Compare home contents and personal liability insurance

Home contents insurance covers damage caused by fire, water, burglary, robbery, simple theft at home and natural hazards. You can also add extra cover, such as for simple theft away from home, furniture glass or luggage.

Household contents includes items such as furniture, clothes and home electronics. They are usually insured at their replacement value.

Your insurer will also pay out, up to the sum agreed in the policy, for any other costs resulting from the damage. This might include the cost of replacing locks, an overnight stay in a hotel and cleaning up and disposal work, for example.

Your household contents includes all your furniture, valuables, clothes and sports equipment as well as personal items brought into your home by guests (guests’ belongings).If you own any particularly valuable items such as jewellery or art, it’s a good idea to take out a separate valuables insurance policy for them.

Put simply, your household contents comprises everything you would take with you if you were to move home.

The sum insured should roughly cover the cost of replacing all your belongings if you had to buy the equivalent again new, i.e. the replacement value.

• Be careful of being underinsured:
  this occurs if the value of your household goods is higher than the sum insured. In the event of total loss, you will receive no more than the sum defined in the contract. In the event of a partial loss, the payout is reduced accordingly.

• Be careful of being overinsured:
  this occurs if the value of your household goods is lower than the sum insured. This is because in the event of damage or loss the insurance company will pay no more than the maximum replacement value of your contents.

Tip:
make sure the sum insured corresponds to the actual value of your contents. 
Check the sum insured regularly and in particular after the following events: moving into a new home, buying new furniture or valuables, moving in with somebody/somebody else moves in or when grown-up children leave the family home.

Home contents insurance distinguishes between the following types of theft:

• Burglary: this refers to all thefts from a room, apartment or house due to a break-in. In theory, it can also include thefts involving only a container being forced open.

• Simple theft at home: in this case, the thief does not encounter any major obstacles, i.e. the balcony door or window was left open, for example.

• Robbery: this includes thefts made under threat or through use of violence. It also applies abroad.

• Simple theft away from home: this an optional add-on covering events that occur when you’re out and about, such as pickpocketing and bicycle theft.

Personal liability insurance protects you financially if you accidentally cause harm to other people. This can include personal injury, property damage and financial loss.

As a rule, personal injury and damage to property caused by pets is also covered.

Please note: damages will only be paid out at the current value.

Exclusions are listed in the general conditions of insurance.
The following events are not covered, for example:

• Claims arising from damage or harm caused by a person living in the same household

• Loss or damage caused deliberately

• Property damage or personal injury caused by a motor vehicle

• Loss or damage arising in the context of a professional activity

Gross negligence is not covered unless you take out separate cover for it.