Will natural hazard insurance become compulsory in Germany?
In short
Not yet. As of September 2026 there is no obligation and no published bill. The coalition agreement says new buildings policies should only be offered with natural hazard cover (Elementarschadenversicherung) and existing ones extended on a cut-off date. The Ministry of Justice announced key points in May 2026.
Guide figures for the natural hazard add-on to buildings insurance by flood hazard class, as of 2026.
Example
Typical range
Hazard class 1, more than nine in ten addresses
about EUR 90 to 290 a year
Hazard class 2
about EUR 240 to 650 a year
Hazard class 3
about EUR 1,300 to 1,500 a year
Hazard class 4, highest exposure
about EUR 1,100 to 2,100 a year
Buildings insurance including the add-on, total
about EUR 600 to 2,900 a year
Guide values as of September 2026, taken from publicly quoted examples for a detached house.
Your premium depends on the property, the location and the scope of cover;
we obtain the exact quote for you.
The loss amount in the worked example is a guide value from our quoting practice.
Worked example
Application eight days before the storm
A homeowner in hazard class 1 buys the add-on once summer is already under way.
Application reaches the insurer
10 July
Waiting period under the policy conditions
14 days
Cover starts
24 July
Heavy rain floods the basement
18 July, about EUR 25,000 of damage
Premium for the add-on
about EUR 150 a year
The insurer pays nothing, because the loss falls inside the waiting period. Signed eight days earlier, a premium of about EUR 150 a year would have covered roughly EUR 25,000.
What the law says today
Nobody in Germany has to insure against natural hazards. The cover is an add-on to buildings insurance (Wohngebäudeversicherung) or contents insurance (Hausratversicherung), and the decision is yours alone.
According to the insurance industry, around 59 percent of residential buildings have the add-on. That leaves about 41 percent with no cover for heavy rain, flooding or sewer backflow (Rückstau).
On 14 June 2024 the Bundesrat, the chamber of the federal states, passed a resolution asking the federal government to put forward a proposal for a nationwide obligation without delay. A resolution of that kind is a request, not a law.
The models on the table
Several routes are being discussed. They differ in who gets the final say: you, your insurer or the legislator.
The coalition agreement of 9 April 2025 names two steps. New buildings policies are to be offered only together with natural hazard cover, which is an obligation to contract (Kontrahierungszwang) for new business. Existing policies are to be extended on a cut-off date, with an opt-out under review.
On 7 May 2026 the Federal Ministry of Justice announced key points for a nationwide solution at an industry event. Three requirements were named: the model must provide security, stay affordable and be widely accepted.
Model
What it would mean for you
Duty to offer
The insurer must offer you the cover, you may decline
Obligation to contract
The insurer may not refuse cover, not even in an exposed location
Opt-out
The cover is included by default, you may object expressly
Full obligation
Every building must be insured, no objection possible
Why waiting for the law is expensive
There is no timetable. Even if a law arrives, existing policies are only meant to be extended on a cut-off date. Until then you carry the risk yourself.
Then there is the waiting period. Under many policy conditions the natural hazard cover only starts 14 days after the application reaches the insurer. If you sign up once a storm warning is already running, that storm is not covered. Some insurers stop accepting applications altogether while a warning is active.
No loss can ever be insured retrospectively. That rule is what keeps the premium affordable for everyone else.
State emergency aid is not a substitute
Emergency aid after a disaster is voluntary. There is no legal entitlement, and the amount depends on the public budget and on the individual case.
Bavaria has granted no state emergency aid since 1 July 2019 where a building could have been insured. If cover was available and you did not buy it, you get nothing there.
Federal reconstruction aid after major disasters also tends to recognise only the part of the loss that could not have been insured.
What is still open
The timetable, the right to object and the treatment of very exposed locations are all unsettled. No ministerial draft has been published.
The industry is arguing for an opt-out plus a premium cap in high-risk locations, staggered by building size, with the gap to the technically required premium covered by a levy. The state would only step in for very large loss events. Whether the legislator follows is not decided.
To be straight with you: anyone naming a date for the obligation today is guessing. Your own policy is the part you can control.
Step by step
Check your policy for the wording weitere Elementargefahren, it is not included by default.
Look up the hazard class of your address in the flood portal of your federal state.
Get a quote now instead of waiting for a law with no timetable.
Allow for the waiting period of usually 14 days and never buy while a storm warning is running.
Pick a deductible (Selbstbeteiligung) you could actually pay after a loss.
Fit a backflow valve (Rückstauklappe) and have it serviced, many policies require it.
Checklist
The add-on weitere Elementargefahren is named in the policy document
Heavy rain, flooding and sewer backflow are listed explicitly
You know the start date and the waiting period
The deductible is affordable for you
A backflow valve is fitted and serviced
The sum insured matches today's rebuilding cost
Common mistakes
Waiting for a law that has no timetable yet
Buying cover only once a storm warning is already running
Counting on state emergency aid as a reliable substitute
Assuming standard buildings insurance covers heavy rain by itself
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is natural hazard cover already compulsory in Germany?
No.
As of September 2026 no law is in force and no draft bill has been published.
What did the Bundesrat decide?
On 14 June 2024 it passed a resolution asking the federal government to propose a nationwide
obligation without delay.
That is a request, not a law.
What does opt-out mean here?
The natural hazard cover would be part of your buildings policy by default.
You could object expressly, and would then stand without that protection.
Would an obligation make the cover more expensive?
That is open.
Premium caps with a levy are being discussed for high-risk locations, but nothing is decided.
What happens to my existing policy?
Under the coalition agreement, existing policies would be extended on a cut-off date.
Whether and how you could object is not yet settled.
Will the state pay if I have no cover?
Do not rely on it.
There is no legal entitlement,
and Bavaria has withheld emergency aid since 1 July 2019 where the building was insurable.
How quickly does a new policy take effect?
Usually 14 days after the application reaches the insurer.
While a storm warning is running, some insurers stop accepting applications.
Can I get cover at all in a high-risk zone?
Often yes, with a higher deductible or after protective building work.
These are exactly the locations the political debate is about.
