Buildings insurance: concealed pipes, dry rot and excess

Postcode and covers

Two things move the price of buildings insurance more than anything else, and neither appears in the listings: where in the country the house is, and whether you take the two big add-ons, concealed pipes and dry rot/decay. Sammenligner.dk measured the same house in eight regions, with each cover switched on and off, in September 2026. What the year of construction, size and roof mean for the price is covered in the guide to what home insurance costs for your new house, and the overview of all the policies is in insurance when buying a home.

The region: same house, up to a quarter apart

Each insurer has its own claims statistics by area, and they do not agree. The median price for the reference house ranges from 6.222 kr. in North Jutland to 7.607 kr. in East Jutland. But the median hides what matters most: the cheapest insurer in each region is far below it. Tap a region on the map to see the median and the lowest quote there.

Prices vary even within the same town: Bauta quoted 3.935 kr. for the reference house at one address in Roskilde and 6.134 kr. at another, with the same cover and add-ons. The member-owned insurers LB Forsikring, Bauta and Runa have the lowest price in six of eight regions; if you cannot become a member there, the next insurer on the list is your real lowest price. So do not take your old insurer with you to the new postcode without checking; see the insurers in the overview of cheap buildings insurance.

Concealed pipes and dry rot/decay: what they cost and what you get

Full cover is the basic cover (fire, storm and water damage) plus two add-ons: concealed pipes and service connections (the pipes in floors and walls, and the service lines out to the road) and dry rot and decay (attack on the woodwork). Concealed pipes is the most expensive add-on: median 4.225 kr. a year, from 3.290 to 7.098 kr. depending on the insurer. Dry rot and decay is cheaper: median 405 kr. This is no coincidence: in a house from 1971 the pipes are 55 years old, and a pipe leak under a bathroom floor becomes expensive because the floor has to come up. In a house from 2015 the sums are different, and you can see that in the price.

Buildings insurance with and without the big covers, kr./yearThe reference house. The columns show how much the price drops when the cover is removed. Sorted by price for full cover. Basic cover only: fire, storm and water damage without concealed pipes and dry rot/decay. Alm. Brand and Gjensidige are not included, as the price without add-ons could not be read. Membership required: the insurer is member- or customer-owned, and the price requires that you can become a member. LB Forsikring, Bauta and Runa are the same insurer, each with its own membership group.

Insurer	Full cover	Without concealed pipes	Without dry rot/decay	Basic cover only
Popermo Requires membership	5.506	−3.290	−421	−3.712
Bauta Requires membership	6.134	−3.181	−344	−3.524
LB Forsikring Requires membership	6.134	−3.181	−344	−3.524
Runa Requires membership	6.134	−3.181	−344	−3.524
Forsia	6.872	−3.419	−553	−3.972
GF Forsikring Requires membership	7.136	−3.980	−451	−4.432
TJM Requires membership	7.353	−4.823	−279	−5.102
Topdanmark	7.531	−4.225	−417	−4.642
Alka	7.571	−3.317	−232	−3.703
FDM Requires membership	8.105	−5.376	−267	−5.643
If	8.579	−4.789	−352	−5.140
Tryg	10.966	−7.098	−405	−7.504

Source: Sammenligner.dk price teamMeasured September 202612 insurersSee method and price index below the table at the top

The excess

Going from 2.000 to 4.000 kr. in excess (selvrisiko) saves a median of 446 kr. a year on the reference house. That is less than on contents insurance, because the big claims on a house are far above the excess anyway. So on the house, the excess is not the first place to save; the choice of insurer is. Read more about the excess on buildings insurance.

The practical side

In a house built before 1990, pipes and woodwork are typically what cause the big claims, and those are exactly what the two add-ons cover. Read the condition report (tilstandsrapport) before you opt out of them. If you are buying something newer, ask for a price with and without and compare; on a house from 2015 the add-ons can be cheap enough to be a given. If the house has an oil tank, read the guide to oil tanks; pollution cover depends on whether the tank is lawful, not on the buildings insurance. And be aware that several insurers require the pipes to be below a certain age to give pipe cover; ask directly. The price with and without add-ons is in the breakdown of what buildings insurance costs. If the policy needs to move to the new house, read how to switch buildings insurance.

Phase 4 · Waiting for keys

Check prices at your new address

The insurance must be in place before the mortgage loan (realkreditlån) is paid out. Sammenligner.dk has measured prices for buildings insurance, contents insurance and broadband, so you can see the difference at your own address.

Your new address

What do you want to check first?

Buildings insurance Save up to 5.460 kr./yearContents insurance Save up to 3.020 kr./yearBroadband Save up to 3.000 kr./year

The saving is the difference between the most and least expensive insurer, measured by Sammenligner.dk in 2026.

You continue on Sammenligner.dk. The address is filled in; you enter your name and email there. BoligKlar may receive a referral fee. The price is the same for you.

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Alexandra HasleboFounder of BoligKlar

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What many people misunderstand

Change-of-ownership insurance (ejerskifteforsikring) covers hidden defects that were there at the handover; buildings insurance covers damage that happens afterwards. A pipe that was corroded at the handover may fall under the change-of-ownership insurance if the policy covers pipes; a pipe that bursts in three years is a matter for the buildings insurance, and only if you have the add-on. The second misunderstanding is that "full cover" means the same thing everywhere. Sum limits, exclusions for certain pipe types and age deductions differ, and they are in the terms and conditions, not on the price list. Compare them in the cover overview for buildings insurance, before choosing on price alone.