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Hausratversicherung: Is Household Insurance Worth It?

By the GoGermany Editorial Team · 2026-08-03

What German household contents insurance actually covers, how the sum insured is set at ~€650/m², the bicycle-theft add-on, 2026 costs, and an honest verdict on whether it is worth it.

When you move into a flat in Germany, you quickly learn that Germans insure almost everything. One of the most popular voluntary policies is Hausratversicherung (household contents insurance) — cover for the stuff inside your home: furniture, electronics, clothes, kitchen equipment, bikes. Unlike health cover it is not legally required, but it is cheap and protects against a real risk. This guide explains exactly what it covers, how the sum insured is calculated from the size of your flat, the bicycle-theft add-on, what it costs in 2026, and — the honest question — whether it is actually worth it for you.

What Hausratversicherung actually covers

Hausratversicherung protects your movable possessions (Hausrat — essentially everything that would fall out if you turned your flat upside down: furniture, appliances, clothing, electronics, crockery) against a defined set of perils. A standard policy covers damage or loss from:

• Feuer (fire), lightning strike and explosion
• Leitungswasser (tap/pipe water) — e.g. a burst washing-machine hose or a leaking pipe soaking your belongings
• Einbruchdiebstahl (burglary) — theft after someone breaks in, plus vandalism during the break-in
• Sturm und Hagel (storm and hail) — typically wind of at least force 8, and hail damage to your things

It pays the Neuwert (replacement-as-new value) — what it costs to buy the item new today, not its depreciated second-hand value. So if a burst pipe ruins a five-year-old sofa, you get enough to buy a comparable new one.

Important scope notes:

• It covers your contents, not the building. Walls, roof, fixed installations and the structure are covered by Wohngebäudeversicherung (buildings insurance) — the owner's policy, not yours as a tenant.
• Cover usually extends to belongings temporarily outside the home (Außenversicherung — external cover), e.g. a laptop stolen from a hotel room, up to a percentage of the sum insured.
• Money, jewellery and other valuables are covered only up to a sublimit (often a set percentage), unless kept in a certified safe.

What it does NOT cover

Knowing the gaps matters as much as the cover:

• Simple theft without a break-in (einfacher Diebstahl) — a bag snatched on the street or a phone left on a café table is generally not covered.
• Bicycle theft is only covered if the bike is taken during a break-in (e.g. from a locked cellar), unless you add the Fahrraddiebstahl (bicycle-theft) rider — see below.
• Elementarschäden (natural-hazard damage: river flooding, backed-up drains, earthquakes) are an optional add-on, not standard — increasingly worth having as flooding becomes more frequent.
• Damage you cause to other people or their property — that is what Privathaftpflichtversicherung (personal liability insurance) is for, a separate and highly recommended policy.
• Gross negligence (grobe Fahrlässigkeit) was traditionally excluded; many modern tariffs now include it up to the full sum — check the wording.

How the Versicherungssumme is set

The Versicherungssumme (sum insured) is the maximum the insurer will pay, and it should equal the total replacement value of everything you own. Rather than making you inventory every fork, German insurers use a simple rule of thumb tied to the size of your home:

A flat rate of roughly €650 per square metre of living space (Wohnfläche).

So a 60 m² flat gives a sum insured of about €39,000. If you insure to this recommended figure, the insurer waives the Unterversicherung (underinsurance) penalty — meaning they won't cut a payout on the grounds that you were under-covered. If you own unusually little (a sparsely furnished student room) you can insure for less; if you own a lot of high-end electronics or designer furniture, choose a higher sum than the flat rate suggests.

Use our living-cost calculator to see how a €5–12/month premium fits your overall monthly budget in Germany.

The Fahrraddiebstahl add-on

Germany runs on bikes, and bike theft is common in cities. As standard, your bicycle is only covered if stolen during a burglary. To cover it being taken from a public bike rack or the street, add the Fahrraddiebstahl (bicycle-theft) rider. Key points:

• Cover is usually capped at a percentage of the sum insured (often 1–5%) or a fixed amount you choose — set it to match your bike's value, especially for an e-bike.
• Historically, theft between 10 pm and 6 am was only covered if the bike was in use (the Nachtzeitklausel — night-time clause). Many modern tariffs have dropped this, but check.
• You must use a proper lock, be able to prove ownership (keep the receipt) and report the theft to the police.

For an e-bike worth €2,500, the add-on typically costs an extra €30–80/year — often cheaper than a standalone bike-insurance policy.

What it costs in 2026

Hausratversicherung is one of the cheapest policies in Germany. Premiums depend on your postcode (theft/flood-risk zone), the sum insured, your Selbstbeteiligung (excess/deductible), and any add-ons.

Choosing an excess of €150 typically cuts the premium noticeably. Compare tariffs on portals such as Check24 or Verivox, or via an independent broker — cover and sublimits vary more than the price does, so read what is included, not just the headline figure.

Is it worth it? An honest verdict

It is usually worth it if:

• You own belongings that would cost real money to replace all at once (furniture, laptop, TV, kitchen, phone, bike) — for most people that is €10,000–30,000 of things you never think about until a pipe bursts.
• You live in a ground-floor or city-centre flat with higher burglary risk.
• You own an expensive bike or e-bike (with the add-on).

It may not be worth it if:

• You are in a furnished short-term rental where the contents are not yours.
• You genuinely own very little — a student with a mattress, a laptop and some clothes might rationally self-insure.

Because the annual cost (often €60–120) is small relative to a total loss, most established households in Germany take it out. For newcomers, the bigger, non-negotiable priorities are Privathaftpflichtversicherung (personal liability) and health cover — see our guide to health insurance in Germany. Hausrat sits just below those on the priority list.

How to take out a policy

1. Measure your Wohnfläche and calculate the sum insured (m² × €650), or let the insurer's calculator do it.
2. Decide on add-ons: Fahrraddiebstahl and Elementarschäden are the two most people consider.
3. Compare at least three tariffs on the included cover, sublimits and clause wording — not just price.
4. Set a Selbstbeteiligung (excess) if you want a lower premium.
5. Sign up online. Cover usually starts the next day, and policies typically run yearly with a modest notice period to cancel.

Sorting out contents insurance is part of the wider settling-in checklist alongside finding a flat and registering — see our housing guides for the rest of the move-in process, and keep building your German so you can read the policy fine print with our learn German course.

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