Former sailor Theo (84) has been sleeping on the floor in a leaky, cold house for months

The misery started for Hassink on July 5 when the heaviest summer storm since the start of measurements raged across our country. Trees were ripped out of the ground by the roots and the derper’s roof terrace did not survive: “My windows were shattered by pieces of falling wood, so the water came in in buckets. It was really a moment of panic.”

So a call to insurer Interpolis. And according to Hassink, they immediately took action. A cleaning company came to clean up the glass and a glazier repaired the windows. A damage expert was also called in through the insurer to inspect the leaking roof. “He was a very knowledgeable man who knew what needed to be done. Unfortunately, things remained quiet after that.”

Titanic

We walk with Theo to the top floor of his house. A house that is decorated like the inside of a ship with portholes, many wooden railings, a galley and of course a real captain’s cabin. Theo regularly organized film evenings for a small audience, but that is now a thing of the past.

“There is a lot of work and love that went into this fisherman’s house,” the former sailor says emotionally. “It’s starting to look like the Titanic now. I’m not worried about myself, but my beautiful house is going to the sharks. You see it deteriorating, which is just very sad.”

The buckets that are supposed to catch the drops are full to the brim. Theo has stopped emptying. “There’s no point anyway.” The wooden floors are warped and there are large spots of mold on the ceilings. “No, it is indeed not a healthy situation, after all I am getting older, but I remain optimistic, my life goes on.”

The leak also caused the boiler to break. He has also turned off the electricity in most of his house due to the risk of a short circuit. Theo has retreated to the only dry part of the living room at the front of his house. He has been sleeping on a mattress in a corner on the floor for months. “It’s freezing cold, I can’t take a shower and have to wash the dishes with cold water.”

Theo’s house is slowly but surely deteriorating further and further as can be seen in the video below (text continues)

Theo is now insured against storm damage with Interpolis, but according to Theo they are holding off. “It’s incomprehensible and rude, they just completely ignore me,” said Hassink. “I really don’t need to get the most out of it, I don’t need my roof terrace back anymore, I just want my house to be made waterproof again. Isn’t that what I’ve been paying a premium for all these years?”

NH also called insurer Interpolis to ask why no action had been taken. But for privacy reasons they cannot comment on individual cases. They do promise to look at the case again and they contact Theo. “We naturally find it a very unpleasant situation and hope that the gentleman can live happily in his home again as soon as possible.”

Deferred maintenance

We also called the construction company that recorded the damage on behalf of Interpolis. They would like to say more about the reason why Theo’s house is still as leaky as a basket. When we talk about the situation Theo is currently in, the response is sympathetic. Yet the construction company cannot do much.

“We have found that there is overdue maintenance and, no matter how annoying, it is not covered by the insurer. A damage expert from another company came for a second opinion and he concluded the same. It is of course very sad, but he is responsible for the damage to his roof.”

Theo disputes that his roof suffered a leak due to lack of maintenance. “Everything was bone dry before that storm. They are now pretending that my house is a dump, but that is not the case. It is just a way to get out of it easily. That storm was so intense. That is the cause and nothing else. ”