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What does contents insurance pay for storm damage in Germany?

In short

What does contents insurance pay for storm damage in Germany? The new value of your damaged furniture, clothes and electronics, once the wind reached at least force 8, which is 62 kilometres per hour. Clean-up and hotel costs come on top. Not covered: items outdoors, rain through an open window, and damage to the building itself.

What does contents insurance pay for storm damage in Germany?

What it costs

Storm and hail are part of basic contents cover. The figures show what the whole policy costs.

ExampleTypical range
100 square metres, contents worth EUR 80,000, good tariff without natural hazardsfrom about EUR 60 a year
Same flat, most expensive comparable tariff in the same placeEUR 105 a year
80 square metres in Dresdenabout EUR 23 to 25 a year
80 square metres in Düsseldorfabout EUR 51 to 54 a year

Tariffs as of 1 January 2026 (Stiftung Warentest) and published tariff examples,

as of October 2026.

Your premium depends on location, floor area and scope.

The loss amounts in the worked example are guide values from our quoting practice;

we obtain the exact quote.

Worked example

Top-floor flat, gust at 95 km/h

The storm tears tiles off the roof, and rain pours into the living room overnight. On the roof terrace the wind knocks over the seating set. 95 kilometres per hour is force 10.

Sofa and rug soaked, new valueEUR 2,400
TV and hi-fi, new valueEUR 1,300
Clean-up and disposalEUR 200
Terrace furniture broken, outdoorsEUR 600, not covered
Roof and ceilinglandlord's buildings insurance

Contents insurance pays EUR 3,900. You bear the EUR 600 for the terrace furniture yourself if your tariff does not include items outdoors.

When wind counts as a storm

The German model terms for contents insurance define storm as weather-related air movement of at least force 8 on the Beaufort scale, which is at least 62 kilometres per hour. The German weather service calls this level a gale and it runs up to 74 kilometres per hour.

If the wind speed at your address cannot be established, storm is assumed if you show one of two things: the wind damaged buildings in good condition nearby, or the damage to your building, which was in good condition, can only have been caused by storm. The model terms are not binding, so your contract may differ.

Beaufort forceSpeedContents insurance
7, near gale50 to 61 km/hnot a storm under the model terms
8, gale62 to 74 km/hthreshold reached
9, strong gale75 to 88 km/hcovered
10, storm89 to 102 km/hcovered
12, hurricane forcefrom 118 km/hcovered

What contents insurance pays after a storm

Cover applies when storm acts directly on your belongings or on the building they are in, and when it throws parts of buildings, trees or other objects onto them. Follow-on damage counts too. If the storm lifts tiles and rain then soaks your sofa, rug and TV, that is storm damage to contents.

You get the new value, meaning the price of equivalent new items. Under the model terms, costs around the loss are covered as well: clean-up and disposal, temporary protection of your belongings, transport and storage, and a hotel if the flat is uninhabitable, within a maximum period and daily rate set in your contract.

Contents also include fitted furniture and kitchens you paid for yourself as a tenant, as well as aerials, awnings and plug-in balcony solar panels that serve only your flat.

Terrace and garden: the big gap

Under the model terms, items outside buildings are not insured against storm and hail. The garden lounge, parasol, trampoline and barbecue in the open get nothing, even if the wind was strong enough. Only aerials, awnings and balcony solar panels are exempt from this exclusion.

Some tariffs include other items on the plot up to a fixed limit. If you keep expensive furniture outside, ask about this specifically. Away from home, cover for natural hazards only applies inside buildings, so a tent at a campsite is not covered.

Open window, flooding, storm surge

If rain, hail or snow enters through windows or doors that were not properly closed, contents insurance does not pay. It is different if the storm itself broke the opening, for example by smashing a pane.

Storm surge is excluded. Flooding and backflow, meaning water that floods the plot after heavy rain or pushes up through drains, belong to the further natural hazards add-on. After a storm, it matters whether wind or water did the damage.

What buildings insurance pays instead

A stripped roof, a broken window and the facade belong to the building. They are covered by the owner's buildings insurance, which for a rented flat is your landlord's. As a tenant, report such damage to your landlord. If you own your home, you need both policies.

After the storm: your duties

Under section 82 of the German Insurance Contract Act (VVG), you must avert and reduce the loss where possible. Move wet furniture somewhere dry and cover what can still be saved. For gross negligence, the insurer may otherwise reduce payment.

Photograph everything before you clear up and keep damaged items for now. Report the loss promptly and attach a list of items with age and purchase price. Weather reports, storm warnings or photos of damage in the neighbourhood help prove the wind strength.

What matters more than storm cover

Storm and hail are part of basic contents cover in Germany. You do not need a separate storm add-on.

Two other points matter more: whether the policy pays in full for gross negligence, and whether the further natural hazards are included. Stiftung Warentest only recommends tariffs that pay in full for gross negligence. Older contracts often reduce payment and often lack the natural hazards add-on.

Step by step

  1. Think of your own safety first, then move wet and endangered items to safety.
  2. Take photos and short videos of all damage before clearing up.
  3. Report the loss promptly to your insurer, and building damage to your landlord.
  4. List damaged items with age and purchase price and find receipts.
  5. Prove wind strength: weather report, storm warning or damage nearby.
  6. Keep damaged items until the insurer releases them.

Checklist

  • Gross negligence covered without reduction
  • Further natural hazards included if water can reach your flat
  • Items outdoors included if you keep valuable things outside
  • Sum insured matches the new value of your contents
  • Windows and roof hatches closed when a storm is forecast
  • Receipts or photos of your furnishings kept safe

Common mistakes

  • Leaving windows open during a storm warning and claiming the rain damage
  • Assuming garden furniture and trampoline are covered
  • Treating flooding after heavy rain as storm damage
  • Throwing away damaged items before taking photos
  • Reporting roof and window damage to contents insurance instead of the landlord

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

From what wind force does contents insurance pay?

Under the model terms from force 8, at least 62 kilometres per hour.

Your contract may differ.

Does contents insurance pay if rain comes through an open window?

No.

Rain through windows that were not properly closed is excluded.

If the storm smashed the pane, follow-on damage to contents is covered.

Is garden furniture covered in a storm?

Not in basic cover, because it is outside buildings.

Some tariffs include it up to a limit.

Is my awning covered by contents insurance?

Under the model terms yes, if it is for private use,

serves only your flat and is on the plot of your flat.

Who pays for the broken window pane?

The owner's buildings insurance, for a rented flat your landlord's.

Contents insurance pays for what gets damaged among your belongings.

How do I prove the storm if nobody measured it?

With damage to sound buildings nearby,

or by showing that the damage to your sound building can only have been caused by storm.

Is water damage after heavy rain storm damage?

No.

Flooding and backflow belong to the further natural hazards and are only covered with that add-on.

Sources

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