Professional indemnity
Professional indemnity covers wrong information, advice errors and oversights when brokering, valuing and writing particulars.
Insurance broker / Business types / Property and finance
Insurance for estate agents and agency offices in Germany
An estate agent does not really sell houses, you sell information: floor area, year of construction, energy certificate, rental income. If any of it is wrong, the buyer claims damages, and the amount is the drop in value of a whole property. On top of that come viewings in other people's homes and keys that go missing.
The question almost everyone asks first
Do I really need professional indemnity as an estate agent?
Not by law, but financially almost always. Public liability only pays if someone is injured or something is damaged. The typical agent's mistakes, a floor area copied without checking, water damage that was not disclosed, wrong information on whether a flat can be let, cause pure financial loss. Only professional indemnity for financial loss (Vermögensschadenhaftpflicht) covers that.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
Wrong details in the particulars
The floor area comes from an old calculation, the roof is supposedly new, the rent is said to be at market level. If it turns out to be wrong, the agent is liable for passing it on unchecked.
- 02
Failure to disclose
A damp cellar, a lawsuit running in the owners' association, a public easement in the land register: what the agent knew and did not say becomes expensive.
- 03
Viewings
A prospective buyer falls on the cellar stairs, a child knocks over a vase, a door no longer closes properly. That is a matter for public liability.
- 04
Keys
Agents often carry keys to several properties. If a bunch goes missing, the locking system has to be replaced.
- 05
Data protection
ID copies, proof of income, tenant self disclosure forms: agencies collect sensitive data, and a hacked mailbox triggers a duty to report the breach.
- 06
Commission disputes
Whether your introduction actually led to the sale, or whether commission is owed under the rule that whoever commissions the agent pays (Bestellerprinzip), is often decided in court.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Business liability
Covers injury and property damage at viewings and in the office, with lost keys as an important extension.
Strongly advised
Cyber insurance
Helps with hacked mailboxes, fake payment instructions and data breaches involving buyers' and tenants' personal details.
Business legal expenses
For commission disputes that end up in court and for disagreements with staff.
Depends on the business
Fleet insurance
For the company cars you drive to viewings every day.
Business contents
For the office, shop window and IT against fire, water, burglary and glass breakage.
What it costs: example prices
The premium for professional indemnity depends on turnover, the amount of cover and the excess. Brokering loans, valuations and property management push it up. Many insurers offer public liability and professional indemnity as a package.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Professional indemnity | Sole agent with 30,000 euros turnover, 100,000 euros of cover | about 175 to 250 euros a year |
| Professional indemnity | Agent with 60,000 euros turnover, 500,000 euros of cover, 500 euros excess | about 320 to 450 euros a year |
| Business liability | Agency with up to seven employees | about 60 to 180 euros a year |
| Cyber insurance | Agency with 300,000 euros turnover, 250,000 euros of cover | about 350 to 550 euros a year |
| Business legal expenses | Office with two employees | about 160 to 350 euros a year |
For comparison: For a sole agent, professional indemnity and public liability together cost about three to five percent of the commission from one side of a sale of a 300,000 euro flat.
Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026, based on published examples and our own quoting experience. Agents who also broker property loans under § 34i have their own minimum sums.
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Sole agent
For: Self employed agent working from home or a small office
- Professional indemnity
- Business liability
Together about 250 to 550 euros a year
Request this package02
Office
For: Agency with employees, a shop window and online listings
- Professional indemnity
- Business liability
- Cyber insurance
- Business legal expenses
- Business contents
Together about 1,000 to 2,000 euros a year
Request this package03
Full service
For: Agent offering valuations, mortgage broking, property management and company cars
- Professional indemnity
- Business liability
- Cyber insurance
- Business legal expenses
- Business contents
- Fleet insurance
Together about 2,500 to 5,000 euros a year
Request this packageThe worst day at the estate agency
Six things that really happen to estate agents, all packed into a single Thursday. Click through the day and see who pays.
Damage so far€92,500
-
A buyer has the flat measured: it is 11 square metres smaller than stated in the particulars. He wants the matching share of the price back.
-
During a viewing a prospective buyer falls down the unlit cellar stairs.
-
The bunch with the master key to a residential block is gone. The locking system for 24 households has to be replaced.
-
A fake payment instruction is sent to a buyer from the hacked office mailbox, and tenant disclosure forms have been stolen too.
-
A seller refuses to pay commission, claiming your introduction did not lead to the sale. The case goes to the regional court.
-
On the way to an evening viewing, the company car runs into the car in front. Damage to both vehicles.
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
- Never copy floor areas, construction years or rents without checking, and mark the seller's information as such in the particulars.
- Choose at least 250,000 euros of professional indemnity cover, and 500,000 euros or more for high value properties.
- Have lost keys for third party locking systems included in your public liability with a sufficient sum.
- List every activity in the policy: valuations, mortgage broking, rental management. Activities not listed are not insured.
- Protect the office mailbox with two factor login and always call back when a supplier or client changes bank details.
- Remember the training duty of 20 hours every three years under § 34c GewO.
Why NAMMERT for your business
Brokers for agents
We work as brokers ourselves, under a trade licence with compulsory insurance. Liability for advice and careful documentation are part of our own daily work.
We compare the wording
With professional indemnity, run off cover, the description of your activities and exclusions matter more than ten euros of premium. We get quotes from several insurers and show you the differences.
We know how claims work
In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. When a buyer makes a claim, we help you present the case clearly to the insurer.
Useful for your clients too
Buildings insurance, builder's liability and property owner's liability come up with every purchase. A family business since 1989, and free for you because the insurer pays our commission.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is professional liability insurance compulsory for estate agents?
Not for pure agency work under § 34c GewO. It becomes compulsory if you also broker property loans under § 34i GewO or manage homes for others.
How is it different from public liability?
Public liability pays for injury and property damage, such as a fall during a viewing. Professional indemnity pays when someone loses money because of wrong information.
What does insurance for an estate agent cost?
Professional indemnity starts at about 175 euros a year. Together with public liability, sole agents usually pay between 250 and 550 euros.
Is the agent liable for what the seller says?
In principle you may pass it on if you mark it as the seller's information and had no reason to doubt it. If you overlook obvious errors or present the details as your own, you are liable.
Is a lost key insured?
Only if lost keys are included in your public liability. Watch the sum, because locking systems in large buildings quickly cost five figures.
Does the insurance cover mistakes in valuations?
Yes, if valuation is listed as an activity in the policy. Reports used in court often need higher sums and a separate extension.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Estate agent
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.
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We will be in touch within one working day. If it is urgent: +49 3375 29 12 77.
Related trades
Is the minimum cover of 500,000 euros enough?
Aren't we covered by our contractors' insurance?
Do I need a separate policy for each licence?
Official classification
This page covers the following classes of the German WZ 2025 (identical to NACE at four digits):
- 68.31 Vermittlung von Grundstücken, Gebäuden und Wohnungen für Dritte
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), WZ 2025. All business types
Boat or yacht? Here we are not the broker but the underwriting agency, with our own policies and our own claims handling.
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