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Insurance for housing companies and housing cooperatives in Germany

Hundreds of flats, many building years and an escape of water claim every week: for housing companies and housing cooperatives in Germany, buildings insurance drives running costs and therefore rents. Add public safety duties, flooding and the liability of management and supervisory boards. This page explains what matters and what it costs.

Insurance for housing companies and housing cooperatives

The question almost everyone asks first

Why does our buildings premium rise every year although we renovate?

Because buildings insurers look mainly at claims history, especially escape of water. Back up your renovations with figures: replaced risers, leak detection and the claims ratio of recent years. With that we obtain quotes and negotiate deductibles that take frequent small claims out of the policy.

What goes wrong in this trade

  1. 01

    Escape of water

    Old risers, frost and corrosion: water damage is the everyday claim in residential portfolios.

  2. 02

    Fire in a block of flats

    A fire can make a whole stairwell uninhabitable; tenants need hotels and rents stop.

  3. 03

    Heavy rain and backflow

    Flooded cellars and underground car parks are not covered without natural hazard cover.

  4. 04

    Public safety duties

    Ice on the path, loose facade parts, broken playground equipment: injured people claim damages.

  5. 05

    Board liability

    Management and supervisory board members of a cooperative are jointly liable to it for breaches of duty.

Risk radar
Liability 4Fire and water 5Theft 2Cyber 3Downtime 3Health 2

Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.

The insurance you need

Essential

Buildings insurance

Combined buildings cover for fire, escape of water, storm and hail with loss of rent, usually as a framework contract for the whole portfolio.

Business liability

Property owners' liability for public safety duties, plus liability from management and building work.

Strongly advised

D&O insurance

Protects management and supervisory board members against personal claims.

Cyber insurance

For attacks on tenant portals, accounting and service charge systems.

Depends on the business

What it costs: example prices

Buildings insurance is the biggest item. It depends on floor space, building year, construction, location and above all claims history.

InsuranceExampleTypical range
Buildings insuranceCooperative with 300 flats, 20,000 square metres, average claims historyabout €40,000 to €80,000 a year
Natural hazard coverSurcharge for the same portfolio outside flood zonesabout 10 to 25 percent of the buildings premium
Business liabilityProperty owners' liability for 300 flats, €10 million limitabout €1,500 to €4,000 a year
D&O insuranceManagement and supervisory board of a cooperative, €2 millionabout €1,500 to €4,000 a year

For comparison: One euro more buildings premium per square metre means €20,000 a year on 20,000 square metres.

Guide figures from our own quoting work, excluding German insurance premium tax, October 2026.

Buildings premiums vary strongly with claims history.

Sources of the price examples

Our suggestions: three packages

01

Small portfolio

For: Cooperative or company with up to 100 flats

  • Buildings insurance
  • Business liability
  • Natural hazard cover

Together about €15,000 to €35,000 a year

Request this package

02

Medium portfolio

For: 100 to 1,000 flats with in house management

  • Buildings insurance
  • Business liability
  • Natural hazard cover
  • D&O insurance
  • Cyber insurance

Together individual, depends strongly on claims history

Request this package

03

With solar

For: Portfolio with rooftop systems and tenant electricity

  • Buildings insurance
  • Business liability
  • Solar panel insurance

Together individual

Request this package

The worst day at a housing company

Five things housing companies really go through, all on one January day. Click through and see who pays.

Damage so far€347,000
  1. Frost bursts a riser and floods four flats.

    €45,000 · Paid by: Buildings insurance

  2. A tenant slips on the ungritted path to the bins.

    €12,000 · Paid by: Business liability

  3. Ransomware stops the service charge accounts.

    €60,000 · Paid by: Cyber insurance

  4. The cooperative claims damages from the board over a loss making land purchase.

    €150,000 · Paid by: D&O insurance

  5. Heavy rain floods an underground car park.

    €80,000 · Paid by: Natural hazard cover

Which package would you have had?

Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €347,000

Illustrative amounts before any excess.

What is paid depends on the policy terms.

Practical tips from your broker

  1. Show insurers your renovations and claims statistics; that is the strongest argument for better terms.
  2. Agree an escape of water deductible that takes frequent small claims out of the policy.
  3. Check natural hazard cover for the whole portfolio, not only buildings near water.
  4. Make sure D&O covers both the management and the supervisory board.
  5. Keep sums insured up to date to avoid underinsurance.

Why NAMMERT for your business

We work with your figures

We prepare claims history and renovations so insurers can use them in their quotes.

Broker, not insurer

Norman Nammert acts as an insurance broker and obtains quotes from several insurers. The insurer pays our commission.

In English, under German law

For international owners and boards we explain German policies in plain English.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Is buildings insurance compulsory for housing companies?

Not by law.

Lenders regularly require it, and without it the company bears every fire and water claim itself.

Does the board of a cooperative need D&O?

Board members are jointly liable to the cooperative for breaches of duty under sections 34 and 41

of the Cooperatives Act.

D&O protects their private assets.

Can insurance costs be passed on to tenants?

Property and liability insurance for the building are operating costs under section 2 no.

13 of the Operating Costs Ordinance and can be passed on if the tenancy agreement provides for it.

What does buildings insurance cost for a portfolio?

Roughly €2 to €4 per square metre a year, depending on age and claims history.

These are guide figures from our quoting work.

Must a cooperative belong to an auditing association?

Yes, under section 54 of the Cooperatives Act.

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request quotes for Housing company

The recommended covers are ticked.

Change what does not fit; we compare quotes, in English.

1Who is it for?
2Which insurance?

Choose as many as you like. For each one, the details an insurer needs for a quote appear below.

Personal

Business

3Details

Buildings insurance in Germany (Wohngebäudeversicherung)

If fully renovated, please mention the year in the message field

Natural hazard cover in Germany (Elementarschadenversicherung)

If you know your ZÜRS class, please mention it in the message field

For example 1914 value, living space or contents sum

Business liability insurance in Germany (Betriebshaftpflicht)

For example electrical installation in homes, café with outdoor seating, online shop for furniture

For example work at clients' sites, own products, exports to the US, parent company abroad

Directors and officers insurance in Germany (D&O)

Known circumstances must be disclosed, otherwise cover may be lost

Cyber insurance for businesses in Germany

Rule of thumb: cost of three to four weeks of downtime plus recovery

4Your current policy
5How can we reach you?

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Boat insurance

Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT.

Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act.

Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company.

It does not arrange your contract.

Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated