Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG: cancelling, claims and complaints
Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft has its head office in Köln, Germany. The German regulator BaFin lists the company as a property and casualty insurer under register number 5858. This page explains where your cancellation must go, how to report a claim and how often customers complained to the regulator.
How to cancel with Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG
Send the cancellation to the address printed on your policy schedule (Versicherungsschein). If none is given there, the head office is the right address:
For contracts signed after 30 September 2016 a letter or an email is enough: German law no longer allows consumer contracts to demand more than text form (section 309 no. 13 of the Civil Code). Give your policy number, your name and the date the contract should end, and ask for written confirmation. A German letter is not required, but it avoids delays.
If the contract can be taken out on the insurer's website, the site must also offer a clearly visible cancellation button (section 312k of the Civil Code).
In Germany most motor policies run to 31 December, which makes 30 November the last day the cancellation can arrive. If your policy started mid year, count back one month from your own renewal date.
Special right to cancel: A premium increase, a reported claim and selling or deregistering the vehicle each carry their own deadline.
Property, liability, accident and legal expenses policies
three months before the renewal date
These contracts usually run for a year and renew automatically. To end one, the cancellation has to reach the insurer three months before the renewal date, not merely be posted by then.
Special right to cancel: On top of that, a claim you have reported and a premium increase without more cover each open a one month window to cancel, whatever the renewal date.
Reporting a claim to Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG
Report the loss as early as you can, ideally the same day. German insurance law requires you to notify the insurer without undue delay (section 30 of the Insurance Contract Act, VVG).
Keep the damage as small as is reasonable and do not throw anything away before the insurer has seen it or agreed (section 82 VVG).
Collect photos, receipts and the names of witnesses. For burglary, theft and vandalism you also need a police report.
Keep your policy number at hand. The claim number you are given will appear on every letter after that.
Contact details taken from the insurer's own website, checked on 15 October 2026. Your contract takes precedence.
Complaints about Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG to BaFin
Every year BaFin publishes how many complaints it closed about each company, split into eight classes of business. To make the figure meaningful we set it against the number of policies: complaints per 100,000 policies, next to the average of all insurers that report their portfolio.
Class
Year
Complaints
Policies
per 100,000
Market per 100,000
Health insurance
2025
2
n/a
n/a
3.50
Motor insurance
2025
93
1,591,168
5.84
2.95
Motor insurance
2024
27
1,589,487
1.70
1.91
Motor insurance
2023
31
1,541,808
2.01
1.28
General liability
2025
17
1,548,073
1.10
0.55
General liability
2024
15
1,571,193
0.95
0.52
General liability
2023
6
1,596,085
0.38
0.37
Personal accident
2025
4
623,402
0.64
0.16
Personal accident
2024
1
631,038
0.16
0.26
Personal accident
2023
2
642,389
0.31
0.19
Contents
2025
4
618,771
0.65
0.69
Contents
2024
5
642,375
0.78
0.68
Contents
2023
6
666,425
0.90
0.64
Buildings
2025
27
423,943
6.37
2.27
Buildings
2024
21
408,990
5.13
2.12
Buildings
2023
8
396,862
2.02
1.50
Rank 57 of 71 in Motor insurance (2025), by complaints per 100,000 policies, lower is better.
Rank 39 of 59 in General liability (2025), by complaints per 100,000 policies, lower is better.
Rank 21 of 34 in Personal accident (2025), by complaints per 100,000 policies, lower is better.
Rank 15 of 37 in Contents (2025), by complaints per 100,000 policies, lower is better.
Rank 42 of 46 in Buildings (2025), by complaints per 100,000 policies, lower is better.
What the figure does and does not say: BaFin does not assess whether a complaint was justified. A single large case can distort a year; BaFin attributes most of the 2025 increase to one single matter. Policy numbers are only shown where the company took more than 10 million euros in premiums in that class the year before, otherwise the table says n/a.
According to its own Solvency and Financial Condition Report for 2025, the own funds of Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG covered the solvency capital requirement at 181 per cent. The regulator requires at least 100 per cent.
What Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG is licensed to insure
BaFin lists 16 classes of business under Annex 1 of the German Insurance Supervision Act for which the company holds a licence:
01 Accident
03 Land vehicles (comprehensive)
04 Railway rolling stock
05 Aircraft
06 Ships (sea, lake and river)
07 Goods in transit
08 Fire and natural forces
09 Other damage to property
10 Motor vehicle liability
12 Liability for ships
13 General liability
14 Credit
15 Suretyship
16 Miscellaneous financial loss
17 Legal expenses
18 Assistance
A dispute with Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG: ombudsman and complaints
The Insurance Ombudsman scheme (Versicherungsombudsmann) is responsible. The procedure is free for consumers. Where the disputed amount is up to 10,000 euros, the decision binds the insurer; it never binds you, and you can still go to court. The limitation period is suspended while the case runs.
Where do I send a cancellation to Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG?
To the address on your policy schedule. If none is given there, to the head office: Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft, Gothaer Allee 1, 50969 Köln. For contracts from October 2016 a letter or email quoting your policy number is enough.
How many complaints were there about Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG?
In 2025 BaFin closed 147 complaints about Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG (Health insurance 2, Motor insurance 93, General liability 17, Personal accident 4, Contents 4, Buildings 27).
Who supervises Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG?
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). It lists the company as a property and casualty insurer under register number 5858.
Who mediates in a dispute with Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG?
The Insurance Ombudsman scheme (Versicherungsombudsmann) is responsible. The procedure is free for consumers. Where the disputed amount is up to 10,000 euros, the decision binds the insurer; it never binds you, and you can still go to court. The limitation period is suspended while the case runs. You can also complain to BaFin directly. Its consumer line is +49 800 2 100 500, weekdays 8 am to 6 pm.