Overview of important home insurance policies for homeowners
Damage to your building can quickly run up high costs. With the right home insurance, you can limit the financial impact. Comparis provides an overview of the most important insurance policies you will need for your own home.
14.10.2025
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1. What insurance do I need for my home?
In Switzerland, most insurance policies for privately owned homes are optional. See below for an overview of those that are compulsory. The obligation to take out insurance varies from canton to canton.
Building insurance
Building insurance covers damage caused by fire and natural events. In 22 of the 26 cantons, building insurance against fire and natural events is compulsory for private homeowners. Building insurance is voluntary in the cantons of Geneva, Ticino, Appenzell Innerrhoden (with the exception of the district of Oberegg) and Valais.
In most cantons, buildings must be insured by the respective cantonal building insurance. Exception: in the so-called Gustavo cantons, insurance is provided by private providers. These are the cantons of Geneva, Uri, Schwyz, Ticino, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Valais and Obwalden.
Good to know: building insurance for owner-occupied apartments
For owner-occupied apartments, the community of owners usually takes out insurance cover for the entire building. Each owner pays a share of the premiums. It is not necessary to take out separate building insurance for the individual apartment.
Home contents insurance
Home contents insurance covers damage to movable objects in the household, provided they are not fixed to the building (e.g. furniture).
In most cantons, home contents insurance is optional. Exception: in the cantons of Nidwalden, Vaud, Fribourg and Jura, some elements of home contents insurance are compulsory. These include insurance against fire and natural events.
Insurance premiums can vary from one insurer to another. It’s therefore worth comparing the premiums.
Earthquake insurance
Earthquake insurance covers damage caused to your home as a result of an earthquake. In almost all cantons, earthquake insurance is optional. Earthquake insurance is required by law in the canton of Zurich only. It assumes the costs up to a maximum of one billion francs. However, it only covers damage to the building and not to household contents.
2. Optional home insurance
With the right insurance, you can protect yourself from high costs incurred for damage to your home. Here, you can find an overview of the voluntary home insurance policies.
Personal liability insurance
Imagine that a tile comes off your roof and hits a parked car, or someone falls on the poorly-lit steps outside your house. As the owner of the home, you are liable for the damage and injury incurred. Personal liability insurance covers this risk, specifically for owners of:
Owner-occupied single-family homes
Owner-occupied multi-family homes (with a maximum of three apartments and no commercial space)
Personal liability insurance is optional in all cantons. Get an overview of personal liability insurance in Switzerland.
Building liability insurance
Does a property contain commercial premises or more than three apartments? If so, voluntary building liability insurance is worthwhile. It provides cover against claims from third parties who have suffered loss, damage or injury on the property.
Special rules apply to co-owners and condominium owners. Damage between co-owners is often only partially or not at all included in building liability insurance. The precise rules are set out in the general insurance conditions.
Building water damage insurance
Building water damage insurance covers damage caused by water. This damage may be caused by leaking pipes or rain getting in to the building. Consequential damage caused by an accumulation of wastewater or groundwater is also covered.
Building water damage insurance is optional. The contractual conditions vary depending on the insurer. In the event of a claim you will have to determine whether your building insurance or building water damage insurance will pay.
Glass breakage insurance
Glass breakage insurance is an add-on to home contents insurance or can be included in building insurance. A distinction is made in principle between furniture glass (e.g. glass cabinets, glass tables) and glazing in buildings (e.g. windows).
Please note that, unlike a tenant, you as the property owner should insure the building glass. You can do this through your building insurance. If you have a lot of glass furniture, it is also worthwhile taking out the glass breakage insurance add-on to your home contents insurance.
Condominium owners should take out building glass insurance for shared spaces. Some insurance covers all glass and glazing in a condominium.
Legal protection insurance
Landlords might wish to look into legal protection insurance so that they are covered in the event of any disputes. Make sure to clarify in detail which products or supplemental insurance cover such disputes.
3. Costs of insuring your home
The cost of the various home insurance policies depends on various factors. These include:
Place of residence
Building type and size
Individual insured value
Scope of cover
Any deductibles and additional benefits
Insurance premiums often vary greatly depending on the canton, property and personal circumstances.
4. FAQs on home insurance in Switzerland
When you buy a property, all insurance contracts are automatically transferred to you as the new owner in accordance with Art. 54 of the Insurance Policies Act. You have 30 days after the change of ownership in which to reject the transfer, which you must do in writing.
It is not only for home insurance policies that a comparison is worthwhile. Comparing mortgage deals is also important, as there are big savings to be made.
Damage caused by martens is not usually included in basic building insurance cover. However, you can take out supplemental insurance that offers protection against damage caused by martens. As a rule, the additional coverage includes the costs for repairs to insulation, cables and other fixed parts of the building.
There are many risks involved in building and renovating a house. Depending on the construction phase, different types of insurance are worth taking out.
Builders' liability insurance is recommended from the start of construction. It covers potential damage caused by construction work, for example by collapsing scaffolding or theft on the construction site.
During the construction phase, the property developer is liable for damage to third parties, even if they are not personally responsible for the damage caused. Principal's liability insurance protects against the financial consequences of such damage.
after the renovation work is complete. Warranty insurance covers financial risks due to construction defects.
Good to know: inform your building insurance company after a renovation. In most cases, a renovation increases the value of the property. If you do not adjust your building insurance accordingly, you may be underinsured. This means that in the event of damage, you will not be reimbursed for the full costs.
This article was first published on 18.01.2019
