Business liability
Covers accidents in the store and car park, and damage from hired tools, cutting services and products sold, provided hire and products liability are included.
Insurance broker / Business types / Retail and wholesale
Insurance for DIY stores, hardware shops and paint retailers in Germany
In a DIY store heavy goods are stacked almost to the ceiling, customers hire hammer drills and have timber cut to size, and the shelves hold paint, gas bottles and thinners. Together that makes a particular mix of liability and fire risks. This page shows how to insure them and what it costs.
The question almost everyone asks first
Am I liable if a customer is injured using a machine they hired from me?
Yes, if the machine was faulty or you did not show the customer how to use it properly. Your public liability policy then pays, provided equipment hire is included. Many retail policies cover only sales. Check every machine before it goes out, record the instructions you gave and hand out protective gear with it.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
Goods from above
Packs of tiles, sacks and boxes four metres up: if something falls while a customer pulls it out or staff restock, it lands on someone's head.
- 02
Tool hire
Hammer drills, tile cutters, trailers: inexperienced customers hurt themselves or damage other people's property.
- 03
Flammables on the shelves
Paint, thinners, aerosols and gas bottles can turn a small fire into a major one very quickly.
- 04
Forklifts and pallet trucks
Forklifts moving among customers and manoeuvring in the outdoor yard lead to accidents involving people and vehicles.
- 05
Wrong advice
The wrong wall plugs for kitchen cabinets or an unsuitable adhesive in the bathroom: any damage that follows at the customer's home tends to be blamed on whoever gave the advice.
- 06
Outdoor areas
Black ice in the car park, building materials in the open yard and storms over the garden centre are risks in their own right.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Strongly advised
Business contents
Replaces stock, racking and equipment after fire, water damage, storm and burglary, including goods in the outdoor yard if you add them.
Business interruption
Pays wages and fixed costs if the store cannot reopen for months after a fire.
Machinery breakdown
For forklifts, the panel saw, the paint mixing machine and hire tools against breakage, operating errors and defects.
Depends on the business
Commercial buildings
For owners who also own the store building, including roof, glazing and storm damage.
Fleet insurance
For delivery vans and hire trailers, where motor third party liability is compulsory.
Group accident insurance
Tops up the statutory accident cover from the Berufsgenossenschaft for staff who lift heavy loads and spend a lot of time on ladders.
What it costs: example prices
Small hardware and paint shops pay much the same as other retailers. A large store with high racking, tool hire and an outdoor yard is a bigger risk and is priced individually.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Business liability | Hardware or paint shop, turnover below 500,000 euros | around 200 to 600 euros a year |
| Business liability | Large store with tool hire and a cutting service | around 800 to 2,500 euros a year |
| Business contents | Stock and fittings worth 150,000 euros | around 400 to 1,000 euros a year |
| Machinery breakdown | Forklift, panel saw and hire tools worth 60,000 euros | around 300 to 900 euros a year |
| Business interruption | Loss of income for up to twelve months for a large store | around 400 to 1,200 euros a year |
For comparison: For a small hardware shop, a year of liability and contents insurance costs roughly as much as a set of professional cordless tools off its own shelves: drill driver, circular saw and sander.
Guide figures excluding insurance tax, as of September 2026. Figures for small shops follow published examples for retail; large stores with hire, machinery and business interruption are guide figures from our own quoting practice.
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Start
For: hardware, paint or wallpaper shop without tool hire
- Business liability
- Business contents
Together around 600 to 1,500 euros a year
Request this package02
Trade supplier
For: building materials and DIY retailer with cutting service, tool hire and a forklift
- Business liability
- Business contents
- Business interruption
- Machinery breakdown
Together around 2,000 to 5,000 euros a year
Request this package03
Superstore
For: DIY store with garden centre, outdoor yard and its own building
- Business liability
- Business contents
- Business interruption
- Machinery breakdown
- Commercial buildings
- Fleet insurance
Together around 6,000 to 15,000 euros a year
Request this packageThe worst day in the DIY store
Six losses of the kind DIY stores and hardware retailers really see, all on one Saturday in spring. Tap through and find out who pays.
Damage so far€181,500
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A customer pulls a pack of laminate from the top shelf and two more land on his shoulder. A fracture and six weeks off work.
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Returning a hired hammer drill, a customer reports that he drilled into his neighbour's water pipe because the depth stop was faulty.
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The panel saw jams, the blade snaps and damages the guide rail.
-
Manoeuvring in the outdoor yard, the forklift backs into a customer's car.
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In the paint department a rag soaked in linseed oil ignites, and shelves and stock go up in flames.
-
After the fire the store stays closed for two months in the peak season.
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
- Have tool hire, cutting to size and paint mixing named explicitly in your liability policy.
- Check whether goods in the outdoor yard and garden centre are covered against storm and hail.
- Follow the fire safety conditions for paint, gas bottles and aerosols, and store them exactly as the policy requires.
- Choose at least 5 million euros of cover for personal injury; with lots of customers and heavy goods, 10 million is more sensible.
- Insure hire tools against damage and theft while they are with the customer, under machinery insurance.
- Train forklift drivers regularly and close off aisles while restocking; insurers will ask what rules you have.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We sort out the extensions
Every insurer handles tool hire, cutting services and outdoor storage differently. As a broker we compare several quotes on exactly these points.
We know large claims
In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves, including fires and total losses. We know how loss of income is calculated and what you need to provide for it.
Store, vehicles and staff in one place
Building, stock, delivery vans, staff benefits and your personal cover are handled by one contact, on +49 3375 29 12 77.
A family business since 1989
Many hardware and building materials dealers are family businesses, just like us. Our work costs you nothing.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
What insurance does a DIY store need?
Public liability that includes tool hire and products liability, contents insurance for the stock and, for larger stores, business interruption and machinery insurance.
How much does insurance cost for a hardware shop?
Small shops pay around 200 to 600 euros a year for liability, and usually 600 to 1,500 euros together with contents insurance.
Am I liable for giving wrong advice?
If your advice was clearly wrong and it caused damage, you may be. Your liability insurer examines the claim and fends off any that are unjustified.
Is tool hire included?
Not automatically. Hire must be named in your liability policy, and the tools themselves need machinery or contents insurance that also applies away from the premises.
Will insurance pay for a fire caused by paint or solvents?
Yes, fire is covered. If the store does not keep to agreed storage conditions, however, the insurer may reduce the payout.
Who pays after a forklift accident?
On your own premises it is usually your business liability policy, on public roads the forklift's motor third party liability. Injured employees are looked after by the Berufsgenossenschaft, the statutory accident insurer.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for DIY store
The recommended covers are already ticked. Change what does not fit; we obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. You can write in English.
Thank you, we have your request.
We will be in touch within one working day. If it is urgent: +49 3375 29 12 77.
Related trades
Building materials, glass and ceramics
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Will the insurer pay if someone steals goods from my shop?
Official classification
This page covers the following classes of the German WZ 2025 (identical to NACE at four digits):
- 47.52 Einzelhandel mit Metallwaren, Anstrichmitteln, Bau- und Heimwerkerbedarf
- 47.53 Einzelhandel mit Vorhängen, Teppichen, Fußbodenbelägen und Tapeten
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), WZ 2025. All business types
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Boat insuranceNAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker. Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated