In Germany you are only insured against earthquakes if your buildings or contents policy includes the natural hazards add-on (Elementarschaden). Without it, neither policy pays. According to the consumer advice centres, about 57 percent of private homes have this cover. In low risk locations it often costs well under EUR 100 a year for a house.
What the natural hazards add-on with earthquake cover costs, from published tariff data.
Example
Typical range
Natural hazards add-on to buildings insurance, low flood risk
often well under EUR 100 a year
Model house, buildings insurance with natural hazards, low risk
very good tariffs from about EUR 635 a year
Model house, buildings insurance with natural hazards, higher risk
from about EUR 695, next tariff EUR 830 a year
Stand alone natural hazards cover from one provider, house up to 400 square metres
EUR 141.91 a year flat
Natural hazards as an extension of buildings insurance
surcharge of up to about 50 percent of the existing premium
Natural hazards add-on to contents insurance, rented flat
about EUR 15 to 40 a year
As of October 2026.
The model house figures come from tariff data of May 2026.
The contents figure and the worked example are guide values from our quoting practice.
Your premium depends on address, house value and excess; we obtain the exact quote for you.
Worked example
Detached house in the Lower Rhine Embayment, low flood risk
How the premium adds up when earthquake is covered through the natural hazards add-on.
Buildings insurance without natural hazards
about EUR 450 to 550 a year
Natural hazards add-on including earthquake
about EUR 70 to 120 a year
Excess for natural hazard claims
for example EUR 500 per claim
Earthquake damage to facade and chimney
assumed EUR 18,000
You pay about EUR 520 to 670 a year. With the assumed earthquake damage you carry EUR 500 yourself; without the add-on you would carry the full EUR 18,000.
Which policy pays after an earthquake
Buildings insurance (Wohngebäudeversicherung) covers fire, burst pipes, storm and hail as standard. Earthquake belongs to the further natural hazards that are only covered with the Elementarschaden add-on. Without it, earthquake damage to your house is not insured.
The same applies to furniture, clothes and electronics under contents insurance (Hausratversicherung). As a tenant you need the add-on there, because your landlord insures the building, not your belongings.
A separate earthquake policy for private households is unusual in Germany. Earthquake comes in one package with flooding, sewage backflow, landslide and snow load.
Policy
Without the add-on
With the add-on
Buildings insurance
earthquake damage to the house not covered
damage to the house covered up to the sum insured
Contents insurance
earthquake damage to belongings not covered
furniture, electronics and clothes covered
Personal liability insurance
never covers your own property
never covers your own property
How high the earthquake risk in Germany is
By global standards the earthquake risk in Germany is low. The geological survey of Baden-Württemberg still calls its state the most seismically active in Germany, with several light earthquakes felt there every year.
The 1978 earthquake at Albstadt on the Swabian Jura reached almost magnitude 6 and caused around EUR 150 million of property damage. The 1992 Roermond earthquake, magnitude 5.9, injured more than 30 people in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The strongest known earthquake in the Rhineland struck near Düren in 1756; modern estimates put it at magnitude 6.3. Such quakes are rare, but they hit many houses at once.
What insurers accept as an earthquake
Cover applies to a natural earthquake, meaning shaking caused by processes inside the earth. Vibrations from construction or blasting are not an earthquake under this cover; the person who caused them may be liable instead.
Many policy terms ask for evidence: similar earthquake damage to sound buildings nearby, or a house in good condition where only the quake can explain the damage. Photos of your house taken before any damage help.
What earthquake cover costs
You pay for earthquake cover through the natural hazards add-on. Its price depends mainly on the flood risk at your address, not on the earthquake risk. It is cheap in low risk zones and expensive near rivers.
An excess (Selbstbehalt) is common for natural hazard claims, either a fixed amount or a percentage. A small earthquake crack in the facade may therefore stay below the excess.
When you need no extra earthquake cover
If your policy already includes Elementarschaden, you are insured against earthquakes. A second policy just for earthquakes adds nothing.
Tenants with few belongings can weigh up the add-on in their contents insurance. For owners it makes sense anyway because of heavy rain and flooding, and earthquake comes with it.
Step by step
Check your policy schedule for Elementarschaden or further natural hazards.
Check whether your contents insurance includes the add-on as well.
Read the excess and any waiting period for natural hazard claims.
Take photos of the house, facade and basement walls and store them safely.
If the add-on is missing, have quotes compared; Norman Nammert arranges cover as an insurance broker (Versicherungsmakler), and the insurer pays the commission.
Checklist
Natural hazards add-on in your buildings insurance
Natural hazards add-on in your contents insurance
Earthquake named in the list of natural hazards
Excess known and affordable
Sum insured covers the rebuild value of the house
Photos of the condition of the house on file
Common mistakes
Assuming every buildings policy in Germany includes earthquakes
Relying on the landlord's buildings insurance as a tenant
Dropping the add-on because earthquakes are rare and losing heavy rain cover too
Not photographing and reporting cracks straight after a quake
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Am I insured against earthquakes as a tenant?
Your belongings only if your contents insurance includes the natural hazards add-on.
The building itself is the landlord's responsibility.
Can I insure earthquakes without flood cover?
Usually not.
Earthquake comes in the natural hazards package together with flooding, backflow,
landslide and snow load.
Is shaking from nearby construction work covered?
Not as an earthquake, because only natural earthquakes are covered.
The party that caused the vibrations may be liable instead.
Does living in an earthquake area make the add-on dearer?
The price is mainly set by the flood risk at your address.
Many homes in earthquake areas sit in the cheapest flood zone.
What should I do after an earthquake?
Photograph the damage, make the house safe,
report the claim without delay and keep damaged parts until the insurer has seen them.
Does personal liability insurance help with earthquake damage?
No.
It pays for damage you cause to others, not for damage to your own house or belongings.
