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Is my contents insurance valid if I rent my flat to holiday guests?

In short

Is my contents insurance valid if I rent my flat to holiday guests now and then? In Germany only safely if your insurer confirms it in writing. Under the model terms the guests' belongings are not insured, and theft by a guest using the key you gave him is not burglary. The platform's host protection of up to USD 3 million does not replace your policy.

Is my contents insurance valid if I rent my flat to holiday guests?

What it costs

What contents insurance costs and what platform cover includes, from published figures, as of November 2026.

ExampleTypical range
Contents insurance, 80 square metres in Dresdenabout EUR 23 to 25 a year
Contents insurance, 80 square metres in Düsseldorfabout EUR 51 to 54 a year
Contents of a 40 square metre holiday home used by the owner, three year contractabout EUR 40 a year
Platform protection for damage by guestsup to USD 3 million
Surcharge for occasional letting0 to about 20 percent, depending on the insurer

The premium examples come from the sources listed.

The surcharge for letting is a guide value from our quoting practice and differs between insurers,

some refuse regular letting.

Your own terms decide; we obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Couple lets their city flat during the summer holidays

A couple lets their 70 square metre rented flat in Hamburg to holiday guests for three weeks in summer. Their landlord has agreed in writing, and so has their insurer.

Contents, sum insured EUR 45,500stay insured
Jewellery and documents in the locked cupboardcovered if forced open
Guest's laptopnot insured
Red wine stain on the sofa caused by the guestguest or platform cover

With both permissions and valuables locked away, cover for fire, water and burglary stays in place. Damage caused by the guest is settled with him or through the platform.

What stays covered and what does not

German contents insurance (Hausratversicherung) protects the belongings of your household in the flat named in the policy. The model terms of the German insurers' association, VHB 2022, define that flat as the rooms you use privately. Rooms used exclusively for professional or business purposes are not included.

If you rent out your flat only while you are on holiday yourself, it remains your home. Whether your tariff still treats short lets as private use is up to each insurer and their terms. A written confirmation removes the doubt.

SituationCovered by your contents insurance?
Fire or burst pipe while guests are stayingyes, if the insurer knows about the letting
Guests' suitcases, laptop and clothesno
Guest takes your jewellery, entered with his own keyusually no
Guest forces open your locked cupboardyes, breaking open a container counts
Stranger breaks in during the stayyes, as before
Second flat let only to holiday guestsno, needs a separate policy

Theft by holiday guests

Your policy covers burglary (Einbruchdiebstahl): the thief breaks in, climbs in or enters with a false key or a tool. Under the model terms a key is false only if nobody entitled to it had it made or approved it. You handed the guest his key yourself.

So if a guest walks off with something, it is usually not burglary. Lock valuables, documents and cash in a cupboard or room the guest has no key to. If he forces that open, the loss counts as burglary again.

Do I have to tell my insurer?

Under the model terms a change can be a reportable increase in risk if the insurer asked about that circumstance before the contract. If your application asked about letting or business use, report the guests beforehand.

If you do not, the insurer may reduce payment for gross negligence and refuse it for intent under § 26 VVG. It still has to pay if the letting had nothing to do with the loss. Even if nobody asked, a short written notice is the safe way.

A holiday flat let only to guests

A second flat you no longer live in and let only to holiday guests is a different case. It is used exclusively for letting and under the model terms is not part of your insured flat.

The furnishings there need their own policy that expressly includes letting. The building and your liability as a host follow separate rules again.

What tenants need to know

Under § 540 BGB you may not let a third party use the flat without your landlord's permission. Germany's Federal Court of Justice ruled on 08.01.2014 (VIII ZR 210/13) that a permission to sublet does not, without specific indications, cover letting the flat by the day to tourists.

Even with permission, § 540 BGB makes you liable to your landlord for damage your guests cause through their fault. Letting without permission risks a formal warning and termination of your lease, regardless of insurance.

What the booking platform's protection does

Large booking platforms offer hosts protection against damage, one names up to USD 3 million. It applies when guests do not pay for damage to the property or your belongings, and it has its own terms and exclusions.

If lightning causes a fire or a pipe bursts without any guest being at fault, it does not help. That stays the job of your contents insurance. Treat platform cover as an extra, not a replacement.

When nothing needs to change

Friends looking after your flat for free while you are away is not letting. The flat even counts as occupied if an adult sleeps there.

Visitors staying with you for a few days do not change your cover either.

Step by step

  1. Check your application and terms for questions about letting.
  2. Tell your insurer about the letting in writing and ask for confirmation.
  3. As a tenant, get your landlord's permission specifically for holiday guests.
  4. Move valuables into a lockable cupboard or room.
  5. Read the terms and deadlines of the platform's protection.
  6. For a flat let only to guests, take out a separate policy for the furnishings.

Checklist

  • Written confirmation from the insurer
  • Landlord's permission for short lets
  • Valuables locked away, keys only with you
  • Handover record with photos before and after the stay
  • Platform cover and its deadlines known
  • Separate policy for a flat let only to guests

Common mistakes

  • Mistaking platform cover for contents insurance
  • Taking in guests without asking the insurer
  • Leaving jewellery and cash out in the flat
  • Relying as a tenant on an old permission to sublet

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Are my holiday guests' belongings covered by my contents insurance?

No.

Belongings of tenants and subtenants are excluded under the model terms.

Does my insurance pay if a guest steals something?

Usually not, because with his own key he is not a burglar.

If he forces open a locked cupboard, that can be covered.

Do I have to tell my insurer that I rent to holiday guests?

Yes, if the insurer asked about it in the application.

Otherwise a written notice is still the safe way.

Is the booking platform's protection enough?

No.

It only applies to damage caused by guests and has its own exclusions.

Fire, burst pipes and burglary by strangers stay with your contents insurance.

Can I rent my rented flat to holiday guests in Germany?

Only with your landlord's permission.

According to the Federal Court of Justice a general permission to sublet does not,

without specific indications, cover short lets to tourists.

Does letting make my contents insurance more expensive?

Some insurers charge nothing extra, others add a surcharge, and some refuse regular letting.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request a quote: Contents insurance

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1Who is it for?
2Which insurance?

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3Details

Contents insurance in Germany (Hausratversicherung)

Excluding cellar, attic and garage

For example valuable equipment, a safe, instruments, your planned length of stay

4Your current policy
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