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Does personal liability insurance cover borrowed items in Germany?

In short

Only if your tariff includes it explicitly. Older and basic German policies exclude damage to borrowed, rented or leased items. Good tariffs usually pay up to EUR 10,000 or 50,000 for this, some up to EUR 100,000. Such a tariff costs a single person about EUR 40 to 120 a year.

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Does personal liability insurance cover borrowed items in Germany?

What it costs

Guide figures for personal liability insurance that includes damage to borrowed items.

Example	Typical range
Single, tariff with borrowed items up to EUR 10,000	about EUR 40 to 120 a year
Family, tariff with borrowed items	about EUR 60 to 180 a year
Older comparison of tariffs with borrowed items	about EUR 95 to 133 a year

Guide values as of September 2026 from publicly quoted premium ranges. The older comparison dates from 2014 and shows that this cover used to be found only in expensive tariffs; today it is common in low priced tariffs as well (guide value from our quoting practice).

Worked example

Borrowed camera damaged on holiday

You borrow a friend's camera. On the beach it falls onto rocks and the lens breaks.

Lens repair	EUR 650
Payout with borrowed items in the tariff	EUR 650
Payout without borrowed items in the tariff	EUR 0

With the right tariff the damage is settled. Without it you pay the EUR 650 yourself.

Why borrowed items were long excluded

Personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflichtversicherung) pays for damage you cause to others. But you use a borrowed item as if it were your own, and liability insurance does not cover your own things. That is why borrowed items stayed on the exclusion list for decades.

Many newer tariffs have changed this. Whether your policy is one of them you can only see in the policy terms or the benefits overview.

What is different if you come from abroad

In the UK and US, damage to things you borrow is often simply a matter between friends. In Germany people expect the liability insurer to settle it, and the first question after an accident is often whether you have liability insurance (Haftpflicht).

Newcomers often furnish their first flat with borrowed tools, a friend's car for the move or a neighbour's ladder. Check before that weekend that your policy includes borrowed items (geliehene Sachen), because the German wording in the terms decides.

What good tariffs pay and what not

Usually covered are movable items you borrowed or rented privately: tools, a camera, a laptop, sports equipment, the neighbour's drill.

Almost always excluded are motor vehicles, trailers, boats and aircraft, plus cash, securities and jewellery. Items you use for work are usually excluded too, as is normal wear and tear.

Borrowed item	Covered by good tariffs?
Neighbour's drill falls off the ladder	yes
Friend's camera damaged on holiday	yes, up to the limit for borrowed items
Borrowed bike stolen	usually no, theft is often excluded
Borrowed car or motorbike damaged	no, that is a matter for car insurance
Borrowed boat or canoe damaged	usually no, there is separate insurance for that
Company laptop dropped	usually no, work use

Borrowed, rented, leased

Borrowed means free of charge, rented means for money. Some tariffs only cover one of them. If you often rent skis, e-bikes or tools, check that rented movable items are named too.

Leased items, such as a leased company bike, are almost always excluded. They usually have their own insurance through the leasing contract.

When you do not need this cover

If you rarely borrow anything and only low value items, switching tariffs for this point alone is hardly worth it. For expensive items it can be cheaper to agree with the owner beforehand who pays if something happens.

Step by step

Search the policy terms for borrowed, rented and leased items.
Note the limit that applies.
Check whether loss and theft are covered or only damage.
Before borrowing something expensive, agree who pays if it breaks.
Report damage straight away and take photos.

Checklist

Borrowed movable items explicitly included
Rented items named too if you rent often
Limit of at least EUR 10,000
Exclusions for vehicles, boats and work use known
Value of what you borrow fits the limit

Common mistakes

Assuming every liability policy pays for borrowed items
Thinking theft of a borrowed item is covered
Using a borrowed canoe or boat without separate cover
Trying to claim for company equipment through personal liability

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Why does my liability insurance not pay for the borrowed drill?

Because older and basic tariffs exclude borrowed items. Newer tariffs usually pay up to a fixed limit.

Is a borrowed bike covered?

For damage in good tariffs yes. For theft usually not, that is what the owner's bike insurance is for.

What about borrowed boats or canoes?

Damage to the boat itself is usually excluded. If you often use other people's boats, you need your own cover, for example charter hull insurance.

Is the new price paid?

Usually only the current value or the repair. That matches the legal claim for damages in Germany.

Are borrowed items covered abroad?

If your tariff applies worldwide, usually yes. Check whether the limit for borrowed items stays the same abroad.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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