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How do you insure your belongings in a shared flat in Germany?

In short

How you insure your belongings in a shared flat in Germany (WG) depends on how you live together. Most flatmates each have their own contents policy for their room plus a share of kitchen and bath, from about EUR 2 a month. A joint policy is cheaper if everyone is named in it. Students are often covered through their parents, within limits. Theft by a flatmate without a break-in is not covered either way.

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How do you insure your belongings in a shared flat in Germany?

What it costs

Guide values from published prices for WG rooms and students.

Example	Typical range
WG room, basic tariff	from about EUR 1.84 a month
WG room with share of common areas, around 30 m², good tariff	around EUR 30 to 60 a year
Joint policy for 90 m², split three ways	around EUR 20 to 40 per person a year
Cover through your parents' contents insurance	EUR 0 extra, with an upper limit

Guide values as of October 2026.

The entry prices come from published figures; the premiums for 30 m² and the shared policy,

and the limits of the outside cover, are guide values from our quoting practice.

We obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

International student, room in a three person WG, registered there as main residence

Her room is 18 m², kitchen, bathroom and hallway are 36 m². Because the WG is her main residence in Germany, no parents' policy applies.

Own room	18 m²
Share of common areas (36 m² divided by 3)	12 m²
Sum insured (30 × EUR 650)	EUR 19,500
Premium for own policy	around EUR 30 to 60 a year

About EUR 3 to 5 a month for laptop, bike, clothes and furniture. A joint policy would be cheaper but has to be updated with every change of flatmate.

Three ways to insure your things in a WG

Own policy: each person insures their own belongings. The living area is your room plus a share of kitchen, bathroom and hallway. If someone moves out, the other policies are not affected. This is the simplest and cleanest option.

Joint policy: one policy for the whole flat, with all flatmates named and the premium split. It saves money, but the policy has to be updated every time someone moves in or out, and a claim is settled against one sum for everyone.

Main tenant's policy only: if only the main tenant has contents insurance, the subtenants' belongings are not automatically included. Do not rely on it.

Option	Advantage	Drawback
Own policy per person	independent, clear who owns what	a little more expensive than sharing
Joint policy	cheaper per head	update with every move, not available everywhere
Main tenant's policy only	none	flatmates' things usually not covered
Through your parents	no extra cost	upper limit, only without a household of your own

Cover through your parents: when it is enough

Many German contents policies include children in education who live away from home. This usually applies only while the shared flat is not your main residence and your life still centres on your parents' home.

The cover then works as outside-the-home cover (Außenversicherung) with a limit, often a share of the parents' sum insured. For a room with a laptop, a bike and some furniture this is often enough. For expensive equipment or instruments, do the maths.

What is not covered in a WG

German contents insurance pays for burglary, meaning someone forced their way in. If a flatmate or party guest takes something without breaking anything, that is simple theft and not covered.

Damage you cause to flatmates or the landlord is not a contents matter either; that is what personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht) is for, a separate policy in Germany. Furniture owned by the landlord is the landlord's to insure.

When you do not need your own policy

If you own little and could easily replace it, contents insurance is optional. That applies, for example, to a furnished room where all you own is clothes and an inexpensive laptop.

If your parents' outside cover applies and its limit fits your belongings, your own policy means paying twice. Check this every time you move.

Step by step

Clarify whether the WG is your main residence or whether you stay covered through your parents.
Ask your parents about the limit of their outside cover.
Add up your room plus your share of kitchen, bathroom and hallway and multiply by EUR 650.
Decide with your flatmates: separate policies or a joint one.
With a joint policy, have all names entered and report every change straight away.

Checklist

Insurer explicitly accepts a WG as the type of household
All flatmates named in a joint policy
Sum insured at least EUR 650 per square metre
Gross negligence included
Bike covered around the clock if it stands in the yard or at university
Own personal liability insurance for damage to flatmates and landlord

Common mistakes

Relying on the main tenant's policy
Still counting on your parents after the WG has become your main residence
Not reporting moves in and out under a joint policy
Assuming theft by a flatmate is covered

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does everyone in a WG need their own contents insurance?

No. Separate policies or a joint one both work. What matters is that each person's belongings are actually insured.

Am I covered by my parents' contents insurance as a student?

Often yes, as long as your life centres on your parents' home and the WG is not your main residence. Payouts are capped.

Does contents insurance pay if a flatmate steals something?

Usually not. Without a break-in this counts as simple theft, which is not covered. Only a police report helps here.

How is the living area calculated in a WG?

Your room plus your share of kitchen, bathroom and hallway. Balconies and cellars usually do not count.

What happens with a joint policy when someone moves out?

The policy has to be updated. Whoever moves out should have their own cover in place for the new home first.

Do I also need liability insurance in a WG?

Yes, contents insurance does not pay for damage you cause to others. In Germany that is a separate personal liability policy, and students are often covered through their parents.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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Contents insurance in Germany (Hausratversicherung)

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