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Does buildings insurance cover solar panels in Germany?

In short

Only if your insurer has expressly added the system to the policy. A panel array mounted on top of the roof (Aufdachanlage) is often not treated as part of the building, while a roof-integrated one (Indachanlage) usually is. Report the system in writing after commissioning. The add-on normally costs EUR 0 to 60 a year; without the report your payout can be cut.

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Does buildings insurance cover solar panels in Germany?

What it costs

Guide figures from published German market overviews, as of 2026.

Example	Typical range
Adding the array to an existing buildings policy, detached house with 8 to 12 kWp	about EUR 0 to 50 extra a year, sometimes free of charge
Typical solar surcharge in a buildings policy according to market overviews	about EUR 20 to 60 a year
Dedicated solar module attached to the buildings policy	from about EUR 35 a year
Stand-alone solar policy with all risks cover	about EUR 60 to 150 a year

Guide values as of September 2026 from publicly quoted German market overviews. Your surcharge depends on output, mounting type, value and insurer; we obtain the exact quote for you. The repair figures in the worked example are guide values from our quoting practice.

Worked example

Detached house with 10 kWp on the roof

The array went live in spring. This is how the numbers look once you report it and know the gaps.

Purchase price including installation	about EUR 15,000
Surcharge for adding it to the buildings policy	about EUR 20 to 60 a year
Alternative: stand-alone policy with all risks cover	about EUR 60 to 150 a year
New inverter after a short circuit	about EUR 1,200 to 2,500 (guide value from our quoting practice)
Lost feed-in income over six months of downtime, 10 kWp	about EUR 770

The add-on costs less than a single inverter failure but as a rule does not cover one. Adding theft, marten bites and lost income costs roughly EUR 100 more a year through a separate policy.

When the system counts as part of the building

German buildings insurance (Wohngebaeudeversicherung) pays for the building and for whatever is firmly attached to it. Whether a solar array belongs to that is not decided by law but by your policy wording, which is why the answers you read online differ so much.

A roof-integrated array (Indachanlage) replaces the roof covering itself, so many insurers treat it as part of the building. An on-roof array (Aufdachanlage) sits on a finished roof and is usually listed as a separate piece of technical equipment that you have to add on purpose.

Newer contracts often include panels up to a certain output, for example 10 or 15 kWp. Older policies and cheap basic tariffs leave them out entirely. Search your policy for the words Photovoltaik, Solaranlage or Zubehoer.

Type of installation	How insurers usually classify it	What you should do
Roof-integrated, replaces the roof skin	usually part of the building	still report it and ask for written confirmation
On-roof array on a finished roof	usually separate technical equipment	agree an express add-on
Array on a garage or carport	only if the outbuilding is named in the policy	check outbuilding and array separately
Free-standing array in the garden	as a rule not part of the building	a separate policy is needed
Battery storage in the cellar	rarely included automatically	declare value and location separately

Reporting the system: increase of risk under Paragraf 23 VVG

A solar array raises the rebuilding value of the house and changes the risk, for instance through the direct current cabling and the inverter. Under Paragraf 23 VVG you may not bring about an increase of risk without the insurer's consent, and if you later realise that you did, you must report it without delay.

In practice: send a short letter or email soon after commissioning stating the output in kWp, the purchase price, the mounting type and the date. One market guide names four weeks after commissioning as a rule of thumb. Keep the confirmation you get back.

If you skip this, Paragraf 26 VVG applies. Where the breach was deliberate the insurer owes nothing at all; where it was grossly negligent it may reduce the payment in proportion to the severity of your fault. To be fair, paragraph 3 of the same section keeps the insurer on the hook if the increase of risk had nothing to do with the loss. A burst water pipe in the bathroom is therefore not refused just because the panels went unreported.

What the add-on covers and what it does not

The add-on pulls the array into the perils of your buildings policy: fire, lightning and explosion, storm from Beaufort force 8 and hail, and escape of water. With the natural hazards module (Elementarschaden) flooding, snow pressure and landslide come on top.

What stays outside is exactly what tends to happen to solar arrays: theft of individual modules, marten bites in the cabling, operating errors, a short circuit or technical defect in the inverter, surge damage without a direct lightning strike, and the feed-in income you lose while repairs run.

Check indirect lightning in particular. Many buildings wordings only pay after a direct strike, so surge damage from a strike nearby is a separate module.

Loss	Buildings policy with add-on	Separate solar policy
Storm tears modules off the roof	normally covered from force 8	covered
Hail cracks the modules	normally covered	covered
Fire or direct lightning strike	covered	covered
Surge without a direct strike	often only with an extra module	usually covered
Theft of modules	usually not covered	usually covered
Marten bite in the cabling	usually not covered	usually covered
Short circuit in the inverter	usually not covered	usually covered
Operating error	not covered	covered in some tariffs
Lost feed-in income during repairs	not covered	available as an extra

Raise the sum insured, or money will be missing

With the array your house costs more to rebuild. If the sum insured stays as it was you are underinsured and get a proportionally smaller payout, even for a loss that has nothing to do with the panels.

In the usual German contracts based on a sliding replacement value (gleitender Neuwert) the value of the array is folded into the calculation, normally via the purchase price including installation. Ask for the new sum in writing and check that the index clause keeps it growing each year.

Being honest: when the add-on is enough

The add-on is often enough if your array is small, sits on a house in a populated area, you mostly use the electricity yourself and a few weeks of downtime would not hurt you financially. You pay little and you are covered against the big perils.

A separate policy earns its keep when the array is remote or easy to reach, when you feed in a lot and have budgeted that income, when a battery belongs to the system, or when you financed the array and the instalments keep running.

Do the sums: the add-on often costs EUR 20 to 60 a year, a separate policy EUR 60 to 150. The difference is roughly EUR 100 a year. Ask yourself whether cover for theft, marten bites and inverter failure is worth that to you.

Step by step

Get out your policy and search for Photovoltaik, Solaranlage or Zubehoer.
Establish the mounting type: does the array sit on the roof or replace the roof covering?
Report the array in writing with output in kWp, purchase price, mounting type and commissioning date.
Ask for written confirmation of the add-on and of the increased sum insured.
Work through the gaps: theft, marten bites, operating errors, short circuit, surge, lost income.
Decide whether the add-on is enough or a stand-alone policy suits you better.

Checklist

The add-on is named in writing in the policy or an endorsement
Output in kWp, mounting type and purchase price have been reported
The sum insured for the building was raised by the value of the array
Surge damage without a direct lightning strike is included
You know which losses the add-on does not cover
Battery storage is declared separately if you have one

Common mistakes

Assuming the array is covered automatically because it is fixed to the house
Reporting the array only after a loss and hoping for goodwill
Leaving the sum insured unchanged and getting a reduced payout on every building claim
Mistaking the add-on for all risks cover and expecting theft or marten bites to be included

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Do I have to tell my buildings insurer about the solar panels?

Yes. Under Paragraf 23 VVG you may not bring about an increase of risk without consent and must report it without delay. A short email soon after commissioning with output, value and mounting type is enough.

What happens if I never reported the array?

Under Paragraf 26 VVG the insurer owes nothing where the breach was deliberate and may reduce the payment where it was grossly negligent. If the array had nothing to do with the loss, paragraph 3 keeps the insurer liable. Report it late rather than never.

Is an on-roof array treated differently from a roof-integrated one?

Usually yes. A roof-integrated array replaces the roof skin and is more readily seen as part of the building. An on-roof array often counts as separate technical equipment and needs the express add-on.

Does buildings insurance pay for marten damage to the cabling?

As a rule no. Animal bites, theft, operating errors and inverter defects are not among the perils of a buildings policy; they belong in all risks cover.

Is the battery storage included?

Not automatically. Declare it with its value and location and ask for written confirmation, otherwise it will be missing when you claim.

Does the policy pay the feed-in income I lose?

No. Lost income during a repair is not physical damage to the building. You need a separate module for that.

Can I get the policy documents in English?

Some insurers provide English information, many do not. The German wording is what counts in a claim, so ask us when a clause is unclear.