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What does business contents insurance cover in Germany?

In short

What does business contents insurance cover in Germany? It pays for your fit-out, furniture, machinery, tools, IT and stock (Inhaltsversicherung) after fire, burglary, burst pipes, storm from wind force 8 and hail, at new replacement value. Shoplifting, flood and heavy rain without the natural hazards add-on, and lost income are not included.

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What it costs

The premium depends on the type of business and the sum insured. Published examples show the order of magnitude.

Example	Typical range
Office business, standard perils, published tariff	2.2 per mille of the sum, at least EUR 125 net a year
Retailer, reference quotes from several insurers	about EUR 57 to 1,551 a year
Artists, therapists, ice cream cafés on average	about EUR 60 a year
Bakery on average	about EUR 1,765 a year

Guide values from a published tariff (2021) and reference quotes (2024), net of insurance tax.

Your premium is only fixed in the quote.

Worked example

Bike shop after a burglary

Burglars lever open the shop door at night, take bikes and damage the till. This is how business contents insurance calculates it.

Stolen bikes at purchase price	EUR 18,000
Damaged till and display case (new value)	EUR 2,500
New locks	EUR 600
Cash above the EUR 500 till limit	EUR 300, not covered
Deductible	EUR 500

About EUR 20,600 is paid, provided the sum insured is right and the alarm named in the policy was switched on.

Which items count as business contents

Business contents in Germany are everything you would take with you if the business moved: counter, shelves, desks, tills, computers, tools, machines, raw materials and finished goods.

Tenant improvements such as flooring, partition walls or lighting you paid for usually belong in your own business contents insurance. The landlord's building insurance (Gebäudeversicherung) does not pay for them, so include them in your sum insured.

Third-party items such as customer cars in a workshop, goods on commission or leased equipment are only covered when the policy names them, usually with a separate limit.

Item	Covered by business contents insurance?
Shop fittings, furniture, shelving	yes
Machinery and tools	yes
Computers, tills, phone system	yes, against the standard perils
Stock and supplies	yes, at replacement cost
Cash	only with a small limit, higher in a safe
Customer property, goods on commission	only if included
Registered vehicles	no, that is motor insurance

The perils German policies name

German business contents insurance is built on named perils. Fire includes lightning and explosion. Burglary (Einbruchdiebstahl) means forced entry into locked premises, and vandalism after a break-in and robbery are included.

Water damage means water escaping from pipes and installations. Storm only counts from wind force 8. Many insurers let you pick each peril separately, but most small firms are best served by all four together.

Gaps that surprise newcomers

Shoplifting during opening hours is not burglary, so business contents insurance does not pay for it. Heavy rain and sewer backflow are natural hazards (Elementarschäden) and need their own add-on, which many newcomers assume is part of storm cover.

Breakdown without an external cause, such as a fried server or a user error, is not covered by business contents insurance. That is the job of electronic equipment insurance, which also covers drops and short circuits.

Income lost while a burnt-out shop is closed is a separate risk. Business interruption insurance pays it, and many small business policies offer a small version (Klein-BU) inside the contents contract.

Underinsurance: the rule that cuts every claim

If the sum insured is clearly below the new value of all contents, the insurer only pays the same share of any claim under § 75 VVG. Contents worth 200,000 euros insured for 100,000 means a 20,000 euro water loss pays 10,000.

Better policies waive this rule if you calculate the sum using the insurer's method, and add automatic cover of 10 to 30 percent for new purchases until your next update.

When you do not need it

Freelancers who work mainly from a laptop and phone they could replace from savings rarely need their own business contents insurance. Electronic equipment cover for the laptop, which also works on the move, is often the better fit.

Step by step

List all items at new value and stock at purchase price in peak season.
Note tenant improvements and third-party property separately.
Combine fire, burglary, water, storm and hail.
Check natural hazards, power surge and Klein-BU for your location.
Ask for an underinsurance waiver and review the sum every year.

Checklist

Sum insured at new value including tenant improvements
Underinsurance waiver agreed
Customer property included, if you hold any
Power surge from lightning for tills and IT
Natural hazards for basements, ground floors or sites near rivers
No cut for gross negligence

Common mistakes

Assuming shoplifting is covered
Leaving tenant improvements uninsured on both sides
Setting the sum once and never updating it
Not switching on the alarm that is named in the policy

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Is Geschäftsinhaltsversicherung the same as Inhaltsversicherung?

Yes, both German terms mean business contents insurance.

You may also see Betriebsinhaltsversicherung or Geschäftsversicherung.

Are laptops covered away from the office?

Only with off-site cover (Außenversicherung), usually with a lower limit.

For drops and theft on the move, electronic equipment insurance is often better.

Are tools in the company van covered?

Only if the policy includes tools in vehicles, often only in a locked van and up to a fixed limit.

Is the policy in English?

Some insurers offer translations, but the German wording is legally binding.

Do I need to report new machines?

Yes, once they noticeably raise the sum.

Automatic cover for new items bridges the gap, otherwise underinsurance cuts every claim.

Who arranges the policy?

Norman Nammert acts as an insurance broker (Versicherungsmakler).

The insurer pays the commission, so the service is free for you.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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Business contents insurance in Germany (Inhaltsversicherung)

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