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Does insurance pay if my aquarium leaks?

In short

Usually yes. If your aquarium leaks, German model terms (VHB 2022) treat the water as Leitungswasser, so your contents insurance (Hausratversicherung) pays for wet furniture and electronics, and the building insurance pays for floors and walls. Fish and plants are excluded. Damage to your neighbour is paid by your personal liability insurance only if the leak was your fault.

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Does insurance pay if my aquarium leaks?

What it costs

What water damage costs and what cover costs in Germany, according to published figures.

Example	Typical range
Professional drying with equipment and measurements	about EUR 1,500 to 5,000
Renting a dehumidifier yourself	about EUR 50 to 150 per unit and week, plus EUR 5 to 15 electricity a day
Leitungswasser damage to residential buildings in Germany, 2024	around EUR 4.9 billion
Contents insurance, 2 rooms, 65 square metres	about EUR 70 to 140 a year
Tank size from which a surcharge is possible	from about 1,000 litres

As of October 2026.

The amounts in the worked example are guide values from quoting practice.

Whether your policy includes aquariums is stated in your terms under Leitungswasser;

we obtain the exact quote.

Worked example

Tenant, 240 litre tank, seam fails at night

The water runs over the laminate into the flat below. The seam was well kept, no fault is apparent.

Sofa, rug and sideboard soaked	EUR 1,800, paid by her contents insurance
Laminate and drying the screed	EUR 3,000, paid by the landlord's building insurance
Ceiling and belongings of the neighbour	EUR 2,500, paid by the neighbour's building and contents insurance
Fish, plants and a new tank	EUR 700, she pays herself

Of EUR 8,000 in damage, EUR 700 stays with her, plus any agreed deductible. Had the leak been her fault, her liability insurance would have paid the EUR 2,500 for the neighbour.

Why aquarium water counts as Leitungswasser

The model terms of the German Insurance Association (GDV) define Leitungswasser as water that escapes where it should not. Besides pipes, heating and appliances, they name waterbeds and aquariums expressly. This applies in the contents terms VHB 2022 and in the building terms VGB 2022 alike.

Your own policy can differ. Older terms and some tariffs treat aquariums differently, and many insurers want the tank stated in the application with its volume. From around 1,000 litres, also counting several tanks together, a surcharge may apply.

What is wet or broken	Who pays	Condition
Your furniture, rugs, electronics	your contents insurance	Leitungswasser in the policy
Fish, plants, substrate	nobody	excluded for water from your own tank
Cracked glass pane	glass insurance	only if the aquarium is named in the policy
Leaking silicone seam	nobody	no breakage, so no glass claim
Floors, walls, ceiling in your own house	your building insurance	Leitungswasser in the policy
Floor and ceiling of a rented flat	the landlord's building insurance	recourse against you only for gross negligence or intent
The neighbour's belongings and rooms	their insurance, your liability insurance if you are at fault	you are liable for the damage

The gap: fish and the tank

Pets such as fish are part of your household contents. But the model terms exclude damage to the contents of an aquarium caused by water escaping from that aquarium. If the fish die because the tank runs dry, contents insurance does not pay for them. In a fire they would be covered.

The tank itself is not a water claim either. If the pane breaks, only glass insurance helps, and there aquariums are not standard items, they must be named in the policy. A seam that merely leaks is no breakage and not covered at all.

When you have to pay your neighbour

If the water runs into the flat below, fault decides. Under § 823 (1) BGB, anyone who damages another person's property intentionally or negligently must pay. Leaving the hose running unattended during a water change can be negligent. If a well kept seam fails without warning, there is often no fault. Each case is judged on its facts.

If you are liable, your personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht) pays the neighbour. If you are not, it checks the claim and defends you against it. The neighbour then claims from their own contents insurance, since aquarium water is Leitungswasser for them too. If their insurer pays and you are liable, it can recover the money from you under § 86 VVG, and your liability insurance steps in again.

Liability insurance never pays for your own belongings, it only covers claims by others.

As a tenant: floor and ceiling of the flat

Soaked laminate, screed or the ceiling below are building damage. The landlord's building insurance pays. According to rulings of the Federal Court of Justice of 13 September 2006, including IV ZR 273/05, the building insurer implicitly waives recourse against a tenant who was only slightly negligent. For gross negligence or intent it can claim from you.

For that case your liability policy should include damage to rented living space (Mietsachschäden). The model terms provide for it, each tariff sets its own limit.

When you do not need extra cover

For a small tank of 50 or 60 litres, extra cover is not worth it. Three things matter: Leitungswasser in your contents policy, liability insurance with damage to rented property and, if your fish are valuable to you, knowing that they will not be replaced after a leak.

Glass insurance just for the aquarium rarely pays off, because a leaking seam is more common than a broken pane and would not be covered anyway.

Step by step

Switch off the power to the tank before touching the water.
Stop the leak, catch the water and move the fish to buckets or a spare tank.
Warn the neighbours below and inform the landlord or property manager.
Record the damage with photos and a list of wet items, do not throw anything away too soon.
Report the damage to your contents insurer at once, building damage to the owner.
Do not promise the neighbour any payment, report the case to your liability insurer, which checks whether you are liable.
Agree professional drying with the insurer first.

Checklist

Leitungswasser included in your contents insurance
Aquarium stated with its volume if the insurer asks
Liability insurance with damage to rented living space
Glass insurance naming the aquarium, if the tank is valuable to you
Silicone seams, hoses and filter connections checked regularly
Tank on a sturdy, level cabinet

Common mistakes

Believing liability insurance pays for your own wet furniture
Promising the neighbour to cover all costs straight away
Leaving a large tank out of the application
Assuming dead fish will be replaced
Leaving the hose running unattended during a water change

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does contents insurance pay for my dead fish?

Not if they die because water escapes from your own tank.

The model terms exclude that.

For other perils such as fire, fish are covered as pets.

My aquarium leaked into the flat below. Who pays?

The neighbour claims their belongings from their contents insurance,

ceiling and walls go to the building insurance.

If the leak was your fault, those insurers recover the money from you,

and your liability insurance pays.

Does liability insurance pay for my own aquarium?

No.

Liability insurance only covers damage you cause to others.

For the tank itself only glass insurance can help,

if the pane breaks and the aquarium is named in the policy.

Do I have to tell my insurer about the aquarium?

Many insurers ask in the application and want to know the volume.

From about 1,000 litres a surcharge may apply.

Leaving out a large tank risks a dispute after a claim.

And if a bucket tips over during a water change?

Then the water did not come from the aquarium.

The model terms exclude splash and cleaning water, so contents insurance usually does not pay.

Does the same apply to a waterbed?

Yes.

The model terms name waterbeds and aquariums together as sources of Leitungswasser.

Sources

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