Do You Need Contents Insurance in Germany? (2026)
The verdict
Hausratversicherung, contents insurance, replaces your own belongings after fire, burst pipes, storm, hail, burglary and robbery, as a rule at replacement value. At HUK24 it costs from EUR 27.64 a year for 75 square metres, with an underinsurance waiver from EUR 700 per square metre. Bike theft outdoors and Elementarschäden such as flooding need an add-on.
Required, and what it is not
It is not required by German law. Nor does it pay when you damage someone else's property: that is what personal liability insurance is for, which leases routinely require, at HUK24 from EUR 34 a year. If you move abroad, the cover does not follow you, and after a claim either side may cancel within one month.
Key takeaways
- Not required by law, and it does not replace personal liability.
- At HUK24 about EUR 2.30 a month for 75 square metres, our calculation.
- Insure at least EUR 650 to 700 per square metre, or payouts can be cut.
- On a move abroad, cover does not follow you under the model conditions.
Jump to section
Which contents insurance is best in Germany?
There are three cleanly separated answers. The lowest published premium is HUK24 at EUR 27.64 a year for 75 square metres. For advice in person, Allianz has an agent network, with entry from about EUR 66. For anyone who does not speak German, Getsafe, though its price is set only in the app.
Sorted by annual premium, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below.
Sorted by notice period, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below.
HUK24
HUK24 Hausratversicherung Classic
Lowest premium. From EUR 27.64 a year for 75 square metres in Würzburg, with an underinsurance waiver from EUR 700 per square metre and gross negligence covered.
Pros
- Lowest published premium on this page
- Rated sehr gut by test.de in 2022
Cons
- Elemental cover only as an add-on, with a EUR 500 excess
- Bike theft only as an add-on
- German only, and not on portals
All packages(1)
Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.
- Sum insured
- EUR 52,500
- ExcessBest
Excess
The part of every claim you pay yourself (Selbstbeteiligung). A EUR 150 excess means the first EUR 150 of any claim is yours; premiums fall as the excess rises.
- EUR 0
- Notice period
Notice period
How far ahead of the renewal date you must cancel in writing (Kündigungsfrist). Miss the window and the contract runs another full term.
- Cancellable daily
- English documents
- No
Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.
Best for German-speaking tenants who want a published price
Allianz Versicherungs-AG
Allianz Hausratversicherung Smart, Komfort, Premium
With agents. The Komfort tier is rated sehr gut by test.de. Entry from about EUR 66 a year in a 2024 capture, with no floor area stated.
Pros
- Komfort tier rated sehr gut by test.de
- Advice through agents
Cons
- Entry about three times the HUK24 price
- Three months' notice
- German only
All packages(1)
Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.
- Sum insured
- Per quote
- Excess
Excess
The part of every claim you pay yourself (Selbstbeteiligung). A EUR 150 excess means the first EUR 150 of any claim is yours; premiums fall as the excess rises.
- EUR 0
- Notice period
Notice period
How far ahead of the renewal date you must cancel in writing (Kündigungsfrist). Miss the window and the contract runs another full term.
- 3 months
- English documents
- No
Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.
Best for Households that want advice in person and a bundle discount
Getsafe
Getsafe contents insurance
In English. App, documents and claims entirely in English, cancellable daily.
Pros
- The only provider here with English claims handling
- No notice period
Cons
- No published premium
- The risk carrier is mid-transition
- Lower sums insured than the incumbents
All packages(1)
Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.
- Sum insured
- In the app
- Excess
Excess
The part of every claim you pay yourself (Selbstbeteiligung). A EUR 150 excess means the first EUR 150 of any claim is yours; premiums fall as the excess rises.
- EUR 0
- Notice period
Notice period
How far ahead of the renewal date you must cancel in writing (Kündigungsfrist). Miss the window and the contract runs another full term.
- Cancellable daily
- English documentsBest
- Yes
Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.
Best for Newcomers who want the contract and claims in English
What does contents insurance cover?
It covers the movable things in your flat against a fixed list of perils. The list is in the GDV model conditions (VHB 2022), which most tariffs build on. What is not on the list is not insured, however expensive it is.
In the base cover
- Fire, lightning, explosion, smoke and soot
- Leitungswasser, water escaping after a burst pipe or a split hose
- Storm from wind force 8, and hail
- Burglary and robbery
- Vandalism after a break-in
Add-on only, or not at all
- Bike theft outside a locked room, only with the bike clause
- Elementarschäden: flooding, backflow, earthquake, landslide, snow load
- Simple theft without a break-in
- Damage caused on purpose
- Damage you cause to other people
For bikes, the line is the locked room. According to the Verbraucherzentrale (as of November 2025), a bike taken from a locked cellar or a locked garage is covered. Stolen outside, even when locked, it usually is not. Some older contracts cover only the hours from 6:00 to 22:00.
What residents report
- + Getsafe bike theft claim: A Getsafe customer reported a stolen bicycle in the app and had confirmation within two days that the loss would be reimbursed, and found the claim form simple. (Trustpilot, October 2026)
Paraphrased from public posts, each dated and linked. A small sample, not a representative survey.
Gross negligence can cut the payout
If you cause the loss through gross negligence, such as a burning candle in an empty room, the payout can be cut. Under § 81(2) VVG the insurer may reduce its payment in proportion to how serious the fault was. Intent means no payment at all.
Some tariffs waive this reduction by contract. HUK24 Classic expressly covers losses caused through gross negligence. Check the conditions before you look only at the price.
How high should the sum insured be?
As high as the replacement value of everything you own in the flat. The insurance industry recommends at least EUR 650 per square metre, according to the Berliner Mieterverein, and HUK24 waives the underinsurance objection from EUR 700 per square metre. For a 60 square metre flat that is EUR 39,000 to EUR 42,000, our calculation.
If the sum is too low, the insurer pays only a share. That is § 75 VVG for a sum that is well below the value, and the GDV model conditions give the formula: loss times sum insured divided by insured value. Example: contents worth EUR 50,000, insured for EUR 30,000, a loss of EUR 10,000. The payout is EUR 6,000, not EUR 10,000.
- Versicherungssumme (sum insured)
- The agreed ceiling per loss. It also sets the premium.
- Unterversicherungsverzicht (underinsurance waiver)
- The insurer does not cut for a low sum if you insure a fixed amount per square metre.
- Neuwert (replacement value)
- What items of the same kind and quality cost new today. That is the norm in contents cover.
- Elementarschäden (natural hazards)
- Flooding, backflow, earthquake and other natural hazards beyond storm and hail. Add-on only.
How is it different from personal liability insurance?
The two cover opposite sides. Contents insurance replaces what breaks or is stolen that belongs to you, at replacement value. Personal liability insurance pays for what you damage that belongs to someone else, at current value. Two contracts, two premiums: at HUK24 from EUR 27.64 for contents and from EUR 34 for liability.
An example makes it concrete. If your washing machine leaks and ruins your sofa, contents cover pays. If the water goes through the ceiling into your neighbour's flat, your liability cover pays their loss. The owner's building insurance covers the building, not your belongings.
Can a landlord require contents insurance?
There is no legal duty. All eleven contents records in this catalogue are marked as not required by law, and the Berliner Mieterverein called it one of the most popular voluntary policies in 2024. What German leases routinely ask for is personal liability cover.
If the lease has an insurance clause, read exactly which policy it means. A clause on liability does not ask for contents cover. If a clause expressly demands contents cover, a tenants' association can help with whether it is valid.
How much does contents insurance cost in Germany?
The premium follows mainly the floor area and the address. HUK24 publishes a ladder for Würzburg, a public-sector employee, no excess: EUR 27.64 for 75 square metres, EUR 36.51 for 100, EUR 43.81 for 120, EUR 51.11 for 140 and EUR 73.01 for 200 square metres a year.
The other figures in the catalogue are less firmly sourced. For Allianz (EUR 66), ERGO (EUR 62) and AXA (EUR 70) there are only entry prices from a 2024 capture, with no floor area stated. Getsafe, Feather and Lemonade price only in the app, Gothaer, R+V and Debeka only by quote.
HUK24 ladder and underinsurance waiver checked on huk24.de on 24 October 2026; the other premiums come from the catalogue records with their stated profiles.
How do you cancel contents insurance?
Besides ordinary notice there are two special rights. If the insurer raises the premium without more cover, you can cancel under § 40 VVG within one month of receiving the notice. After a claim, either side may cancel under § 92 VVG, within one month of the close of the settlement negotiations.
The insurer must give one month's notice. You cannot pick an end date after a claim that falls later than the end of the current insurance period. For ordinary notice, HUK24, Adam Riese and Getsafe are recorded as cancellable daily, AXA in its upper tiers, Allianz, ERGO, Gothaer, R+V and Debeka with three months' notice.
Step 1: Pick your ground for cancelling
Ordinary notice at the end of the term, after a price rise without a change in cover (§ 40 VVG), or after a claim (§ 92 VVG).
Step 2: Check the deadline
After a price rise you have one month from receiving the notice. After a claim you have one month from the close of the settlement negotiations.
Step 3: Send the cancellation in text form
By email, letter or the customer account, quoting your policy number and the end date you want.
Step 4: Start the new policy without a gap
Have the new contract start the day after the old one ends, so no week goes uninsured.
Moving: report it, do not cancel
Under the GDV model conditions, cover moves to the new flat on a move within Germany, and both flats are insured during the move. Report the move by the time it starts, with the new floor area. If the premium rises as a result, you may cancel within one month. On a move abroad, the cover does not follow you.
How we verified: §§ 40, 75, 81 and 92 VVG read on gesetze-im-internet.de, and the GDV model conditions VHB 2022 on gdv.de, all on 24 October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is contents insurance mandatory in Germany?
No. No law obliges tenants or owners to hold one, and every contents record in the catalogue is marked as not required by law. The Berliner Mieterverein calls it one of the most popular voluntary policies. What leases routinely ask for is personal liability cover.
Is my bike covered by contents insurance?
Only partly. According to the Verbraucherzentrale, a bike is covered at least against Einbruchdiebstahl, such as theft from a locked cellar or a locked garage. Stolen outside, even when locked, it is usually not covered. Add-on conditions for a higher premium close that gap, which the Verbraucherzentrale says pays off only for expensive bikes.
Are flooding and heavy rain covered?
Not in the base cover. In the GDV model conditions (VHB 2022), storm and hail are insured, but the further natural hazards such as flooding, backflow, earthquake, landslide and snow load only where separately agreed. At HUK24 this Elementarschutz carries a EUR 500 excess and a 14-day waiting period.
Does contents insurance pay the replacement value?
As a rule, yes. Under the GDV model conditions the insured value is the replacement value: what it costs to buy items of the same kind and quality new. That is the big difference from personal liability, which pays only current value for other people's things.
Does contents insurance continue after a move?
Within Germany, yes: under the GDV model conditions cover moves to the new flat, and both flats are insured during the move. Report the move by the time it starts, with the new floor area. If you move abroad, the cover does not follow you.
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