Insurance for removal companies and furniture movers in Germany
On a move you carry other people's lives through other people's stairwells. A scratched grand piano, a broken glass cabinet, a hole in the freshly painted hallway: this page shows what you are liable for by law, what is compulsory and which cover carries your business.
What exactly am I liable for if something breaks during a move?
For household goods, § 451e of the German Commercial Code (HGB) sets liability at up to €620 per cubic metre of load space the move requires, so up to €18,600 for a 30 cubic metre move. Excluded among other things are precious metals, jewellery and cash, and goods the customer packed themselves where the damage comes from the packing. This limit does not apply to damage to the flat, stairwell or lift: there you are fully liable, and that is what public liability is for.
What goes wrong in this trade
01
Broken belongings
Glass, china, pictures, televisions: badly padded or shifting in the van, some things do not arrive in one piece.
02
Stairwell and lift
A wardrobe corner gouging the plaster, a scratch in the lift car, a snapped banister: property managers bill for every one.
03
Fitting
Kitchens, wardrobes and lights are dismantled and refitted. A wrongly connected tap floods the new flat.
04
Storage
Furniture in interim storage can be damaged by damp, pests or fire, and you are liable as warehouse keeper.
05
Backs and knees
Pianos, washing machines, five floors without a lift: removal crews have one of the highest risks of accidents and wear and tear.
06
Narrow streets
Manoeuvring in residential streets, temporary no parking zones and furniture lifts: parked cars and façades get damaged.
Carrier's liability for removals covers your liability for household goods under §§ 451 ff. HGB and is compulsory under § 7a GüKG for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.
Covers damage to flats, stairwells, lifts and neighbours' property as well as fitting damage, including damage to things you work on and escape of water.
Covers furniture lifts and external hoists against breakdown, operating errors and tipping over.
What it costs: example prices
Carrier's liability for removals is usually priced by turnover and has a minimum premium. On top come motor insurance per vehicle and public liability with enough cover for damage to property you work on.
Insurance
Example
Typical range
Cargo insurance
Carrier's liability for removals, small business, statutory liability under the HGB
from about €750 net a year
Cargo insurance
Goods in transit liability per 7.5 tonne lorry in regional traffic, for comparison
about €280 to €350 a year
Business liability
Removal firm with five staff, damage to property worked on and fitting damage, €5 million limit
about €600 to €1,500 a year
Fleet insurance
7.5 tonne box lorry, liability and comprehensive
about €2,500 to €5,000 a year
Group accident insurance
Per porter or casual helper, €100,000 disability benefit
about €80 to €180 a year per person
For comparison: Carrier's liability and public liability for a small removal firm cost about as much a year as a single move of a three room flat within the same town.
Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026.
The minimum premium and carrier premiums come from publicly quoted tariffs,
the motor figures from comparison data,
and public liability and group accident from our own quoting work.
Six things that really happen on removals, all on one Saturday. Tap through and see who pays.
Damage so far€39,000
Manoeuvring in a narrow residential street, the box body scrapes a parked van.
€3,800 · Paid by: Fleet insurance
A wardrobe grinds along the stairwell wall; three floors need replastering and repainting.
€4,600 · Paid by: Business liability
The customer's glass display cabinet breaks during loading.
€2,200 · Paid by: Cargo insurance
A porter slips on the stairs and tears a cruciate ligament.
€12,000 · Paid by: Group accident insurance
The television arrives with a cracked screen; it was not secured in the van.
€1,900 · Paid by: Cargo insurance
The dishwasher you connected is leaking. Water runs into the flat below.
€14,500 · Paid by: Business liability
Which package would you have had?
Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €39,000
Illustrative amounts before any excess.
What is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
Have damage to buildings, lifts and fittings you work on included at the full limit, not just a sub limit.
Fitting damage to kitchens, washing machines and lights must be expressly covered, ideally together with escape of water.
Offer customers with valuable belongings transit insurance at replacement value; it takes pressure off your liability and your claims record.
Tell customers in writing about the liability limit and the deadlines for reporting damage, otherwise the limit can fall away in a dispute.
Storage needs its own warehouse keeper's cover within carrier's liability, and the store itself needs the fire protection the insurer specifies.
Casual helpers and day labourers must be registered with the Berufsgenossenschaft; group accident insurance gives extra protection.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We separate belongings from stairwells
Carrier's liability and public liability must dovetail, otherwise a claim slips through the net. As a broker we compare several insurers on exactly this point.
We know how to work a claim
In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. We know how to document a loss with photos and a handover record so that it gets paid promptly.
Vehicles, crew and private life in one place
Removal vans, carrier's liability, accident cover for porters and your personal provision all run through us.
Family run since 1989
Free for you; the insurer pays our commission. You can reach us even when a customer calls on a Saturday evening.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
How much is a removal company liable for?
Under § 451e HGB, €620 per cubic metre of load space the move requires.
For 30 cubic metres that is up to €18,600, and in principle the current value is paid.
Is insurance compulsory for removal firms?
Motor liability always.
Goods in transit liability under § 7a GüKG is compulsory as soon as you use vehicles over 3.5
tonnes.
Who pays for damage in the stairwell?
Public liability, not carrier's liability.
Make sure damage to buildings you work in is included.
What does insurance for a small removal firm cost?
Carrier's liability, public liability and motor for a van based business usually come to €2,500 to
€5,000 a year, considerably more with several lorries.
Does the customer have to report damage straight away?
Visible damage no later than the day after delivery, hidden damage within 14 days.
You must point this out to the customer when the contract is made.
Are boxes the customer packed covered?
Damage caused by the customer's own packing is excluded from your liability under the HGB.
If you offer a packing service, you are liable for your packing.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Removal company
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