Do I have to declare my safe to my contents insurance?
In short
Yes, you should declare your safe if you want to insure more valuables than the limits without a safe allow. Without a recognised safe, German contents insurance (Hausrat) often pays only about EUR 1,000 in cash and EUR 20,000 for jewellery. In a locked, recognised safe the higher overall limit applies, usually 20 percent of the sum insured, if the type and anchoring match your policy.
Limits from published model terms and tariff descriptions, not premiums.
Example
Typical range
Sum insured EUR 60,000, valuables in the safe, limit 20 percent
up to EUR 12,000 for all valuables together
Cash kept openly in the flat
usually only EUR 1,000 to 1,500 paid
Jewellery outside the safe
often up to about EUR 20,000, at most the overall limit
Documents, savings books, securities outside the safe
about EUR 2,500 to 3,000
As of October 2026.
The model terms leave the amounts open, each insurer sets its own limits.
The extra premium for higher valuables limits is a guide value from our quoting practice.
Norman Nammert can obtain a quote as an insurance broker; the insurer pays the commission.
Worked example
Burglary, jewellery worth EUR 25,000, sum insured EUR 150,000
This is how the safe changes the outcome when valuables exceed the limit without a safe.
Overall valuables limit, 20 percent
EUR 30,000
Jewellery lay openly in the bedroom
limit about EUR 20,000
Jewellery was in the locked, recognised safe
limit EUR 30,000
Without the safe about EUR 5,000 is missing, with the locked safe the jewellery is replaced in full. The amounts are typical values, your terms decide.
Why the safe decides how much you get
The model terms of German insurers for contents insurance treat valuables differently depending on where they are kept. Cash, documents and jewellery outside a locked safe have their own, lower limits.
If the same necklace was in a recognised and locked safe, that special limit no longer applies. Only the overall limit for valuables counts, which many tariffs set at 20 percent of the sum insured.
Valuable
Outside a safe, common limit
In a recognised safe
Cash
about EUR 1,000 to 1,500
up to the overall limit
Documents, savings books, securities
about EUR 2,500 to 3,000
up to the overall limit
Jewellery, gold, coins
up to about EUR 20,000
up to the overall limit
All valuables together
often 20 percent of the sum insured
same, higher only by agreement
Which safe your insurer recognises
Under the model terms, a safe counts if it is approved by a testing body named in the policy. A free standing safe must reach a minimum weight; a lighter one must be anchored by a professional according to the manufacturer or set flush into the wall or floor.
Many tariffs accept a multi-walled steel safe of at least 200 kilograms or a safe built into the wall. A small furniture safe from a DIY store or a cash box usually does not qualify, even if it locks.
Declaring it: in the application and when things change
If the insurer asks about a safe in writing on the application, you must answer truthfully. The German Insurance Contract Act (VVG, section 19) requires this for every circumstance the insurer asks about in text form.
If you agreed higher limits because of the safe, it becomes an agreed security measure. Removing it later, or leaving it behind when you move, can count as an increase in risk (section 23 VVG) that you must report to the insurer without delay.
What safe grades mean in practice
Safes are graded under the European standard EN 1143-1. The higher the grade, the more contents insurers will cover inside it when they raise the limits by agreement.
The model terms set no fixed amounts per grade. How much your insurer covers inside your safe is agreed with the insurer and should be written into your policy.
Renting? Anchoring is the hurdle
Many people renting in Germany are not allowed to drill into walls or floors. A safe under the weight threshold then fails the anchoring condition and the low limits for valuables apply.
Ask your landlord for written permission to anchor the safe, or choose one heavy enough to stand alone. Ask the insurer which option it accepts before you buy.
When declaring the safe makes no difference
If your valuables stay below the limits without a safe, declaring it to your contents insurance gains you nothing. Someone with EUR 6,000 of jewellery and little cash at home is usually covered well enough by the standard limits.
The safe still helps: it makes theft harder, and if it is fire resistant, passports and certificates are better protected.
Step by step
Add up your valuables: jewellery, watches, gold, coins, cash.
Compare the total with the limits without a safe in your terms.
Ask before buying which grade and weight your insurer recognises.
Have the safe anchored according to the manufacturer and keep the invoice.
Report the safe and the limit you want, and get written confirmation.
Checklist
Safe approved by a testing body, certificate available
Weight or anchoring meets the policy terms
Valuables limit fits the contents
Safe always locked, key or code kept elsewhere
Photos and receipts of valuables stored outside the home
Moving or removing the safe reported to the insurer
Common mistakes
Buying a light furniture safe that the insurer does not recognise
Not anchoring the safe and missing the condition
Assuming everything in the safe is covered without limit
Leaving the safe open during the day
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Do I have to declare my safe if I buy it after taking out the policy?
If you want the higher limits, yes.
Ask the insurer to confirm in writing that your model is recognised and which limit applies.
Is a fire resistant document safe enough?
For fire, yes; for burglary often not.
Higher valuables limits depend on burglary resistance tested by an approved body.
Does a safe lower my premium?
Rarely directly.
The benefit is the higher limit, which would otherwise need a more expensive add-on.
Is jewellery in a bank safe deposit box covered by my contents insurance?
Some tariffs include bank safe deposit boxes with their own limit, others do not.
Ask before you move valuables there.
What if I brought family gold from abroad?
Have it valued by a German jeweller with photos.
Without proof of value a claim is hard, with or without a safe.
