive a proposal, drawn up by an insurance broker at Group Induver NV, registered with the FSMA under number 016880.

Read on

Ready to start?

Send us a message and tell us briefly what you want to insure. You get an immediate reply and your proposal usually within two working days.

Notes on the asterisks on this page
  • The precise rules for homes in a risk zone are confirmed by Group Induver on a case-by-case basis.