Is a pram left in the stairwell covered by German contents insurance?
In short
Usually only with the right clause. If a pram left in the stairwell of your building disappears and nothing was broken open, that is simple theft, which German contents insurance does not cover by default. Many newer tariffs add cover for prams against simple theft, with limits of about EUR 500 to 2,500 per claim. Tenants are generally allowed to leave a pram there if escape routes stay clear.
Limits from publicly available policy terms and guides, plus the price of basic cover, as of October 2026.
Example
Typical range
Clause for simple theft of prams, wheelchairs and rollators (top tier of one set of terms)
up to EUR 2,500 per claim
Pram add-on according to guides
usually EUR 500 to 1,500 per claim
Contents insurance for 65 square metres, sum insured about EUR 42,000
about EUR 70 to 140 a year
Lockable pram box for a courtyard or garden
from about EUR 830
As of October 2026.
The surcharge for a higher tier with a pram clause is a guide value from quoting practice:
usually EUR 10 to 40 a year.
The worked example is a guide value from quoting practice.
Your own policy terms decide.
Worked example
Travel system stolen from the ground floor hallway
A family lives on the third floor without a lift and leaves the pram downstairs. The front door does not close properly. One morning the pram and its rain cover are gone. An equivalent new model costs EUR 1,100 today.
Tariff without pram clause
EUR 0, simple theft
Tariff with clause up to EUR 500
EUR 500, the family bears EUR 600
Tariff with clause up to EUR 2,500
EUR 1,100 replacement value
Required in every case
police report plus receipt or photos
Whether the family receives EUR 0, 500 or 1,100 depends only on the clause in the policy. The difference in premium is often just a few euros a month.
Why the stairwell is a gap
German contents insurance covers your belongings first and foremost inside your flat. The stairwell, called Treppenhaus or Hausflur, is shared by everyone in the building and is not part of your flat. On top of that, basic cover only pays for theft if someone breaks in, for example by forcing a door or using a fake key. Someone who walks through an open front door and takes the pram commits simple theft.
Simple theft is excluded from basic cover. That is why many tariffs have a separate clause for prams, wheelchairs and rollators. It pays even when nothing was broken, but only up to a fixed limit.
Where was the pram?
Typical payout
Open stairwell, no pram clause
nothing, simple theft
Open stairwell, with pram clause
up to the limit, about EUR 500 to 2,500
Locked pram room, lock forced
covered in many tariffs as a break-in to a lockable shared room
Inside your flat, front door forced
covered, standard burglary
Outside a café or at the playground
only if the clause also applies away from home
What the pram clause pays
These clauses vary a lot. Some apply anywhere outside your flat, others only on the property or only in shared rooms. One set of publicly available policy terms pays up to EUR 2,500 per claim, and only in its top tier. Guides often quote EUR 500 to 1,500 for such add-ons.
Accessories such as the rain cover, footmuff or bag are usually only covered if they were stolen together with the pram. German contents insurance normally pays replacement value, meaning what an equivalent new pram costs today. With an expensive travel system, check whether the limit is high enough; anything above it is your loss.
Are you allowed to leave it in the stairwell?
Generally yes. German courts allow parents to leave a pram in the hallway if there is enough space, escape routes stay clear and there is no reasonable alternative such as an easily reachable storage room or a lift. The Regional Court of Berlin held a blanket ban in a tenancy agreement to be invalid (case 63 S 487/08).
The same court also ruled that you may not lock the pram to the banister, because neighbours must be able to move it in an emergency or during a move. In practice: a wheel lock is fine and deters thieves, chaining it to the railing is not.
When you do not need extra cover
If the pram stays overnight inside your flat, in your own cellar compartment or in a locked pram room, basic cover usually already protects it against burglary. A separate pram insurance on top of contents insurance is rarely worth it.
The clause makes sense if the pram regularly stands in an open hallway or courtyard. First check whether your tariff already includes it. Switching to a higher tier is often cheaper than buying another policy.
Step by step
Search your policy terms for Kinderwagen, einfacher Diebstahl and Gemeinschaftsräume.
Note the limit and where the clause applies: only on the property or also when you are out.
Compare the price of a new equivalent pram with the limit.
If the clause is missing, ask for a quote for a higher tier or a different tariff.
Save the receipt and a photo of the pram, including the frame number.
After a theft, report it to the police straight away and notify your insurer.
Checklist
Pram clause for simple theft included
Limit covers the price of a new pram
Clause applies in the stairwell, not only inside the flat
Accessories covered if stolen together with the pram
Receipt and photos saved
Pram parked so that escape routes stay clear
Common mistakes
Assuming contents insurance pays for any theft inside the building
Insuring an expensive pram with a clause capped at EUR 500
Chaining the pram to the banister and risking trouble with the landlord
Delaying the police report
Buying separate pram insurance although your contents policy already has the clause
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is a pram stolen from my cellar covered?
If someone breaks into your locked cellar compartment, usually yes.
If the cellar door was open, it is simple theft and only a pram clause helps.
Is my pram covered outside the supermarket?
Only if your pram clause also applies away from the property.
Some clauses pay anywhere, others only where you live.
Check your policy terms.
Do I get the new price or only the current value?
German contents insurance normally pays replacement value as new, up to the limit of the clause.
Can my landlord ban prams from the hallway?
According to several German court decisions,
a blanket ban is usually invalid if you depend on the space.
If there is an easily reachable storage room or a lift, the answer may differ.
Does the clause also cover a rollator or wheelchair?
Often yes.
Many tariffs group prams, wheelchairs and rollators in one clause with a shared limit.
What if someone trips over the pram?
That is a liability question, not a contents one.
Whether you are liable depends on the case.
Personal liability insurance, called Privathaftpflicht,
checks this and defends you against unfounded claims.
Is separate pram insurance worth it?
Rarely.
A contents policy with a pram clause is usually cheaper.
A separate policy may make sense if you also want cover for accidental damage.
