Home Fire Protection: Ensuring Your Property against Fire-Related Destruction
Fire Insurance for Homes in Germany: What You Need to Know
Fire insurance for homes in Germany is an essential safety net for homeowners, providing coverage for damage to household contents caused by fire, explosion, lightning, and guided flying objects. Here's a breakdown of what you can expect from a fire insurance policy in Germany.
Coverage
A fire insurance policy typically covers damage to your household contents, including furniture, appliances, electronics, and other personal belongings inside the home. It may also cover related risks like water damage from firefighting efforts, theft, and sometimes storm or hail damage, depending on the policy. The insurance usually reimburses the replacement value (new-for-old) rather than depreciated value.
Building Damage
It's important to note that the actual building structure (walls, roof, windows) is covered under a separate policy called Gebäudeversicherung (building insurance), not under contents/fire insurance.
Valuation
The valuation of insured items under a fire insurance policy is based on the replacement value (new-for-old).
Sum Insured Calculation
The sum insured for home contents is usually estimated by a formula that multiplies the size of the flat in square meters by about €650 to cover the total value of household belongings.
Typical Monthly Cost
Hausratversicherung (home contents insurance including fire) typically costs just a few euros per month in Germany, often around €5 to €10 per month, depending on the sum insured and coverage options.
Additional Taxes
Additional costs such as Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) and Fire Protection Tax (FPT) may apply to the premium, varying with the insurer and specific risk class, but these do not significantly affect the basic cost for homeowners.
Other Important Considerations
In addition to a fire shell construction insurance, homeowners should also take out a Hausratversicherung (homeowner's liability insurance) to protect against personal and property damage on the construction site.
Gross negligence can result in a reduction of fire insurance benefits. Objects attached to the outside of the building, such as antenna systems or awnings, can be covered for an additional fee.
Photovoltaic, solar thermal, geothermal, and heat pump systems must be insured separately. The costs for a building insurance with fire protection depend on factors such as the state of structural fire protection measures, location, type of construction, equipment, and the insurance sum.
For exact pricing and coverage details, it is advisable to request quotes from multiple insurers, considering coverage limits and optional add-ons such as stolen bike coverage or valuable electronics.
For builders, a construction performance insurance is recommended, which protects against financial losses due to adverse weather conditions, vandalism, or material defects. A fire under-construction insurance is essential for builders and covers damage caused by fire, smoke, or fire extinguisher water. Intentional arson by the policyholder is not covered by fire insurance.
[1] Hausratversicherung: Was Sie über die Versicherung wissen sollten [2] Hausratversicherung: Was Sie wissen müssen [3] Hausratversicherung: Alles, was Sie wissen müssen [4] Hausratversicherung: Was Sie über die Versicherung wissen sollten [5] Hausratversicherung: Was Sie über die Versicherung wissen sollten
Sports enthusiasts may find it beneficial to complement their fire insurance with a separate policy covering expensive sports equipment, such as a Golfversicherung (golf equipment insurance) or Tennisversicherung (tennis equipment insurance).
Moreover, engaging in outdoor activities like gardening can also pose additional risks, so it's important to consider a Gartenversicherung (garden insurance) to protect against losses caused by unforeseen incidents like storm damage or theft.
