Professional indemnity
Required by your state's architects' act; covers bodily injury, property damage and financial loss arising from design and site supervision.
Insurance broker / Business types / Professional services
Insurance for architects, interior architects and design practices in Germany
A missing connection to the waterproofing, a fire safety detail that does not match the permit, site supervision that releases the screed too early: design errors often only show years later and then cost the demolition and rebuild. For self-employed architects in Germany, professional indemnity is a requirement of the chamber of architects. This page explains the sums that apply and what they cost.
The question almost everyone asks first
What sum insured does my chamber of architects require?
Each federal state sets its own rules. In North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg it is 1.5 million euros for bodily injury and 250,000 euros for property and financial loss; other states differ, and limited liability companies need higher sums. The chamber's figure is a floor: for new builds and refurbishment of existing buildings we recommend 3 million and at least 500,000 euros, because consequential damage to buildings quickly exceeds it.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
Waterproofing and damp
Missing or poorly designed waterproofing on basements, terraces and flat roofs is the most common source of large claims. Demolition and drying often cost many times the fee.
- 02
Site supervision
If you take on supervision, you share liability for defects in the contractors' work that you overlook. Clients like to pursue the architect because the architect is insured.
- 03
Costs and deadlines
A cost estimate that is far off or a missed grant application is a pure financial loss and a frequent point of dispute.
- 04
Fire safety and permits
If the design does not match the building permit or the fire safety concept, you face a ban on use, alterations and lost rent.
- 05
Accidents on site
On inspections and site management you and your team move between open floor openings, scaffolding and machinery.
- 06
Drawings and data
CAD files, BIM models and plans are all digital. A server encrypted just before a deadline puts dates and fees at risk.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Strongly advised
Cyber insurance
Pays for recovery and downtime if design data is encrypted shortly before a submission.
Electronic equipment
Replaces computers, plotters, scanners and surveying equipment after power surges, breakage and theft.
Business contents
Insures office furniture and models against fire, escape of water and burglary.
Occupational disability
The professional pension scheme (Versorgungswerk) often only pays for total disability; in a small practice, revenue stops at once without you.
Depends on the business
Business legal expenses
For fee claims under the German fee scale for architects and engineers (HOAI) and disputes with staff; fee disputes are common in the profession.
D&O insurance
For managing directors of an architects' GmbH or PartG mbB (limited liability partnership), who are personally liable to the company.
What it costs: example prices
The premium depends on fee income excluding VAT, the work stages you provide, the sum insured and the deductible. Site supervision and refurbishment of existing buildings make the policy more expensive.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Professional indemnity | Start-up practice, 3 million euros bodily injury and 300,000 euros other losses | around 400 to 1,000 euros a year |
| Professional indemnity | Interior architect with no involvement in structural or waterproofing design | around 300 to 800 euros a year |
| Professional indemnity | Practice with three architects, fees of 300,000 euros, all work stages | around 2,500 to 6,000 euros a year |
| Electronic equipment | Computers, plotter and measuring equipment worth 30,000 euros | around 150 to 400 euros a year |
| Cyber insurance | Design practice with five workstations | around 400 to 1,200 euros a year |
For comparison: Professional indemnity for a start-up practice costs about as much a year as one billed day of site supervision.
Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026, from published tariff examples; the example for the three-architect practice and the other lines are guide values from our own quoting experience. We obtain the exact quote for you.
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Chamber
For: Start-up, freelance work, interior design without site supervision
- Professional indemnity
Together around 300 to 1,000 euros a year
Request this package02
Practice
For: Practice with employees, new builds and conversions across all work stages
- Professional indemnity
- Electronic equipment
- Business contents
- Cyber insurance
Together around 3,500 to 8,000 euros a year
Request this package03
Firm
For: PartG mbB or GmbH with several partners and large projects
- Professional indemnity
- Electronic equipment
- Business contents
- Cyber insurance
- D&O insurance
- Business legal expenses
Together around 8,000 to 20,000 euros a year
Request this packageThe worst day in an architecture practice
Six things that really happen in design practices, all on a single Monday. Tap through the day and see who pays.
Damage so far€185,500
-
There is water in the basement of a family home. The waterproofing at the light well was missing from the design, and the basement walls must be dug out.
-
During a site inspection a client falls through an unsecured floor opening that you should have noticed.
-
The fire doors in the stairwell do not match the fire safety concept. Replacement plus two months of lost rent in the office building.
-
The server is encrypted two days before a competition deadline. Recovery and overtime.
-
A thunderstorm sends a power surge through the network; the plotter and two workstations are dead.
-
A client refuses to pay the final invoice and disputes the fee zone. You sue for your fee.
Which package would you have had?
Illustrative amounts before any excess. Whether and how much is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
- Ask your chamber for the exact minimum sums and how often they must be available per year; they differ from state to state and for firms.
- Choose at least 500,000 euros for property and financial loss if you refurbish existing buildings or take on site supervision.
- Check services outside the HOAI: project management, energy consulting, health and safety coordination (SiGeKo) and expert reports must be explicitly included.
- For large projects, add a single project policy so that one project does not use up the annual limit of your practice policy.
- Sort out run-off cover before you close the practice: design errors are often only time-barred five years after acceptance of the building.
- Watch out for joint ventures: if you design as part of an ARGE (a German joint venture), you need cover that deals with your own share and joint and several liability.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We know how the states differ
As a broker we compare several insurers and check that sums, annual limits and deductibles match your chamber's requirements.
We know how claims are settled
In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves. We help you document a damp claim properly and push the settlement forward.
One contact for practice and private life
Professional indemnity, office equipment, pensions and your private cover all sit with us in one place.
Family business since 1989
Our advice is free for you, as the insurer pays our commission. You have fixed contacts who know your practice.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is professional indemnity compulsory for architects in Germany?
Yes for self-employed and freelance chamber members, under the architects' act of your federal state. Without proof you cannot be registered as freelance, and the chamber is informed if the policy is cancelled.
What does professional indemnity for architects cost?
Start-up practices pay around 400 to 1,000 euros a year. With employees, site supervision and higher sums, a small practice quickly reaches 2,500 to 6,000 euros.
Do I need the insurance during parental leave?
In some states yes, as long as you are registered as freelance. Many insurers offer a low-cost dormant tariff without fee income for this.
Are employed architects covered?
Yes, through the practice's policy, as long as they act for the practice. Anyone taking on their own jobs on the side needs separate insurance for that.
What is a single project policy?
A policy for one building project only, often required by the client. It protects the practice from one large project using up the cover for all other jobs.
Does the insurer pay if construction costs are exceeded?
Only if an error in your cost calculation is proven and the policy includes the resulting financial loss. A general rise in market prices is not an insured event.
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Official classification
This page covers the following classes of the German WZ 2025 (identical to NACE at four digits):
- 71.11 Tätigkeiten von Architekturbüros
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), WZ 2025. All business types
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