Does insurance pay if a meteorite hits my house in Germany?

In short

In Germany a meteorite is not a named peril in the model conditions for buildings insurance (Wohngebäudeversicherung). The insurance does pay if the impact sets your house on fire, because fire is covered. Whether the impact itself is covered depends on your policy wording. Good cover for a detached house usually costs about EUR 400 to 500 a year.

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Does insurance pay if a meteorite hits my house in Germany?

What it costs

No insurer sells separate meteorite cover. What counts is the premium for buildings insurance, which covers fire and, depending on the policy, other perils.

Example	Typical range
Detached house, 100 square metres, basic cover	about EUR 90 to 150 a year
Detached house, 200 square metres, basic cover	about EUR 180 to 250 a year
Typical detached house with good cover	about EUR 400 to 500 a year
Older houses or high risk locations	about EUR 800 to 1,000 a year and more

Guide values as of October 2026 from publicly quoted tariff examples.

There is no known surcharge for meteorites alone;

policies covering unnamed perils usually cost more than basic cover (guide value from practice).

Worked example

A meteorite hits the roof of a detached house

A fist sized rock breaks through the tiles and part of the roof structure catches fire. This is how the damage splits under the model conditions.

Fire damage to the roof structure	covered as fire
Water damage from firefighting	consequence of the fire, also covered
Broken tiles without fire	only with cover for unnamed perils
Burnt furniture	contents insurance, fire

Fire is the key: what burns is paid. The hole in the roof alone depends on your policy.

What the German model conditions say about meteorites

German insurers publish model conditions for buildings insurance through their industry association (GDV). The 2022 version lists the covered perils one by one: fire, lightning, surge from lightning, explosion, implosion, impact or crash of an aircraft, vehicle impact, water from pipes (Leitungswasser), storm, hail and, as an add on, other natural hazards.

A meteorite is not on that list. It is not an aircraft either, so the aircraft clause does not apply. Under the model conditions a rock from space is therefore not an insured event in its own right.

When a meteorite strike is still paid for

What counts is the damage the meteorite causes. If it sets your roof on fire, that is a fire in the sense of the conditions: a fire that has no intended hearth and can spread by itself. Buildings insurance pays for that fire damage if fire is part of your cover.

Some German policies go further and cover perils that are not named explicitly. With such a policy the impact itself may be covered. Only the policy wording (Bedingungswerk) tells you, not the brochure.

Result of the meteorite strike	Who pays under the model conditions
Roof catches fire	buildings insurance, fire
Furniture and electronics burn	contents insurance (Hausratversicherung), fire
Hole in the roof, no fire	only with cover for unnamed perils
A person is injured	private accident insurance, if you have it
Fragments damage your car	comprehensive car cover (Vollkasko), depending on terms

Contents and car after a meteorite strike

Your furniture, clothes and devices follow the same logic as the building: contents insurance pays for fire. A meteorite that smashes the television without starting a fire is not an insured event under the usual list of perils.

For your car the comprehensive cover is decisive. Whether a meteorite is included depends on the events your contract names.

What really matters for your home in Germany

The meteorite question is fun, but storm, hail, burst pipes and heavy rain are the damages German homeowners actually face. If you check your buildings insurance because of a meteorite, check the natural hazards add on (Elementarschadenversicherung) at the same time.

Natural hazards such as flooding, backflow, earthquake or landslide are a separate module in the model conditions. Without it, heavy rain damage is not paid, however well you are covered against meteorites.

Norman Nammert arranges buildings and contents insurance as an insurance broker (Versicherungsmakler) and can compare policy wordings for unnamed perils such as a meteorite strike. The insurer pays the commission, so the service is free for you.

Step by step

Look at your policy schedule to see which perils are insured: fire, water, storm, natural hazards.
Check the policy wording for cover of perils that are not explicitly named.
Check your contents insurance the same way.
Add natural hazards cover if it is missing; it matters far more than any meteorite.
After a strike, take photos, keep the rock and report the damage straight away.

Checklist

Fire included in buildings insurance
Policy wording checked for unnamed perils
Contents insurance with fire in place
Natural hazards module in place
Sum insured matches today's rebuilding cost

Common mistakes

Assuming a meteorite counts as an aircraft crash
Throwing the rock away instead of keeping it as evidence
Switching policy because of a rare risk and losing natural hazards cover

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does insurance pay if a meteorite hits my house and it burns?

Yes, buildings insurance pays the fire damage if fire is insured.

What started the fire does not matter in principle,

unless an exclusion such as war or intent applies.

Is a meteorite treated as an aircraft crash?

No.

The model conditions refer to the impact or crash of an aircraft, its parts or cargo.

A meteorite is not an aircraft.

Is a meteorite a natural hazard under German policies?

Not under the model conditions.

They list flooding, backflow, earthquake, subsidence, landslide, snow load,

avalanche and volcanic eruption.

I rent my flat. Am I affected?

The building is your landlord's matter.

Your own belongings are covered by your contents insurance if they burn.

Do I need a more expensive policy because of meteorites?

Not for that reason alone.

Cover for unnamed perils is worth it for the many small gaps in daily life;

the meteorite is just a side note.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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