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What is the outside-the-home cover in German contents insurance?

In short

German contents insurance also protects your belongings while they are temporarily away from your flat, for example on holiday, at the office or with your child at university. This part is called Außenversicherung. It applies worldwide, usually for up to three months, and normally pays at most 10 percent of your sum insured. Simple theft, such as a bag taken from the beach, is not covered.

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What is the outside-the-home cover in German contents insurance?

What it costs

The outside cover costs nothing extra. What matters is how much it pays. Figures from publicly described policy terms.

Example	Typical range
Sum insured EUR 50,000, standard limit 10 percent	up to EUR 5,000 away from home
Sum insured EUR 120,000, 10 percent with cap	up to EUR 10,000 instead of EUR 12,000
Extended limit by contract	up to 15 percent, at most EUR 15,000
Time limit	usually up to 3 months, in some tariffs up to 6 months

As of September 2026, from publicly described policy terms. The surcharge for a higher limit is a guide value from our quoting practice: usually a few euros a year. Your own policy terms decide.

Worked example

Break-in at a holiday rental in Portugal

A couple with a sum insured of EUR 60,000 are away for two weeks. Someone breaks into the rental at night and takes a laptop, a camera and a watch.

Loss at replacement value	EUR 7,400
Outside cover limit (10 percent of EUR 60,000)	EUR 6,000
Police report at the location	required, otherwise the payout may be cut
Your own share above the limit	EUR 1,400

The insurer pays EUR 6,000. Had the camera simply vanished from a sun lounger, there would be no payout.

How it works

Your contents insurance is tied to the flat named in the policy. When you take things with you, such as your laptop to a hotel or your camera on a trip home, they stay insured through the Außenversicherung as long as they are only away temporarily.

The same perils apply as at home: fire, lightning, explosion, burst pipes, storm and hail, burglary and robbery. With two catches: storm and hail only count if the items were inside a building, and theft only counts if someone broke in or robbed you.

Situation	Covered away from home?
Break-in to your locked hotel room	yes, up to the limit
Bag snatched from you by force	yes, that is robbery
Backpack left unattended on the beach disappears	no, simple theft
Fire in a holiday flat destroys your luggage	yes, up to the limit
Storm blows away your tent and gear	no, only inside buildings
Your student child's belongings in a dorm	usually yes, while they have no household of their own

What is different from policies abroad

If you know renters insurance from the US or the UK, you may expect personal possessions cover that follows you everywhere at full value. German policies work differently: the outside cover is a fixed share of the sum insured, and simple theft is left out unless you add special cover.

Items you keep permanently somewhere else, for example in a holiday flat or a storage unit, are not covered this way. A flight home to visit family for two months is fine; leaving half your things at your parents' house for good is not.

When you need more and when you do not

For most trips the standard cover is enough, as long as you know that simple theft is excluded. Expensive cameras, instruments or jewellery that travel often are better insured separately with valuables or all-risks cover.

Bikes are a special case: theft from where you park it is only covered through the bike add-on, not the outside cover. Items left visible in a parked car are excluded or limited in many tariffs. A separate luggage insurance is rarely necessary; it mainly adds cover for luggage lost by an airline.

Step by step

Check in your policy what percentage of the sum insured applies away from home.
Estimate the value of what you usually take with you.
Check the time limit, especially for long trips home or a semester abroad.
Ask about a higher limit or separate cover for expensive equipment.
After a loss, report it to the local police immediately and keep the report.

Checklist

You know the outside cover limit in percent and in euros
The time limit fits your travel or your children's studies
Bike insured through the bike add-on if parked outside
Valuables that travel often insured separately
Receipts or photos of key items saved digitally

Common mistakes

Assuming every theft while travelling is covered
Expecting the full sum insured instead of 10 percent
Leaving belongings permanently elsewhere and relying on the outside cover
Skipping the police report on holiday

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does the outside cover cost extra?

No, it is part of German contents insurance. Only a higher limit than standard usually costs a small surcharge.

Is my phone covered when I am out?

Only after a break-in or robbery, not if it slips out of your pocket or breaks. Separate phone insurance covers that.

Are my things covered on a trip to my home country?

Yes, the cover applies worldwide, usually for up to three months. Stay longer and you should ask your insurer first.

Does it cover items in my car?

Only to a limited extent. Many tariffs pay nothing or only a small amount for a break-in to a locked car.

Do I also need luggage insurance?

Usually not. It mainly helps with luggage lost by an airline or simple theft, which German contents insurance does not cover.

Sources

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