Key takeaways

• You should consider getting a home insurance policy if you own expensive furniture and electronics.
• Household insurance covers the cost of your home contents (furniture, electronics, valuables, etc.) in the event of damage. The damage can be caused by fire, storm, water, theft, etc.
• You can get a good home content insurance contract for under 6 € per month.

This is how you do it

• Check what items you want to insure and if it’s worth paying the premium.
• Estimate the value of your household contents.
• Compare home contents insurance on Verivox* or Tarifcheck*. 
• We find home insurance from Feather* and Getsafe* among the best. Moreover, they offer English support, which makes life easier for expats in Germany.

Table of Contents

What is home insurance (Hausratversicherung)?

You do the due diligence and visit several shops before buying furniture for your home. Not only does it take time and effort, but it also costs a lot of money.

Recently, someone broke into our neighbor’s house and stole many valuable things. They were shocked and emotionally disturbed. On top of that, they were set back thousands of euros monetarily.

For such situations, household contents insurance can at least protect you financially.

Household content insurance covers the cost of your house’s contents (furniture, clothing, electronics, etc.) if they are damaged or stolen. It pays for damages caused by.

• Fire, lightning, and resulting overvoltage, explosion, implosion
• Burglary (including attempted) and vandalism
• leakage of tap water
• Natural hazards such as storms or hail

Who needs home insurance in Germany?

Unlike car insurance, household insurance is voluntary. So, you can choose whether to get it or not. You must consider the following factors while deciding.

• Value of household content: Suppose you have recently renovated your home or have expensive furniture and electronics. In this case, it makes sense to get home insurance to cover the costs if the worst happens.
• Probability of the worst to happen: If you live in a safe neighborhood, the probability of theft is low. Similarly, if you live in a region with frequent storms, the chances of damage are high. So, you should get home content insurance if the probability of such events is high where you live.
• Can you replace the household contents yourself? You should always ask yourself this question when deciding to get home insurance. If the answer is no, you need a home insurance policy.
• Are you willing to pay for the damages yourself? If not, then get home insurance in Germany.

NOTE:  Household contents insurance is intended to cover the major costs and not every small damage, such as a laundry basket stolen from the laundry room.

Best household contents insurance in Germany

There are several household insurance plans. The insurance cost varies based on the services you opt for. 

Thus, we recommend comparing home insurance tariffs on Verivox* or Tarifcheck*. But if you don’t want to spend time reading home insurance terms in German, you can get a plan from Feather* or Getsafe*.

Feather and Getsafe offers services in English. And their home content insurance tariff is sufficient for most people.

However, if you are looking for special add-ons, it might be worth comparing the plans on Verivox and Tarifcheck.

You must carefully read the home insurance contract terms and pay attention to the following.

• which damages are covered,
• to what extent, and
• which items are insured? 

The home insurance companies don’t pay for every damage to every item. 

What does the home insurance cover in Germany?

Home insurance covers the following contents.

• Movable goods such as furniture, carpets, books, bicycles, etc.
• Permanently installed goods, such as the fitted kitchen.
• Borrowed items are also protected by household contents insurance. 
• Money, jewelry, and art are insured up to a certain limit.
• Extensions of the property: Home contents insurance also covers the terrace, basement, and privately used rooms or garages near the property.
• Things lost while traveling: Home insurance protects you when you are on vacation. Suppose your watch is stolen from your hotel room. In this case, the insurance provider will pay the costs. However, the insurance coverage is limited to a period of time.
• Children’s residence: Suppose your children live in their own apartment while completing training. In this case, their household contents are also covered by home insurance.
• Bank safety deposit box: You can even insure the bank’s safety deposit box with German home insurance.

NOTE: Household content insurance covers damages to the goods you own. Suppose the landlord owns the kitchen. In this case, YOUR home insurance won’t cover the costs of damage caused to the kitchen.

How much does home contents insurance reimburse?

• The home insurance companies reimburse the replacement value of the damaged objects. So, even if your furniture is old, you get enough money to buy similar new furniture.
• Special regulations apply to valuables like jewelry, cash, and art. Home insurance providers usually reimburse only 20 to 25% of the agreed insured sum.
• The insurance company sets an upper limit for valuables stored unsecured. It’s recommended that you store your valuables in a fireproof and waterproof safe. You can get one on Amazon*.
• The insurer covers the cost of the goods and the resulting costs due to the damage. For example, the cost of repairing a broken lock after a burglary. 

What does home insurance NOT cover in Germany?

• Rooms you use exclusively for professional purposes and can enter via a separate entrance are not insured. For example, your professional workshop in the garage. However, home contents insurance covers the home office.
• No sign of a break-in: If there are no signs of a break-in, it’s tough to get an insurance claim. Under home insurance, the cause of the damage is vital. It determines whether the insurance company will pay or not.
• Damage from war, civil unrest, and nuclear energy is not covered.

What should you pay attention to when choosing household insurance in Germany?

• Gross negligence: Gross negligence refers to damages caused by your carelessness. For example, theft may have occurred if you had left the house door open. The home insurance company normally doesn’t pay in such cases. But if your home insurance has the “Gross negligence” clause, the insurer covers the costs. So, ensure your contract has the following clause “Verzicht auf die Einrede der groben Fahrlässigkeit.”
• Natural hazard coverage: If you live in a flood, earthquake, or storm-prone area, you must get this add-on. Adding it to your home insurance will increase the premium up to 300%, depending on your location. You can check the probability of natural hazards on “Die Versicherer” (German).
• Bike insurance: If you own an expensive bike, you should consider getting this add-on to your home insurance. You should check carefully what situations are covered by the policy. Some home insurance contracts only cover the damage if the bike was stored in a locked room when stolen. You can also get separate bike insurance for expensive bicycles.
• Water damage: Do you own a water bed or an aquarium? Ensure that your home contents insurance policy covers the water damage caused by the water bed or aquarium. Normally, household insurance covers only the damage from tap water.

Other add-ons that might be interesting but not necessarily required.

• Theft from the car: Suppose someone stole your phone from the car. However, the insurance will only cover the damage if the stolen item is not visible from the outside.
• Internet usage: Some home insurance tariffs also cover damages from internet usage, such as data theft and phishing. However, the insured sum is usually small. You don’t need this if you use a VPN or surf the web securely.

There are a lot more things that you can insure under home insurance. Adding each extra item increases the insurance cost. 

So, you must ask yourself what items you really need to insure. We recommend insuring expensive items that can set you back financially.

You can ignore items

• you can buy on your own without ruining you financially, and
• the probability of damage to those items is low.

How much does good household insurance cost in Germany?

The price of the home insurance depends on

• the area of your house
• your location
• add-ons you opt for.

For a 100 m2 apartment, you can find good home insurance for under 6 € per month. And under 12 € per month with add-ons like bike coverage and glass.

The cost of natural disaster add-on may vary drastically based on your location.

We find home contents insurance from Feather* and Getsafe* among Germany’s best.

How high should the house insurance insured sum be?

The home insurance premium varies based on the insured sum. Most insurance companies calculate the insured sum using the property area method.

In the property area method, the insurer calculates the insured sum using 650 € per m2. For example, for a 100 m2 apartment, the insured sum will be 65k € (650 * 100).

If the value of your household contents is less than this sum, you can reduce the amount. However, if it’s more, you should enter the correct amount.

Suppose your household content value is 100,000 €, but you insured only 60,000 €. This is then a case of underinsurance (Unterversicherung).

In the cases of underinsurance, the insurer reimburses only the underinsured sum. In the above example, it’s 60% (60k/100k) of the damaged item’s value.

For example, suppose all the items in your house were damaged in the fire. You’ll receive the full insured sum (60,000 €) in this case. 

Another scenario would be your couch was damaged. Suppose the couch was worth 5000 €. In this case, the insurer will reimburse only 3000 € (60% of 5000 €).

NOTE: Never enter a smaller sum to reduce the household insurance premium. You should increase the deductible amount instead.

Things you must do after taking household insurance in Germany

• Save the receipts of expensive furniture online.
• Click photos of the furniture. This will prove what the furniture looked like and where it was stored.
• Inform the insurer about the following cases
  • New expensive purchases.
  • Changes in your property building. It’s because some changes may increase the risk of damage events. For example, scaffolding installation increases the risk of theft.
  • You are going on a vacation.
  • Moved into a new home. Depending on the new property’s size, the insurance premium may increase.

NOTE: If you don’t inform the insurer about the changes, the insurance company may refuse or reduce the reimbursement sum in the event of damage.

How do you claim home insurance benefits in the event of damage?

You must report the damage to the home insurance company as soon as possible. If you took home insurance from Feather and Getsafe, you can report the damage online or via their mobile app.

You also must provide proof of how the damage occurred. Here is the proof you need in different situations.

• Lightning or storm damage: Submit weather reports from the German Weather Service. 
• Break-in: Submit police report and photos. 
• Fire: You must prove exactly how the damage occurred. 

The insurance company may also ask for the invoices for the damaged items to estimate the cost.

What can you do if the home insurance company refuses to pay?

Suppose your home contents insurance provider refuses to pay the damages. You can get help from the insurance ombudsman. 

You can also get support from the consumer advice center near you. If you are unsatisfied with the settlement, you can sue the insurance company.

Filing a legal dispute is expensive. Hence, you should have legal insurance to cover the costs.

You can also apply for legal aid if you can’t afford a lawyer.

References

• https://www.finanztip.de/hausratversicherung/
• https://www.dieversicherer.de/versicherer/wohnen/hausratversicherung#was-ist-die-hausratversicherung-