Roof damage, reinforcement and insulation in the Groningen earthquake zone

Many homeowners in the Groningen earthquake zone are juggling several roof issues at once. Cracks in roof tiles after a tremor, lead flashing that sits looser than it used to, a reinforcement that is somewhere on the planning, and the wish to insulate the home better with a subsidy. We get that question every week in Appingedam, Delfzijl and the villages around Loppersum.

The good news: these three tracks, damage repair, reinforcement and insulation, are often smarter to tackle in one go than separately. In this article we explain which four schemes are in play, how to stack them and in which order it is best to start. With practical examples from our service area in the Eemsdelta (the coastal region around Appingedam and Delfzijl).

The four schemes that affect your roof

For homes in the earthquake zone, four schemes run alongside one another. Many homeowners know one or two of them, but the combination is rarely explained well. Here they are:

• IMG (Instituut Mijnbouwschade Groningen, the Groningen mining-damage authority): compensates physical damage to your home that could have been caused by mining. Up to 60,000 euros per address without having to prove it was caused by earthquakes.
• NCG Maatregel 28 (Measure 28): for homes being reinforced by NCG (Nationaal Coordinator Groningen, the national reinforcement body). NCG then also has insulation carried out during the reinforcement and pays the insulation costs itself. You receive a 1,000 euro finishing allowance.
• Nij Begun Maatregel 29 (Measure 29): an SNN subsidy (run by Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland, the Northern Netherlands grant body) for insulation when reinforcement is not (or not yet) on the cards. 100% reimbursement up to 40,000 euros within the reinforcement area, 50% up to 20,000 euros outside it.
• ISDE: the national insulation subsidy. In the province of Groningen and in Aa en Hunze, Noordenveld and Tynaarlo you cannot apply for ISDE, but in the rest of Drenthe and Friesland you can.

For the basic explanation of Nij Begun and ISDE and the amounts, we refer you to our complete roof insulation subsidy guide for Groningen 2026. Here we focus on the specific scenario where earthquake damage and reinforcement also come into play.

Earthquake damage to your roof: what IMG compensates

IMG settles physical damage for homes that lie within the effect area in a large part of Groningen and North Drenthe. For damage to your roof, in practice that means:

• Cracks in roof tiles, especially along the ridge and near roof penetrations
• Loose or cracked ridge tiles
• Lead flashing around the chimney that has cracked or come loose
• Cracks in dormers, often around the joints
• Hairline cracks in roof penetrations (air vents, ventilation, flue outlets)
• Subsidence in the roof structure causing tiles to no longer sit properly

Two routes with IMG

IMG offers broadly two options. Which is more convenient depends on the extent of the damage:

1. Fixed compensation up to 10,000 euros: a one-off amount without any causation investigation. Quickly settled. Suitable for limited damage.
2. Actual damage up to 60,000 euros per address: you have all potentially mining-related damage to your home repaired in one go. With your own contractor or via a contractor that IMG links you to. On top of that you receive a one-off disruption allowance of 2,000 euros.

A tip from practice: first take a look yourself in the attic, at the chimney and along the ridge before you choose. If we see in Appingedam, for example, small cracks in lead plus shifted tiles plus a messy dormer joint, then the actual-damage route is almost always more advantageous. With one broken tile or one small lead crack, the fixed 10,000 euros is often more than enough.

Important: take photos before you have anything repaired. Including damage on the inside of the roof in the attic. In case of an acute leak from earthquake damage, we can carry out emergency repairs via our 24/7 emergency service once the photos have already been taken.

NCG combines reinforcement and insulation (Measure 28)

Since 2025, NCG has started a major change: for homes undergoing reinforcement, insulation is now carried out at the same time. This is called Measure 28. The pilot with 185 homes in 2024 produced good results, and since April 2025 it has been rolled out more widely.

How it works

An independent energy advisory firm assesses your home and determines which insulation measures make sense within the reinforcement task. Those measures are fitted into the reinforcement design. NCG pays for the insulation work itself (within the rules of the Measure 29 subsidy), so you do not have to submit a separate subsidy application. You do receive a 1,000 euro finishing allowance for interior work needed after insulation, such as skirting boards, painting and wallpapering.

Who it is for

Measure 28 applies to homes being reinforced by NCG that are still in the planning phase. If your reinforcement is already further along in the process (already carried out, or final design ready), you no longer qualify for the combination. If you are still in an earlier phase, ask your NCG contact person explicitly about Measure 28. Not every resident is offered this automatically.

What it means for your roof

For tile roofs in reinforcement projects we often see this package: replace roof sheathing where needed, roof insulation with PIR or equivalent, new membrane, new tile battens, and the old tile set put back or replaced. This falls under the reinforcement task and the insulation is baked in. For you: one building period, one scaffold, one period of disruption.

Nij Begun for homes without reinforcement (Measure 29)

Not every home in the earthquake zone is reinforced. In fact, the majority are not. For those homes, Measure 29 (Nij Begun) is the designated route for insulation. SNN administers this subsidy.

The amounts

• Within the reinforcement area: up to 100% reimbursement, with a maximum of 40,000 euros per home.
• Outside the reinforcement area (but still within the region): up to 50% reimbursement, with a maximum of 20,000 euros per home.

The full explanation, conditions and worked examples are in our subsidy guide. Important for the earthquake scenario: if your home also has damage, you can use IMG compensation and Measure 29 subsidy alongside each other. These are two different pots with their own purpose.

All postcodes open, apply until 2035

SNN opened the scheme postcode by postcode. Since 4 August 2026 all postcodes are open and you can apply up to and including 3 June 2035. On isolatie.nijbegun.nl you can check which percentage applies to your address. So there is no rush: align the insulation calmly with any damage repair or reinforcement.

The smart order: damage, reinforcement, insulation

The most common mistake we see is that homeowners start at the wrong pace. Someone notices damage after a tremor, calls a contractor straight away, has it repaired and then misses out on a thousand or more euros in compensation. Or someone applies for Measure 29 while the reinforcement that would already cover everything under Measure 28 starts in six months.

Stick to this order and in most cases you will get it right:

1. Document the damage immediately. Photos of tiles, lead flashing, cracks inside the house. No repairs before you have this.
2. Report the damage to IMG via schadedoormijnbouw.nl. Choose between fixed compensation (quick, max 10,000 euros) or the actual-damage procedure (max 60,000 euros plus 2,000 euros disruption).
3. Check your reinforcement status with NCG. Are you in the planning phase? Then ask about Measure 28. Insulation is then already baked into the reinforcement project.
4. No reinforcement planned? Check your postcode on isolatie.nijbegun.nl and plan Measure 29.
5. Acute leak in the meantime? Do not wait. Call straight away. Temporary emergency repairs are allowed, and the damage photos for IMG will already be there.

Stacking: IMG and insulation subsidy side by side

The most common question we get: can I really use IMG compensation and Nij Begun together? The answer is yes, provided you keep them cleanly separated. IMG covers damage repair, Nij Begun covers insulation. A few examples to make it concrete:

The fixed IMG compensation of 10,000 euros is especially attractive with limited damage, because the remainder is also simply yours to keep. We always work this out in advance during the inspection.

A real-world story from the Eemsdelta

Early in 2026 a family in Appingedam (around the Bolwerk) called us. A tile roof from 1962, a chimney with clearly cracked lead flashing, three shifted tiles after a storm. The attic was damp, insulation minimal. The reinforcement was in the planning phase with NCG, but the couple were not sure.

What we did:

1. First walked through the attic and the exterior, took photos of lead flashing, tiles and moisture traces.
2. Advised starting the IMG damage procedure (actual damage). The estimated repair value was above 10,000 euros, so the fixed compensation was not the right choice.
3. The residents checked their status with NCG. It turned out: planning phase, so Measure 28 came into play.
4. Result: NCG included the integral roof repair and the insulation in the reinforcement. IMG compensation for the older damage, NCG for reinforcement plus insulation. One building period instead of two separate projects.

Had the couple repaired the three tiles and sealed the lead flashing straight after the storm, the IMG compensation for the wider damage would have been harder to substantiate. Measure 28 would still have worked, but without the damage approach. The amount they ended up with net for reinforcement, insulation and damage recognition was substantially higher.

Five pitfalls we come across every week

As a warning, these are the mistakes we see most often with residents in Appingedam, Delfzijl, Winschoten, Hoogezand-Sappemeer and surrounding places:

• Repairing too quickly without an IMG report. As soon as you have repaired it, the damage pattern is gone and you can prove the actual-damage route less easily.
• Choosing fixed compensation where actual damage is higher. 10,000 euros sounds like a lot, but with several damage points the real amount quickly runs above 15,000 euros. Estimate first.
• Insulating while reinforcement is planned. You pay twice or miss out on Measure 28. Check your NCG status first.
• Forgetting that two insulation measures double ISDE. In the Drenthe municipalities where ISDE does apply: roof insulation alone yields less than roof insulation plus, for example, glazing or floor insulation.
• Not checking the postcode. Residents assume Measure 29 is already available. Not all postcodes open at the same time. Check first before you sign a quote.

How Dakdokter Noord handles this

We are based on the Bolwerk in Appingedam, so we are literally in the middle of the earthquake zone. We see earthquake damage to roofs every week, and conversations with IMG and NCG are routine for us. What that means for you:

• During our visit we look at both the damage pattern and the insulation opportunities. Two birds, one stone.
• In the NCG planning phase: we work with the contractor or make sure our roof plan fits the reinforcement design.
• You apply to IMG and Nij Begun yourself. We provide a substantiated quote, carry out the work and send a detailed invoice.
• 10-year warranty on all our work and VCA-certified for the reinforcement part.

Our standard way of working: a deal is a deal, we start within 4 to 8 weeks after agreement, and tailored work for every roof. No standard packages that your home does not fit into.

Active across the whole earthquake zone

Besides our home base in Appingedam, we work daily in Delfzijl, Loppersum, Middelstum, 't Zandt, Ten Boer, Bedum, Winschoten, Hoogezand-Sappemeer, Veendam, Stadskanaal and the North-Drenthe municipalities Aa en Hunze, Noordenveld and Tynaarlo. For all places within the Nij Begun area the same applies: check your postcode and have a roof plan and tailored quote made.

We are also active in the rest of Northern Netherlands outside the earthquake zone, for example in Groningen, Leeuwarden, Assen, Emmen, Drachten, Hoogeveen, Meppel and Heerenveen. Different subsidy rules apply there: ISDE instead of or alongside Nij Begun.

Frequently asked questions