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Who pays if you damage something as a guest at a party in Germany?

In short

Who pays? If you damage something as a guest at a party in Germany, you are liable and your personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht) pays, usually the current value rather than the new price. That still applies after a few drinks. It pays nothing for deliberate damage, and for things you borrowed only if your policy includes borrowed items. Cover costs about EUR 40 to 120 a year for a single person.

Who pays if you damage something as a guest at a party in Germany?

What it costs

Typical annual premiums for personal liability insurance with good cover in Germany.

ExampleTypical range
Single person, good policyabout EUR 40 to 120 a year
Couple or family, good policyabout EUR 60 to 180 a year
Professional upholstery cleaning after red wineabout EUR 80 to 200 (guide value from quoting practice)

Premiums as of November 2026 from published tariff examples.

The cleaning costs and the figures in the example are guide values from quoting practice.

Your premium depends on scope, excess and household.

Worked example

Birthday party, red wine on a light sofa

How the insurer calculates when the stain will not come out. The amounts are guide values from quoting practice.

New price of the sofaEUR 1,800
Agefive years
Attempted professional cleaningabout EUR 140, without success
Current value after deduction for age and wearabout EUR 750

Your insurer pays roughly EUR 890, the cleaning attempt plus the current value. The rest towards a new sofa is the host's own cost.

Why the guest is liable

Under German law, anyone who negligently damages someone else's property has to pay for it. A party at a friend's flat is no exception. A knocked-over glass of red wine, a broken vase or a cigarette burn in the carpet are the classic cases.

Personal liability insurance, called Privathaftpflicht in Germany, covers exactly this obligation. The insurer checks whether you are liable, pays the justified amount and rejects claims that go too far.

What happens at the host's homeDoes your liability insurance pay?
Red wine spilled on the sofa or carpetyes, cleaning or the current value
Display cabinet knocked over while dancingyes
Tripped after several drinks and cracked a glass dooryes, alcohol does not remove liability
Dropped plates while helping with the washing upreliably only with cover for damage done as a favour
Borrowed the host's camera and dropped itonly if your policy includes borrowed items
Smashed something on purpose during an argumentno, intent is never covered

Current value, not the new price

The insurer pays what you owe, and German law only requires you to restore the position the host was in before (Section 249 BGB). For an older item that is the current value. A sofa bought eight years ago is therefore worth much less than a new one.

If professional cleaning solves the problem, the insurer pays for that in full. The gap between current value and a new sofa stays with the host. That is not the insurer being difficult; it is the normal rule for damages.

Alcohol, helping out, children

Someone who gets drunk and then breaks something cannot rely on not having been in control. Section 827 BGB treats the person as having acted negligently. So the insurer pays after a long night too.

Helping the host tidy up or wash the dishes is a grey area. When friends help each other for free, German courts often assume there is no liability for slight negligence. The insurer then only pays reliably if your policy includes damage caused while doing someone a favour (Gefälligkeitsschäden).

Children under seven are not liable at all under Section 828 BGB. If the parents did not neglect their duty to supervise, nobody has to pay. Good family policies still pay up to a limit if they cover damage caused by children below that age.

When the insurer does not pay

Damage caused on purpose is never insured; Section 103 VVG rules it out. Throwing a bottle at the wall in anger is your own cost.

Normal wear and tear is not damage either. And items you borrowed for the evening, such as a camera or a speaker, are only covered if your policy lists borrowed items.

When you do not need to do anything

If the host gets the stain out with salt and water and wants nothing, there is nothing to report. You only need the insurer when real costs remain.

Without liability insurance you pay every one of these claims yourself. It is one of the most useful policies you can have in Germany and often costs less than a dinner for two.

Step by step

  1. Tell the host straight away and take photos together.
  2. Do not scrub in a way that could make the damage worse.
  3. Report the claim to your liability insurer promptly, with a short description and photos.
  4. Do not promise the host a payment before the insurer has checked the claim.
  5. Ask the host for the receipt or purchase year of the damaged item.

Checklist

  • Personal liability insurance with at least EUR 10 million cover
  • Damage done as a favour included
  • Borrowed items included
  • With children: damage by children under seven covered

Common mistakes

  • Promising the host the new price when only the current value is owed
  • Not reporting the damage out of embarrassment and paying it yourself
  • Assuming no insurer pays after alcohol
  • Assuming the policy always pays when you were helping out

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does my insurer pay if I was drunk?

Yes.

Under Section 827 BGB someone who gets themselves drunk is liable as if they had been negligent,

and that is what the policy covers.

Does the host have to claim on their own home contents insurance?

No.

Home contents insurance pays for perils such as fire or burglary.

A red wine stain is not one of them; the guest is liable.

Will the host get the new price?

Usually not.

The insurer pays what the guest owes, and for older items that is the current value.

What if my child breaks something at the host's home?

A child under seven is not liable.

Good family policies still pay up to a set limit if they include this cover.

I was helping to tidy up. Am I covered?

Reliably only if your policy covers damage done as a favour.

Otherwise the insurer may argue that friends are not liable to each other for slight negligence.

Should I pay a small claim myself?

For very small amounts or with a high excess, that can be simpler.

Real damage should be reported.

Sources

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