Is home contents insurance mandatory?
Home contents insurance covers damages to your belongings. Find out here whether this insurance is mandatory.
22.08.2023
Adobe Stock/Wasan
1. Is home contents insurance mandatory or optional?
In most cantons, home contents insurance in Switzerland is not mandatory for tenants or owners. However, home contents insurance is mandatory in four cantons:
Nidwalden
Vaud
Fribourg
Jura
In these cantons, insurance against fire and natural hazards is required by law. However, any additional cover is optional. Examples of additional cover are:
Simple theft
Glass breakage
Gross negligence
Cantonal insurance in the cantons of Nidwalden and Vaud
In Nidwalden and Vaud, you must take out insurance against fire and natural hazards via the cantonal buildings insurance provider. In the cantons of Fribourg and Jura, you are free to choose the insurer.
Insurance premiums can vary greatly from one insurer to another. It’s therefore worth comparing.
2. Supplemental liability insurance
Many insurers sell home contents insurance in conjunction with personal liability insurance. This liability insurance is optional in all cantons, however, it is highly recommended.
Personal liability insurance covers any damage or injury you cause to other people or objects. It also protects against unfounded claims for damages by third parties.
For example, you are riding your bike and collide with a pedestrian when you make a turn. In this case, you’ll have to pay for all the costs. This also includes any expensive related costs such as hospital stays.
This article was first published on 10.10.2018
