Business liability
As landlord's or property owner's liability, it pays when guests or neighbours are harmed because of your property.
Insurance broker / Business types / Hospitality
Insurance for owners who let holiday flats and holiday homes in Germany
If you let a holiday flat, you hand your property to strangers every week. Most of them treat it with care, but sooner or later the ceramic hob cracks, the bath overflows or a guest falls on the outside stairs. Standard German buildings and household contents policies often do not fit, because they are designed for homes you live in yourself. This page shows what you need and what it costs.
The question almost everyone asks first
Will my private liability policy pay if a holiday guest is injured?
Usually not. German private liability policies mostly exclude let property or cover only a single granny flat in a house you live in. For a holiday flat you need property owner's liability or, if you let commercially, business liability. It pays if a guest falls on the stairs, the balcony leaks or your wood burner sets something on fire.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
A guest falls
Outside stairs in the rain, a jetty on the lake, a loose rug edge: when a guest is hurt, they will check whether you neglected your duty to keep the property safe.
- 02
Water in the house
An overflowing bath, a burst washing machine hose, pipes frozen in the off season: water is the most common claim.
- 03
Guests damage the furnishings
Cracked hob, burnt sofa, dropped television. Not every guest owns up, and the deposit is rarely enough.
- 04
Storms and floods
Holiday homes like to sit on coasts, rivers and mountains. Storm surges, torrential rain and snow load are no rarity there.
- 05
Loss of rent
After water damage the flat cannot be let for weeks, and peak season bookings are lost.
- 06
Wood burner, sauna, pool
A wood burner, private sauna and pool make the property attractive and raise the risk of fire and accidents.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Buildings insurance
Replaces the holiday home after fire, burst pipes, storm and hail; commercial letting must be declared.
Strongly advised
Contents insurance
As furnishings insurance it replaces furniture, kitchen and equipment in the holiday flat, including damage caused by guests if included.
Natural hazard cover
Covers floods, torrential rain and snow load, which are particularly common in holiday regions.
Depends on the business
Business interruption
As loss of rent insurance it replaces lost bookings while the flat is out of use after damage.
Legal expenses insurance
For disputes with guests over deposits and damage, with booking portals or with the owners' association.
Solar panel insurance
If there is a solar installation on the holiday home, it covers storm, hail, theft and lost yield.
What it costs: example prices
Holiday lets are cheap to insure as long as the policies match how the property is used. What counts is location, value of building and furnishings, pool or sauna, and whether you let privately or commercially.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Business liability | Landlord's liability for one holiday flat, as an add-on or standalone | about €60 to €150 a year |
| Contents insurance | Furnishings up to €20,000, holiday flat in Germany | about €60 to €120 a year |
| Contents insurance | Furnishings up to €50,000, holiday home with high end fittings | about €75 to €190 a year |
| Business interruption | Landlord package with loss of rent up to 120 days and damage by guests | about €60 to €150 a year |
| Buildings insurance | Holiday home with a rebuild value of around €300,000, without natural hazards | about €300 to €800 a year |
For comparison: Landlord's liability and furnishings insurance cost about as much a year as one or two nights paid by your guests.
Guide prices as of September 2026, based on published tariffs for holiday lets and on our own quoting practice. Buildings premiums vary widely by region and year of construction, and natural hazard cover on coasts and rivers costs more; we obtain the exact quote for you.
Sources of the price examples
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Starter
For: one holiday flat in a block, with the building insured by the owners' association
- Business liability
- Contents insurance
Together about €120 to €280 a year
Request this package02
Holiday home
For: your own holiday home, let all year round
- Business liability
- Buildings insurance
- Contents insurance
- Natural hazard cover
Together about €550 to €1,300 a year
Request this package03
All round
For: several units, or a holiday home with pool, sauna and solar panels
- Business liability
- Buildings insurance
- Contents insurance
- Natural hazard cover
- Business interruption
- Legal expenses insurance
- Solar panel insurance
Together about €1,000 to €2,500 a year
Request this packageThe worst changeover day at the holiday let
Six claims of the kind holiday lets really see, all on one changeover Saturday in August. Click through the day and see who pays.
Damage so far€49,600
-
At check out it turns out the ceramic hob is cracked and the sofa has burn holes.
-
The cleaner finds an overflowed bath. The water has run into the flat below.
-
The flat cannot be let for three weeks and two bookings have to be cancelled.
-
The new guest slips on the wet outside stairs and breaks an ankle.
-
A thunderstorm with torrential rain floods the cellar with the boiler and laundry room.
-
The previous guest denies the damage, demands the deposit back and brings in a lawyer.
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
- Tell your buildings and furnishings insurer that you let to holiday guests; undeclared commercial use is a reason for cutting the payout.
- Include damage by guests expressly in the furnishings policy, otherwise it pays only for fire, water, storm and burglary.
- Choose liability cover of at least €5 million and check that pool, sauna, jetty and play equipment are included.
- Think about the off season: pipes in empty houses must be drained or heated in winter, otherwise the insurer will not pay for frost damage.
- Add natural hazard cover if your holiday home is near water, on a slope or in a snowy region.
- If your flat is in a block, check whether it is covered by the owners' association's (WEG) buildings policy and what the association requires for letting.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We adapt policies to letting
As a broker we compare several insurers and check whether your existing private policies even know about the letting. That is often where the biggest gap lies.
We know water damage
In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves, and water is our daily business. We know what to do after a burst pipe or a flood.
Holiday home and private cover together
Your own home, the holiday let and your family sit with one contact, so overlaps between policies get spotted.
Family business since 1989
Advice is free for you, as the insurer pays our commission. And many holiday homes are by the water, which is familiar ground for us.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
What insurance do I need for a holiday flat in Germany?
Landlord's or property owner's liability, buildings insurance with the letting declared, and furnishings insurance for the contents. Natural hazard cover and loss of rent insurance make sense.
Is my household contents policy enough for the holiday flat?
Usually not. Household contents insurance applies to your own home. A holiday flat needs its own furnishings policy that knows about the letting.
How much does insurance for a holiday flat cost?
Liability and furnishings for one flat usually cost between €120 and €280 a year. For your own holiday home with building and natural hazard cover, about €550 to €1,300.
Who pays if a guest breaks something?
First the guest, whose private liability policy often covers damage to rented property. If they do not pay, furnishings insurance that includes damage by guests, or a landlord package, steps in.
Does the deposit cover damage by guests?
Often only partly. A deposit of €200 or €300 covers a cracked hob, not water damage.
Do I need to join a Berufsgenossenschaft?
If you let commercially and employ cleaners or a caretaker, yes, usually the BGN, the statutory accident insurer for hospitality. If you let purely privately, check which statutory accident insurer is responsible for your help.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Holiday let
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
Official classification
This page covers the following classes of the German WZ 2025 (identical to NACE at four digits):
- 55.20 Ferienunterkünfte und ähnliche Beherbergungsstätten
- 55.40 Vermittlungstätigkeiten für Beherbergungsdienstleistungen
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