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Does liability insurance pay if I damage my own things in Germany?

In short

No, it does not. In Germany, personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht) only pays if you damage someone else's things. If you damage your own things, such as your phone, TV or glasses, the loss stays with you. Only other policies can help: contents insurance for fire, water or burglary, or phone insurance from about EUR 2 a month for breakage.

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Does liability insurance pay if I damage my own things in Germany?

What it costs

What insurance for your own things costs in Germany, based on figures published in 2026:

Example	Typical range
Phone insurance with screen, drops and water	about EUR 2.19 to 19.99 a month
Glass insurance, 70 to 90 square metres	about EUR 40 to 65 a year
Contents insurance, 65 square metres	about EUR 70 to 140 a year
Contents insurance, 90 square metres	about EUR 90 to 190 a year
For comparison: personal liability, single	about EUR 40 to 120 a year

Guide values as of October 2026 from published tariff examples.

The repair costs in the example are guide values from our quoting practice.

Your premium depends on cover and deductible; we obtain the exact quote.

Worked example

Your own smartphone falls on the tiles

Your one-year-old smartphone slips out of your pocket and the screen cracks. This is how the options compare.

Personal liability insurance	EUR 0, it is your own phone
Contents insurance	EUR 0, dropping is not an insured peril
Screen replacement without insurance	about EUR 250 to 400
Phone insurance, EUR 8 a month for two years	EUR 192 in premiums plus a deductible of about EUR 50

With one damage in two years, you end up in a similar place with or without insurance. Phone insurance only pays off for expensive devices or several incidents.

Why liability insurance never pays here

Personal liability insurance steps in when a third party claims compensation from you. That is how the model terms of the German insurance association GDV put it (A1-3.1). You cannot claim against yourself, so there is no liability claim when your own laptop falls off the table.

The same applies in a family policy: under A1-7.3 and A1-7.4, claims among co-insured persons and from relatives living in the same household are excluded. If your child knocks your partner's glasses off the table, the liability insurer does not pay either.

What is broken?	Which policy can pay?
Your own phone dropped	phone insurance, not contents insurance
Your own mirror or window broken	glass insurance
TV destroyed by a lightning surge	contents insurance with surge cover
Furniture damaged by fire or a burst pipe	contents insurance
Your own car damaged while parking	comprehensive car cover (Vollkasko)
Your own boat damaged when mooring	hull insurance for boats
Your partner's glasses, same household	no liability cover

What contents insurance covers and what it does not

German contents insurance (Hausratversicherung) is not all-risk cover. The VHB 2022 model terms list fire, lightning, surge from lightning, explosion, burglary, vandalism after a break-in, robbery, escaping tap water, storm and hail. Something that simply slips out of your hand is not included.

If you cause the loss through gross negligence, for example an unattended candle, the insurer may reduce the payment under § 81(2) of the Insurance Contract Act (VVG). Good policies waive this fully or up to a limit. If you cause it on purpose, nothing is paid, § 81(1) VVG.

Someone else's or your own: where the line is

Rented and borrowed things do not belong to you. Damage to a rented flat is covered by many policies as rental property damage (Mietsachschäden), and modern policies often cover borrowed things up to a limit. That is the difference from your own belongings.

Relatives with their own home are third parties. If you break something at your parents' place, your liability insurer can pay, provided you are liable.

When extra cover is worth it

Phone insurance costs about EUR 2 to 20 a month according to published tariff lists, with deductibles from EUR 0 to 149. Screen damage, drops and water are usually included, theft is often extra and loss is not covered. For a new, expensive smartphone it can pay off in the first years.

Glass insurance costs about EUR 40 to 65 a year for 70 to 90 square metres. A ceramic hob is often not included automatically, so check the terms.

When you do not need extra cover

For an older or cheap phone, simple glasses or tableware, a separate policy rarely pays off. Two years of premiums can quickly exceed the repair. Set the money aside yourself instead.

A second liability policy does not help either: your own things are not covered by any liability insurance, however expensive.

Step by step

Work out who owns the damaged item: you, a co-insured person or a third party.
If it belongs to a third party outside your household, report it to your liability insurer.
If it is your own, check whether fire, water, burglary, storm or lightning caused it: then contents insurance.
For breakage from dropping, check phone, glass or electronics insurance.
For new devices, decide whether a separate policy pays off or savings are enough.

Checklist

Contents insurance with surge from lightning
No reduction for gross negligence in contents insurance
Glass insurance if you have many glass surfaces or a ceramic hob
Phone insurance only for new, expensive devices
Rental property damage and borrowed items in your liability policy

Common mistakes

Trying to claim your own damage on a flatmate's liability policy when you share the same contract
Assuming contents insurance pays when something is dropped
Taking out phone insurance for an old, cheap device
Describing the incident differently so it looks insured: that is insurance fraud

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does liability insurance pay if I break my own glasses?

No.

No liability policy pays for your own things.

Some glasses insurance or optician plans cover breakage, which is a separate contract.

Does it pay if my partner damages my laptop?

Not if you live in the same household or are on the same policy.

The model terms exclude this.

Does contents insurance pay if my TV falls over?

No.

Contents insurance only pays for the listed perils such as fire, water or burglary.

What about my own car or boat?

Damage to your own vehicle is a matter for comprehensive cover: Vollkasko for cars,

hull insurance for boats, depending on the terms also when it was your fault.

Is electronics insurance worth it?

Sometimes for new, expensive devices.

Compare the premiums over the planned period of use with the repair costs.

Are borrowed things my own things?

No, they belong to the lender.

Modern liability policies often cover borrowed items up to a limit.

Sources

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