How high should the sum insured for contents insurance be?
In short
High enough to buy everything you own again new today. Insurers usually offer a flat rate of EUR 500 to 750 per square metre of living space. If you take the agreed flat rate, many waive the underinsurance deduction. With a lot of electronics, art or jewellery, the flat rate is not enough.
How the sum insured feeds into the premium, based on published examples.
Example
Typical range
52 square metres, sum EUR 34,000, rate 1.8 per mille
about EUR 72 a year including insurance tax
80 square metres in Dresden
about EUR 23 to 25 a year
80 square metres in Düsseldorf
about EUR 51 to 54 a year
75 square metres, mid tariff zone, sum EUR 49,000
about EUR 90 to 120 a year
Each extra EUR 10,000 of sum insured
about EUR 5 to 25 more a year
Guide values as of September 2026 from publicly quoted tariff examples.
The extra cost per EUR 10,000 is a guide value from our quoting practice and depends heavily on
tariff zone and cover; we obtain the exact quote for you.
Worked example
Couple, 60 square metres, well furnished
The flat rate gives one figure, a room by room list shows a higher value.
Flat rate (60 × EUR 650)
EUR 39,000
Kitchen, furniture, clothes from the list
EUR 35,000
Electronics, bikes, instruments
EUR 12,000
Jewellery and watches
EUR 6,000
Actual replacement value
EUR 53,000
With the flat rate the couple would be underinsured by about a quarter if the insurer gives no waiver. A sum of around EUR 55,000 makes sense, plus a valuables limit that covers the jewellery.
Two ways to reach the right sum
The quick way is the flat rate: living space times the agreed amount per square metre. It suits an averagely furnished home and has one big advantage: many insurers then agree not to check whether your belongings were worth more (Unterversicherungsverzicht).
The precise way is a list room by room, often done with the insurer's valuation form (Wertermittlungsbogen). It pays off if you have a lot of value in little space, such as an expensive kitchen, musical instruments, art or camera gear. It also shows when you need less than the flat rate suggests.
Method
Suits
Advantage
Drawback
Flat rate per square metre
averagely furnished flats
fast, often with an underinsurance waiver
too low for valuable furnishings
List room by room
lots of value in little space, or very sparse furnishing
accurate
effort, needs to be kept up to date
Why expats get this wrong
Many people moving to Germany rent furnished or arrive with a few suitcases, then buy furniture, a kitchen and a bike within the first year. A sum insured set on day one quickly becomes too low. Check it again once you have settled in.
If you shipped furniture, art or electronics from home, do not use what you paid years ago or what it would sell for. Count what it would cost to buy the same items new in Germany. German contents insurance pays replacement value (Neuwert), not used value.
What underinsurance means in a claim
If the sum insured is below the real replacement value and there is no underinsurance waiver, the insurer cuts every payment in the same proportion under section 75 of the German Insurance Contract Act (VVG). That applies to small claims too, not just to a total loss.
Example: your belongings are worth EUR 80,000 and insured for EUR 60,000, so you are insured for three quarters. A water damage claim of EUR 8,000 then brings only EUR 6,000.
Check valuables separately
Jewellery, cash, coins, watches and art are only covered up to certain limits, often a share of the sum insured, and lower still if they are not kept in a safe. Cash is often covered only for a small amount.
If your valuables exceed these limits, a higher total sum alone does not help. You need a higher limit for valuables or a safe that meets the insurer's requirements.
Keep the sum up to date
Many policies raise the sum each year in line with prices. That keeps pace with inflation, not with what you buy. After moving to a bigger flat, moving in together, an inheritance or large purchases, raise the sum yourself.
When you move, report the new living space. Otherwise the flat rate no longer fits and the underinsurance waiver can fall away. If you leave Germany, the policy does not simply follow you abroad, so plan to cancel it for the move.
Step by step
Multiply your living space by your tariff's amount per square metre.
Cross-check roughly: what would kitchen, furniture, clothes, electronics and bikes cost new?
If the list comes out clearly higher, raise the sum.
Add up valuables separately and compare them with the tariff's limits.
Check whether the policy includes an underinsurance waiver.
Report the new sum after a move or big purchases.
Checklist
Sum based on replacement value, not used value
Underinsurance waiver in the policy
Current living space reported
Valuables limit fits jewellery, watches and cash
Yearly adjustment to prices agreed
Receipts and photos of valuable items kept
Common mistakes
Using second hand prices for older furniture
Not adjusting the sum after moving to a bigger flat
Leaving valuables above the limit and relying on the total sum
Choosing a low sum to save money and getting less in every claim
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Replacement value or current value?
German contents insurance usually pays replacement value.
So replacement value belongs in the sum insured, even for a ten year old sofa.
What is an underinsurance waiver?
The insurer does not check in a claim whether your belongings were worth more than the sum.
It usually applies only if you choose the agreed flat rate per square metre and the living space
is correct.
Do cellar and attic count as living space?
Usually not, but their contents are covered.
If your cellar storage room (Kellerabteil) is well filled, include its value in the sum.
Is a higher sum than needed worth it?
No.
You pay more premium but in a claim you get at most the real value.
How often should I check the sum?
At every move, when moving in together or after big purchases, otherwise every few years.
The yearly price adjustment does not replace this.
How do I prove value in a claim?
With receipts, photos or a short video of your rooms.
Keep them outside the flat, for example in cloud storage.
