Contents insurance comparison 2026

Whether it is a flat fire, a burst pipe or a burglary – contents insurance replaces damaged or stolen household contents at replacement value (Neuwert). When comparing, look for a sufficient sum insured (€650/m²), a waiver of the underinsurance objection and optional natural hazards cover (Elementarschutz).

Example premiums from the tariff calculator (model flat, as of July 2026). The actual premium depends on living space, postcode and sum insured.

Contents insurance replaces your movable property – furniture, electronics, clothing, valuables – if it is destroyed, damaged or stolen through fire, tap water, storm/hail or burglary. You are reimbursed the replacement value (Neuwert), i.e. the price of buying an equivalent new item. Vandalism after a break-in and often hotel costs after a total loss are also covered.

• Sum insured – rule of thumb: €650 per m² of living space. Too low = underinsurance.
• Waiver of underinsurance (Unterversicherungsverzicht) – the insurer then pays the full loss without any reduction.
• Natural hazards (Elementarschäden) – flooding, heavy rain, sewage backflow: increasingly important, often only as an add-on.
• Bicycle theft – usually only up to a percentage or for an extra charge.
• Gross negligence – good policies waive any reduction in benefits (e.g. hob left on).

The sum insured should match the replacement value of all your household contents. The usual flat rate is €650 per square metre of living space – for 70 m² that is around €45,500. If you choose the insurer's flat rate (some use €700–750/m²), it usually waives the underinsurance objection – check the policy terms. You should check expensive collections or technology separately.

When a loss occurs, report it to your insurer without delay and, in the case of burglary, to the police as well. The insurer will usually ask for a list of the destroyed or stolen items with the year of purchase and approximate price. Under section 82 of the German Insurance Contract Act (VVG) you must also try to keep the loss small, for example by turning off the main water valve in the event of a leak and moving wet furniture out of harm's way.

If you have documented your belongings beforehand, you save a great deal of effort in an emergency. Photograph every room including cupboards and drawers, keep receipts for expensive purchases and note the serial numbers of electronic devices. Store these documents in the cloud so they are still available after a flat fire. The burden of proving ownership and value lies with you, not with the insurer.

As a rule the replacement value (Neuwert) is paid, with some policies only after the item has actually been replaced. For items that are no longer used on a permanent basis, such as old appliances in the loft, the usual policy terms often pay only the current market value. Read these rules before you sign up, because they determine how much money you actually receive.

If the sum insured is lower than the actual replacement value of your contents, this is called underinsurance. Without a waiver of the underinsurance objection, the insurer may reduce every claim proportionately. The legal basis for this is section 75 VVG. With a waiver of underinsurance, which many policies offer when you choose the flat sum per square metre, this reduction does not apply.

A worked example using freely chosen sample values: a flat has 70 m² and a sum insured of €45,500 (€650 per m²). In reality the household owns items with a replacement value of €60,000. If a loss of €10,000 occurs, an insurer without a waiver pays only €10,000 × 45,500 / 60,000, that is about €7,583. You bear the gap of roughly €2,400 yourself.

To avoid this, estimate your contents realistically once and compare the result with the flat rate. Anyone who owns expensive technology, musical instruments, collections or high-quality jewellery quickly exceeds the flat rate. In that case a higher sum insured is worthwhile and usually costs only a few euros more per year. Overinsurance, on the other hand, brings nothing, because at most the actual loss is paid.

Under section 81 VVG the insurer may reduce its payment if you caused the loss through gross negligence, for example an unattended burning candle or a permanently tilted window in the case of a burglary. The reduction depends on the degree of fault and can go down to zero. Policies that waive the gross negligence objection protect you against this, usually up to an agreed maximum sum.

When taking out the policy you must answer the risk questions truthfully, because under section 19 VVG a breach of this duty of disclosure can jeopardise your cover. If you sign up online you also have a 14-day right of withdrawal under section 8 VVG. Under section 6 VVG the insurer must advise you and document the advice, although simplified rules apply to direct online purchases.

Contents insurance contracts may run for a fixed term of three years at most and can be cancelled annually afterwards (section 11 VVG). After a claim, either side can cancel under section 92 VVG. If the insurer raises the premium without improving the cover, you have a special right of cancellation under section 40 VVG, which you must use within one month. It is therefore worth checking from time to time whether your policy still suits your home.

When you move, contents cover under the usual terms transfers to the new home. During the move there is usually cover in both the old and the new home for a limited period. Tell your insurer the new address and the changed floor area in good time so that the sum insured and premium fit. In a different postcode area the premium may change, because burglary and weather risks differ.

So-called outside cover protects items you have with you temporarily away from home, for example on holiday or in a hotel. It is usually limited to part of the sum insured, and theft from a car is often restricted or excluded. If you frequently travel with expensive luggage, read the limits in the policy terms carefully.

For cash, jewellery, securities, collections and similar valuables, compensation limits apply almost everywhere, stated either as a percentage of the sum insured or as a fixed amount. If these items are kept in a certified safe, the limits are often considerably higher. If you own particularly valuable individual pieces, separate cover may make sense.