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Is there a contents insurance discount for burglary protection?

In short

There is no fixed contents insurance discount for burglary protection in Germany. Some tariffs lower the premium for a VdS approved alarm system linked to a monitoring centre, but with annual premiums often of EUR 70 to 140 the saving stays small. The real gain lies elsewhere: in 2025, 44.9 percent of all home burglaries in Germany failed at the attempt stage.

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Is there a contents insurance discount for burglary protection?

What it costs

What burglary protection costs and what contents insurance costs in Germany, according to published figures.

Example	Typical range
Intruder alarm for a detached house, including fitting	about EUR 1,300 to 5,000
Tested window lock for handle and hinge side	under EUR 100 per window
Tested door lock with cross bar or rods	from about EUR 215
Contents insurance, 2 rooms, 65 square metres	about EUR 70 to 140 a year
Contents insurance, 3 rooms, 90 square metres	about EUR 90 to 190 a year

As of October 2026.

The prices for door and window locks come from a 2020 test and exclude fitting.

The size of an alarm discount, about 5 to 15 percent where a tariff offers one at all,

is a guide value from quoting practice.

We obtain the exact quote.

Worked example

Couple, 90 square metres, alarm bought only for the discount

Assumed values to show how discount and purchase relate to each other.

Annual contents premium	EUR 160
Discount for the alarm, assumed 10 percent	EUR 16 a year
Alarm system including fitting, assumed	EUR 2,000
Years until the discount has paid for the system	125 years, maintenance and monitoring not included

The system never pays for itself through the premium. Buy it because it makes burglary harder, not for the discount.

When a discount is possible

German contents insurance (Hausratversicherung) is priced mainly by where you live, the floor area and the level of cover. Whether a tariff offers anything for burglary protection is stated in the application or the tariff rules. There is no general right to it.

Where a discount exists, the bar is high: the system must be VdS certified, meaning approved by the insurers' testing body, all components must be tested, a specialist firm installs it, it is linked to an alarm receiving centre and serviced regularly. A wireless kit from a DIY store or a single camera does not qualify.

Tell your insurer before installing and ask which class it requires. For flats and smaller homes the German police recommend VdS class A.

Measure	Cost according to sources	Discount on contents insurance
Window lock for handle and hinge side	under EUR 100 per window	rare, only if the tariff provides for it
Cross bar or rod lock on the flat door	from about EUR 215	rare, only if the tariff provides for it
Burglar resistant door to DIN EN 1627, at least RC 2	depends on door and fitting	rare, only if the tariff provides for it
VdS approved intruder alarm with monitoring link	about EUR 1,300 to 5,000	possible, with duties

What a discount obliges you to do

If you state a security device in the contract, you must use it. Under the GDV model terms it is an increase in risk if agreed security devices are removed, reduced or not working, also after a move.

A common additional clause also requires that whenever nobody is at home, all locks and agreed devices are used and the alarm is switched on. Only very short trips, such as to the letterbox, are exempt. Faults must be repaired at once.

If you breach such a duty through gross negligence, the insurer may cut its payment under § 28 (2) VVG in proportion to how serious your fault was, and for intent it pays nothing. A discount of a few euros can therefore become expensive if the alarm was off on the day of the burglary.

Why burglary protection still pays

German police recorded 82,920 home burglaries including attempts in 2025. 44.9 percent of them failed, often because windows and doors were well secured.

An insured burglary cost EUR 3,850 on average in 2025. On top come things no insurer replaces: keepsakes, time and the feeling of being safe at home.

The order is clear: first mechanical protection on doors and windows, then electronics if needed. An alarm adds to locks and bars, it does not replace them.

Funding and tax instead of a discount

The state bank KfW funds burglary protection through loan 159 (Altersgerecht Umbauen) with up to EUR 50,000 per housing unit, for example for burglar resistant doors, retrofit systems for windows and doors or alarm systems. A specialist firm must do the work, your own labour is not funded. Apply before the work starts.

Without a funding loan you can deduct 20 percent of a tradesperson's labour costs from your income tax, up to EUR 1,200 a year (§ 35a (3) EStG). Materials do not count. For a measure funded with a subsidised loan this deduction is not available, so you have to choose.

When you should not chase a discount

If you live on an upper floor with a solid door and pay a small premium, the effort for a discount is hardly worth it. More important is a tariff that includes gross negligence, so that a window left tilted does not lead to a cut.

As a tenant, agree any drilling in doors and windows with your landlord first.

Step by step

Find the weak points: a police advice centre gives free and neutral advice.
Secure doors and windows mechanically first, with tested products to DIN EN 1627, at least RC 2.
Before buying an alarm, ask your insurer whether and on what terms a discount applies.
Choose either the funding loan or the tax deduction, and apply for the loan before work starts.
Keep invoices, certificate and maintenance contract.
After a move, tell your insurer in text form whether the agreed devices also exist in the new home.

Checklist

System VdS certified and fitted by a specialist firm
Link to an alarm receiving centre in place
Maintenance contract signed
Alarm always switched on when nobody is home
Gross negligence included in the contents tariff
Funding loan or tax deduction used, not both for the same measure

Common mistakes

Buying an alarm only for the discount
Stating security devices in the application and then not using them
Installing a system without VdS testing and expecting a discount
Not reporting the security devices again after a move
Applying for the KfW loan after work has started

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Do I get a discount as a tenant for an extra lock?

Rarely.

Whether your tariff takes mechanical security into account at all is stated in the tariff rules.

Ask beforehand and agree any drilling with your landlord.

Is a video camera enough for a discount?

Usually not.

Where a discount exists, insurers require a VdS certified intruder alarm with tested components,

a monitoring link and maintenance.

Do I always have to switch the alarm on?

If it is agreed in the contract, yes, whenever nobody is at home.

If it is off during a burglary,

the insurer can cut the payment for gross negligence and pay nothing for intent.

Does contents insurance pay less if I have no alarm?

No, if no alarm was agreed.

Its absence is then no reason for a cut.

What matters is that you close doors and windows and use agreed devices.

Can I deduct burglary protection from my taxes?

The tradesperson's labour, yes: 20 percent, up to EUR 1,200 tax reduction a year,

together with other trades work.

Materials do not count, and a subsidised loan for the same measure rules out the deduction.

Is there a grant for burglary protection?

KfW offers loan 159 for burglary protection with up to EUR 50,000 per housing unit.

Its programme page currently names no separate grant.

Sources

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