Business liability
Pays for care errors, damage in homes and lost keys, and is a precondition for the care contract with the long term care insurers.
Insurance broker / Business types / Health and care
Insurance for home care and domiciliary support services in Germany
A home care service (ambulanter Pflegedienst) works in dozens of other people's homes every day, with other people's keys, caring for people who fall, develop pressure sores or react badly to the wrong medication. Your carers drive thousands of kilometres a month to do it. The expensive claims are a care error with consequences, the lost master key of a housing complex and the accident on the round. This page shows what you must cover and what it costs.
The question almost everyone asks first
Who pays if a carer loses a patient's key?
Public liability, provided the loss of other people's keys is included, and with a high enough sum. For a single flat key it means a new lock; for a master key or the locking system of a housing complex it quickly means €10,000 to €50,000. Many basic tariffs set low limits here, so this figure belongs at the top of your checklist.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
Care errors
A fall during a transfer, a pressure sore, a scald while washing, wrongly prepared medication: injuries to people in need of care often become expensive and drawn out.
- 02
Keys in other hands
Your rounds depend on dozens of keys. If one is lost, whole locking systems often have to be replaced.
- 03
Accidents on the round
Tight schedules, many kilometres, double parking: small cars in home care see a lot of damage.
- 04
Damage in the home
A care bed is damaged, a washing machine overflows, a vase breaks. That is damage to other people's property in your care.
- 05
Backs and infections
Lifting, positioning, needlesticks and infections: carers run a high risk of workplace accidents and occupational diseases.
- 06
Billing and data
Round planning, care documentation and billing are digital. An outage stops visits and payments.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Fleet insurance
Motor liability is compulsory; from three vehicles a fleet policy is usually cheaper than separate policies.
Strongly advised
Cyber insurance
Helps when round planning, documentation or billing are encrypted and health data is affected.
Business contents
Replaces office, IT and care aids after fire, burst pipes and burglary.
Business legal expenses
For disputes with long term care insurers over billing, with the Medical Service (Medizinischer Dienst) or with relatives.
Depends on the business
Group accident insurance
Complements the Berufsgenossenschaft and pays your carers for accidents in their free time too.
Company pension (bAV)
Carers are scarce; a company pension or health insurance helps you keep them.
Company health insurance
Company health insurance is a popular extra in care for attracting skilled staff.
What it costs: example prices
Premiums depend mainly on the number of carers, turnover, medical treatment care and intensive care, and the number of vehicles. The fleet is often the biggest item.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Business liability | Small care service, up to five staff, €3 million cover | about €120 to €400 a year |
| Business liability | Service with 10 to 20 staff and medical treatment care, lost keys up to €100,000 | about €400 to €1,000 a year |
| Fleet insurance | Per small car on rounds, liability and fully comprehensive | about €500 to €1,000 a year |
| Cyber insurance | Care service with digital round planning and billing | about €400 to €1,000 a year |
| Business legal expenses | Care service with employees and contracts with the care insurers | about €500 to €1,200 a year |
For comparison: Public liability and office contents cost about as much a year as two monthly lease payments for a small car on your rounds.
Guide prices as of September 2026, based on published tariff examples and on our own quoting practice. Intensive care and shared care flats are priced separately; we obtain the exact quote for you.
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Starter
For: new service with a few carers and two vehicles
- Business liability
- Fleet insurance
- Business contents
Together about €1,500 to €3,000 a year
Request this package02
Care service
For: service with 10 to 25 staff, medical treatment care and its own fleet
- Business liability
- Fleet insurance
- Business contents
- Cyber insurance
- Business legal expenses
Together about €5,000 to €12,000 a year
Request this package03
All round
For: larger service with intensive care, shared care flats and staff retention benefits
- Business liability
- Fleet insurance
- Business contents
- Cyber insurance
- Business legal expenses
- Group accident insurance
- Company pension (bAV)
- Company health insurance
Together about €12,000 to €30,000 a year
Request this packageThe worst day in the home care service
Six things that really happen in home care services, all on a single Monday. Click through the day and see who pays.
Damage so far€93,500
-
On the early round a company car slides on a wet road into a parked car.
-
During a transfer from bed to wheelchair a patient falls and breaks her hip.
-
The master key of a sheltered housing complex is lost and the locking system has to be replaced.
-
The round planning system is encrypted; nobody knows who has to go where today.
-
After an audit the care insurer cuts your invoices; you object and go to court.
-
During a shower, water runs into the flat below because the drain was blocked.
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
- Set cover for lost keys, including other people's keys and locking systems, at no less than €100,000.
- Name every service in the policy: basic care, medical treatment care, intensive care, support, domestic help and shared care flats.
- Include damage to property in your care, such as the care bed or patients' aids.
- Clarify how your staff's private cars are insured on business trips; business travel comprehensive cover closes this gap.
- Keep careful records of care and information given: in a liability case the care documentation is your most important evidence.
- Check the sum insured if you take on intensive care: ventilated patients mean a considerably higher risk.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We know everyday care work
As a broker we compare several insurers and pay attention to where care services come unstuck: keys, property in your care and intensive care.
We know settlement from the inside
In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves. That knowledge helps when the care documentation is examined after a fall.
Business, fleet and team in one place
Liability, vehicles, staff benefits and your private cover are handled by one contact.
Family business since 1989
Advice is free, as the insurer pays our commission. We are reachable even when your day starts at six.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is business liability insurance compulsory for home care services in Germany?
No law requires it expressly, but in practice you will not get a care contract with the long term care insurers without proof of it. It is therefore a precondition for billing.
How much does public liability cost for a home care service?
For small services about €120 to €400 a year; for services with 10 to 20 staff and medical treatment care usually €400 to €1,000. Vehicles come on top.
Do my carers need their own professional liability?
Not for work in your service; they are covered by your business liability. Anyone doing freelance care on the side needs their own.
Are staff cars insured on business trips?
The employee's motor liability applies, but damage to their own car is paid only by their comprehensive cover, and their no claims discount suffers. Business travel comprehensive cover taken out by the company closes this gap.
Am I insured with the BGW as the owner of a care service?
Self employed people in care are normally insured with the BGW by law. Check your insured amount, as it determines the benefits after an accident.
What happens if a carer injures a patient?
The patient or their health insurer claims compensation from the care service. Your business liability examines the claim, pays justified demands and fends off unjustified ones.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Home care
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.
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Official classification
This page covers the following classes of the German WZ 2025 (identical to NACE at four digits):
- 88.10 Soziale Betreuung von älteren Menschen und von Menschen mit Behinderung
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), WZ 2025. All business types
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