Will natural hazard insurance become compulsory in Germany?

Guide figures for the natural hazard add-on to buildings insurance by flood hazard class, as of 2026.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.