If two policies cover the same thing against the same risk, German law calls it multiple insurance (Mehrfachversicherung). You can claim from either insurer, but in total you get the loss paid once (section 78 VVG). The insurers then share it among themselves. If you took out the later policy without knowing, you can ask for it to be cancelled or reduced (section 79 VVG).
What double cover typically costs and what you get back, as worked examples. Premiums are estimates.
Example
Typical range
Bike worth 1,800 euros, insured in contents and in a bike policy
at most 1,800 euros paid in total
Second private liability policy after moving in together
estimate 50 to 100 euros a year saved
Second contents policy for the same flat
estimate 80 to 200 euros a year saved
Two accident policies, 100,000 euros each, fixed sum
both pay, up to 200,000 euros
Premium savings are rough estimates from quoting practice and depend on cover and location.
Legal rules from the German Insurance Contract Act, October 2026.
Worked example
Stolen e-bike with two policies
An e-bike worth 3,000 euros is stolen. The contents policy covers bikes up to 1,000 euros, the separate bike policy up to 3,000 euros with a 150 euro deductible.
Loss
3,000 euros
Owed by the contents insurer
up to 1,000 euros
Owed by the bike insurer
up to 2,850 euros
Paid to you in total
3,000 euros, not 3,850 euros
You get the full loss once. The two insurers settle their shares among themselves. Figures are illustrative.
What multiple insurance means
Multiple insurance exists when the same interest is insured against the same risk with more than one insurer, and together they would pay more than the loss. Your bike covered against theft both in your contents insurance (Hausratversicherung) and in a separate bike policy is a typical case.
Under section 78 VVG the insurers are jointly liable (Gesamtschuldner). Each owes what its own contract promises, but you cannot collect more than the loss in total. Insurance is meant to put you back where you were, not to make a profit.
How the claim works in practice
Report the loss to one insurer and tell it about the other policy. Under section 77 VVG you must tell each insurer about the other one without delay, naming the insurer and the sum insured. It is simplest to do this as soon as you notice the overlap, not only after a loss.
The insurer you claim from pays up to its own limit. Afterwards the insurers settle among themselves in proportion to what each would owe under its contract. You do not have to organise that. If one policy pays less, for example because of a lower limit or a deductible, you can claim the rest from the other.
Many terms contain a clause that the policy only pays after other cover (Subsidiaritätsklausel). Credit card travel cover often works this way. Read both sets of terms to see which insurer is meant to pay first.
Typical cases of double cover
Most double cover arises without anyone planning it: after moving in together, through a bank card or because a policy was added later.
Situation
What overlaps
What to check
Partner has private liability cover
your own liability policy and the partner's household cover
whether the partner's policy includes you, often only if you live together and are named
Moving in together
two contents policies for one household
whether one policy can end by agreement or under the moving rules in the terms
Credit card with travel cover
travel health or trip cancellation cover twice
card conditions, limits and whether the card cover only pays second
Bike in contents plus bike policy
theft cover for the same bike
limit for bikes in the contents terms, night time clause, deductible
How to get out of the extra policy
If you took out the policy that created the double cover without knowing about the overlap, section 79 VVG lets you demand that the later contract is cancelled, or that its sum insured and premium are reduced to the part the earlier policy does not cover.
The same applies if the double cover arose because the insured value later fell. If both contracts were taken out at the same time or with the insurers' agreement, you can only ask for a proportional reduction of both.
If you both already had policies before moving in together, section 79 VVG does not fit exactly. Ask the insurer to end one policy by agreement, check the terms for rules on moving, or cancel at the end of the insurance period with the notice in the contract.
When paying twice is allowed
The rules on multiple insurance apply to indemnity insurance, which pays for an actual loss. Fixed sum policies are different: life insurance, accident insurance or a daily hospital allowance pay the agreed amount regardless of other cover. Two accident policies can therefore both pay.
One limit applies to everyone: anyone who takes out multiple insurance to gain an unlawful financial advantage makes each of those contracts void (section 78 (4) VVG).
Where a broker helps
Double cover is usually found when someone lays all policies of a household side by side. A broker can do this for you, show where two contracts cover the same risk and which one should stay. At NAMMERT, contracts are arranged by the insurance broker Norman Nammert.
Step by step
List all policies in the household with what they cover.
Mark where two policies cover the same thing against the same risk.
Tell each insurer about the other policy, with insurer and sum insured.
Decide which policy should stay, based on cover rather than price alone.
Ask for cancellation or reduction under section 79 VVG, or cancel at the end of the period.
Checklist
Policies of both partners collected
Bank and credit card cover checked
Overlaps noted per risk
Other insurer reported to each insurer
Extra policy ended or reduced in writing
Common mistakes
Expecting to be paid twice for one loss
Keeping quiet about the other policy when reporting a claim
Cancelling the better policy because it costs a little more
Assuming two accident or life policies are double cover
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Can I choose which insurer I claim from?
Yes.
Each owes its own contractual amount, and the insurers share the cost afterwards.
Check the terms for a clause saying one pays only after the other.
Do I get my premium back for the extra policy?
Under section 79 VVG the premium falls in proportion to the cover that is cancelled or reduced.
Ask the insurer from which date the change applies.
Do I have to tell my insurer about the other policy?
Yes, without delay, naming the other insurer and the sum insured (section 77 VVG).
Is double cover illegal?
No.
It only becomes a problem if you use it to gain an unlawful financial advantage.
Then the contracts are void.
Does my partner's liability policy cover me?
Often, if you live together, but for unmarried partners many terms require you to be named.