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What does contents insurance pay after a burglary in Germany?

In short

After a burglary, German contents insurance (Hausratversicherung) pays the cost of buying stolen items new, repairs to damaged furniture, usually damage to the door and windows of a rented flat and new locks. The average insured burglary cost EUR 3,850 in 2025. Cash and jewellery outside a safe are capped, and you need signs of forced entry and a police report.

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What does contents insurance pay after a burglary in Germany?

What it costs

Published figures on burglary losses and common limits in German policy terms.

Example	Typical range
Average insured burglary loss in 2025	EUR 3,850, about EUR 200 more than the year before
Cash outside a safe	about EUR 1,000 to 2,000 depending on the tariff
Jewellery outside a safe	often up to EUR 20,000
All valuables together	often up to 20 percent of the sum insured

As of September 2026. Limits differ between tariffs, your own policy terms apply. The amounts in the worked example are assumptions for illustration.

Worked example

Burglary in a 70 square metre rented flat

Sum insured EUR 45,500 (70 × EUR 650), cash limit EUR 1,500, no deductible. The burglars pry open the front door.

Laptop and camera at today's new price	EUR 2,300
Jewellery from a chest of drawers	EUR 3,000
Cash EUR 2,000, limit EUR 1,500	EUR 1,500
Repair of the front door	EUR 1,200
New lock	EUR 250

The insurer pays EUR 8,250. The EUR 500 of cash above the limit is your loss.

What the insurer pays for

Stolen belongings are replaced at their new price. For a three year old laptop you get what a comparable model costs in a shop today, not its second hand value.

Things the burglars damaged are repaired, or replaced if repair is not worth it. Costs caused by the break-in are also covered, such as changing locks when keys were taken and clearing up.

Loss	Covered by contents insurance?
Stolen furniture, electronics, clothes	yes, at new price
Furniture damaged during the break-in	yes, repair or new price
Forced front door of a rented flat	usually yes, as the tenant's building damage
New locks after keys were stolen	yes
Cash and jewellery	yes, up to fixed limits
Bike taken from a locked cellar that was broken into	yes
Theft without any sign of forced entry	no, that counts as simple theft

What counts as a burglary

Insurers cover Einbruchdiebstahl: someone forces their way into your locked home, uses a false or stolen key, or hides inside. Robbery with violence and vandalism after a break-in are covered too.

If there are no signs of force, for example because the door was only pulled shut or someone climbed through an open window, you may get nothing. A tilted window is not automatically gross negligence, but after hours of absence the insurer may cut the payout.

The paperwork is in German, and it matters

The police will give you a case number (Aktenzeichen). You then send them a Stehlgutliste, a list of everything taken with its value. Do this within a few days: handing it in weeks later has cost people their whole claim.

Your insurer usually wants the same list plus receipts or photos. If your German is not strong, ask for help early rather than filling in forms wrongly. We can take you through the claim form.

Proving what you owned

You have to prove that a burglary happened and what was taken. In 2025 more than one in four contents insurance complaints at the insurance ombudsman concerned burglaries, often about exactly this proof.

Keep receipts, photos of your rooms and bank statements somewhere outside the flat, for example in cloud storage. If you moved your household to Germany, a photo inventory from the move helps too.

Step by step

Do not touch anything, call the police on 110 and report the burglary.
Notify your insurer straight away by phone or online.
Make a full list of stolen items and give it to the police as a Stehlgutliste within a few days.
Photograph the damage and collect receipts, photos and bank statements.
Have the door or window secured and block stolen bank cards.

Checklist

Police report with case number
Stolen goods list sent to police and insurer
Photos of the damage and signs of entry
Receipts or photos of stolen items
Cash and jewellery limits checked in your policy
Landlord informed about damage to door and windows

Common mistakes

Handing the stolen goods list to the police weeks later
Cleaning up before the police have seen the scene
Adding items that were not stolen: this can void the entire claim
Keeping valuables above the limit without telling the insurer or using a safe

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does contents insurance pay for the broken door?

In a rented flat usually yes, as damage to the building that tenants are covered for. In a home you own, the buildings insurance pays.

Do I get the new price or the current value?

The new price for items of the same kind and quality. Things you no longer use may only be paid at their current value.

I have no receipts. What now?

Photos, bank statements, warranty cards, manuals and witnesses help. Without any proof the insurer may dispute amounts.

Can I report the burglary in English?

The police in larger cities often manage in English, but the report and your list end up in German. Bring someone who speaks German if you can.

Will my premium go up after a claim?

It can, and after a claim both sides may cancel the contract. For small losses it can be worth weighing that first.

Is a burglary in my cellar storage covered?

Usually yes if the cellar compartment was locked and broken into. Items in shared cellars often have tighter rules.

Sources

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