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Annual damage insurance review checklist: keep your policies up to date

Damage insurance goes out of date faster than most people realise. A move, new belongings, a child, more home working or less driving — each of those changes can make your cover too broad, too narrow or too expensive. And because policies renew automatically, you keep paying year after year without anyone asking whether your situation still matches. This review helps you fix that in about an hour.

Households that want to review their damage insurance once a year without it becoming a heavy task. · Updated: 2026-06-13 · Verified by Pieter Smit (Certified Insurance Advisor Wft)

Why an annual check is necessary

Damage insurance is set up based on a situation that may have changed since. A car policy you took out four years ago does not know the car is now worth €4,000 less. Your contents policy does not know you bought a new bike, laptop or kitchen. Your liability policy does not know you now have a child.

An annual review takes roughly an hour and can save you hundreds of euros — or prevent a nasty surprise at claim time because you caught a gap early enough.

Triggers that call for an immediate review

You moved or changed your type of home.
You moved in with a partner or separated.
You had a child.
You started working from home or bought expensive home-office equipment.
Your car has dropped significantly in value or you drive much less.
You bought a new bike, e-bike, expensive electronics or jewellery.
You had a claim and did not adjust anything afterwards.

The annual review in four steps

Check your life situation over the past year

Go through the trigger list above. One 'yes' is enough reason to look at that policy more closely.

Compare premium, value and deductible

Per policy, check whether the insured amount and deductible still match. Also review your total monthly premium.

Look for overlap and missing cover

Has duplicate cover crept in somewhere, or is there a module you would now want but do not have?

Adjust only what is needed

You do not have to change everything at once. Prioritise adjustments with the largest financial impact or the biggest protection gap.

Per policy: what to check every year

Car: are market value, mileage and claim-free years still correct? Is All-Risk or WA+ still the right choice?
Contents: has the insured value increased because of new purchases, home working or a changed household?
Liability: does the policy still fit your household? Does it cover your partner and any children?
Travel: do you still need the modules you have? Are you paying for a continuous policy you rarely use?
Legal expenses: are there modules you no longer use, or ones you now wish you had?

Make it a fixed moment

A complete review does not need to take more than an hour. Your policy documents, your bank statements and the list above are usually enough to find most improvements yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I need an annual review?

Policies renew automatically, but the situation behind them changes every year. Without a review, you keep paying for cover that no longer fits.

Which policy changes fastest?

Car and contents. Market value, mileage and claim-free years for the car; new purchases and life changes for contents.

Do I need to change everything every year?

No. Most years, a fifteen-minute check is enough to confirm that everything still fits. You adjust only when something has genuinely changed.

What if I do not know what something is worth?

Use replacement value as the benchmark: what would it cost to buy the same item today? That is also the figure the insurer uses when a claim is settled.

Pieter Smit

Wft Gecertificeerd

Pieter Smit is a certified insurance advisor (Wft non-life personal & commercial) with years of experience in the Dutch insurance market. As an independent expert, he verifies that our articles comply with current regulations and that the advisory principles are strictly commission-free and focused on the consumer's best interest.

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