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.
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.
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.
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.
€1,800 · Paid by: Contents insurance
The cleaner finds an overflowed bath. The water has run into the flat below.
€9,500 · Paid by: Buildings insurance
The flat cannot be let for three weeks and two bookings have to be cancelled.
€2,800 · Paid by: Business interruption
The new guest slips on the wet outside stairs and breaks an ankle.
€12,000 · Paid by: Business liability
A thunderstorm with torrential rain floods the cellar with the boiler and laundry room.
€22,000 · Paid by: Natural hazard cover
The previous guest denies the damage, demands the deposit back and brings in a lawyer.
€1,500 · Paid by: Legal expenses insurance
Which package would you have had?
Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €49,600
Illustrative amounts before any excess.
What 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 handle 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.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
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
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