Are garden furniture and barbecues on a balcony or terrace insured?
In short
Partly. Under German contents insurance, your balcony, loggia and adjoining terrace are part of the insured flat, so garden furniture and barbecues there are insured against fire. Storm and hail are excluded for items outdoors in the model terms. Theft from an open terrace is simple theft and only covered with a garden furniture clause, often up to 1 percent of the sum insured, so EUR 600 on EUR 60,000.
Limits from published benefit summaries and premiums from publicly quoted examples, 2025 and 2026.
Example
Typical range
Theft of garden furniture and barbecues on the plot, tariff example
1 percent of the sum insured, so EUR 600 on EUR 60,000
Storm and hail for items on the plot, basic tariff in the example
EUR 0, not covered
Storm and hail for items on the plot, higher tariff in the example
up to EUR 10,000
Contents insurance, 80 square metres, Dresden to Düsseldorf
about EUR 23 to 54 a year
As of October 2026.
The limits come from benefit summaries of individual tariffs; other tariffs set other amounts.
The extra cost of a tariff with storm cover on the plot is a guide value from our quoting
practice: often EUR 10 to 40 a year.
The worked figures are guide values too.
Worked example
Terraced house with patio, three losses in one year
Sum insured EUR 65,000, garden furniture clause at 1 percent that names barbecues, no storm cover on the plot. The loss amounts are assumed values.
Lounge set worth EUR 1,400 stolen from the terrace overnight
EUR 650 (1 percent of 65,000)
Storm knocks over parasol and chairs worth EUR 500
EUR 0
Gas barbecue worth EUR 900 taken from the forced garage
EUR 900, burglary
Of EUR 2,800 in losses, the tariff pays EUR 1,550, minus any agreed excess. With storm cover on the plot it would have been EUR 2,050. Had the clause not named barbecues, a barbecue stolen from the terrace would have got nothing.
Balcony and terrace count as part of your flat
Under the model terms of German insurers, loggias, balconies and terraces directly attached to the building are part of the insured flat. So are rooms in outbuildings and garages on the plot that only you use. A garden shed at the far end of the garden or a free-standing patio is not automatically included.
If the barbecue on your balcony is destroyed in a fire in the flat, contents insurance pays as for any other item. An explosion, for example of a gas cartridge, is an insured peril too.
What happens
Under the model terms
Note
Fire spreads to the balcony, furniture burns
yes
replacement value up to the sum insured
Storm blows the lounge set off the balcony
no, items outside buildings
some tariffs include storm on the plot
Hail damages the barbecue on the terrace
no, items outside buildings
same as storm
Chairs stolen overnight from the open terrace
only with a garden furniture clause
limit often 1 percent of the sum
Barbecue stolen from the terrace
only if the clause names barbecues
otherwise nothing, see the ruling below
Shed or garage broken into, barbecue gone
yes, burglary
if the room on the plot is for your use only
Storm and hail: the biggest gap
The model terms exclude storm and hail for items outside buildings. The only exceptions are aerials, awnings and plug-in balcony solar panels. Cushioned furniture on an open terrace, a parasol or a barbecue in the open are therefore not covered in basic cover.
Some tariffs add storm and hail for items on the plot. In one published benefit summary this is missing in the basic tariff and covered up to EUR 10,000 in the higher one. If your terrace is expensively furnished, check this point.
Theft: read the clause and the word barbecue
Someone carrying furniture off an open terrace does not break in anywhere. That is simple theft, which basic cover does not include. The model terms provide a separate clause for theft of garden furniture on the plot or from shared rooms, with a limit set by the insurer. One published benefit summary sets it at 1 percent of the sum insured and names barbecues and outdoor kitchens explicitly.
For barbecues, the exact wording matters. A local court in Bad Segeberg ruled that a stainless steel barbecue is neither garden furniture nor a garden tool, so a clause naming only those two pays nothing (judgment of 22.12.2011, 17 C 116/11). Newer tariffs often name barbecues, older contracts often do not.
When you need nothing extra
If you have two folding chairs and a small charcoal barbecue on the balcony, it is not worth switching tariffs. The possible loss is small, and fire is covered anyway.
With a lounge set worth EUR 2,000, a gas barbecue or an outdoor kitchen, three points matter: barbecues named in the theft clause, a limit that fits the value, and storm and hail on the plot. Often the cheapest protection is a lockable garage or shed: anything stored there over winter is fully covered against burglary.
Step by step
Estimate the value of furniture, barbecue, cushions and parasol outside.
Check whether your contract has a garden furniture theft clause and whether barbecues are named.
Check whether storm and hail are covered for items on the plot.
If the value is high, ask for a higher limit or a tariff with storm cover outdoors.
Store expensive items in a lockable garage or shed over winter and when a storm is forecast.
Checklist
Garden furniture theft clause included
Barbecues and outdoor kitchen named explicitly
Clause limit fits the value of your outdoor items
Storm and hail on the plot if your terrace is expensively furnished
Photos and receipts of lounge set and barbecue saved
Common mistakes
Assuming everything on the terrace is insured like items inside
Relying on a clause that names only garden furniture for an expensive gas barbecue
Leaving cushions and parasol out when a storm is forecast
Treating an unlockable garden shed as an insured location
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is the barbecue on my balcony covered in a fire?
Yes.
The balcony is part of the insured flat, and fire and explosion are covered there.
Does contents insurance pay if a storm wrecks my garden furniture?
Not under the model terms, because items outside buildings are excluded for storm and hail.
Some tariffs include it, up to EUR 10,000 in the example.
Is my awning covered?
A privately used awning that serves only your flat counts as contents under the model terms and is
explicitly covered against storm, even though it is outdoors.
What about items in a shared garden?
The garden furniture clause applies on the insured plot and in shared rooms.
With several buildings on one plot, only the part clearly belonging to your flat counts.
Is a plug-in balcony solar panel covered?
Under the model terms it counts as contents, including against storm,
with a limit set by the insurer.
Should I switch tariffs just for the terrace?
Only if your outdoor items are expensive.
For two chairs and a small barbecue the difference is too small.
