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Do I have to tell my insurer about a wood-burning stove?

In short

Do I have to tell my insurer about a wood-burning stove? Yes, ideally before you light the first fire. In Germany it is mandatory if your application asked about fireplaces or the type of heating, because the new stove may then be an increase in risk. A fire starting from the stove is covered by buildings insurance. Scorch damage from embers without a fire is often only paid up to a limit.

Do I have to tell my insurer about a wood-burning stove?

What it costs

Published average costs for buying, installing and inspecting a wood-burning stove in Germany, plus a guideline value for the premium.

ExampleTypical range
Good stove for the living room, applianceabout EUR 1,000 to 2,000
Setting up and connecting a simple stoveup to about EUR 1,000
Inspection by the chimney sweepabout EUR 50 to 150
Maintenance and cleaningabout EUR 50 to 150 a year
Extra premium on buildings insuranceusually EUR 0 to 30 a year

As of November 2026.

Purchase, installation, inspection and maintenance from published averages (as of 19.01.2026),

varying by region.

The extra premium is a guideline value from our quoting practice,

as are the amounts in the worked example.

We check how your policy limits scorch damage, smoke and soot; we obtain the exact quote.

Worked example

An ember jumps out of the stove and scorches the parquet

The stove door was open briefly while adding wood, and an ember rolls onto the oak parquet. Nothing catches fire, but two boards and the skirting are black. Calculation with guideline values.

Replace boards, sand and seal the areaabout EUR 3,000
Tariff with scorch damage up to EUR 1,000payout EUR 1,000
Tariff with scorch damage without its own limitpayout EUR 3,000
Fire spreads to the floorfire damage, fully covered

Whether it burns or only glows makes a difference of EUR 2,000 here. So check the limit for scorch damage when you install a stove.

When you must report the stove

Under section 23 of the German Insurance Contract Act (VVG), you may not increase the risk without the insurer's consent and must report such a change. The law does not say whether a properly installed and inspected stove increases the risk. The model terms of German insurers (VGB 2022, A 21.1) do not name stoves either.

What matters is another point on the same list: an increase in risk that must be reported can exist if a circumstance changes that the insurer asked about before the contract. If your application contains a question about fireplaces, chimneys or heating type, you must report the new stove. Check your application. If you cannot find it, report the stove anyway by email and keep the confirmation.

If you conceal an increase in risk, the insurer can reduce payment for gross negligence under section 26 VVG and refuse it entirely for intent. It must still pay if the increase did not cause the damage. A storm damaging the roof has nothing to do with the stove.

What is covered at the stove and what is not

Buildings insurance (Wohngebaeudeversicherung) expressly pays for fire damage even if the fire came from a fire used for heating, meaning the fire inside the stove itself. If a log falls out and sets the floor alight, that is covered.

If embers only burn a hole in the parquet or carpet without a fire developing, that is scorch damage. The model terms cover it only up to an agreed amount. Smoke and soot that escape suddenly from the stove are covered; damage from gradual exposure is not.

DamageWho paysNote
Fire spreads from the stove to floor or wallBuildings insurancefire from a heating fire is included
Embers scorch the parquet, no fireBuildings insurancescorch damage, often with a limit
Smoke escapes suddenly and blackens the wallsBuildings insurancesmoke and soot, often with a limit
Walls yellow slowly over several wintersno onegradual exposure is excluded
Sofa, rug, curtains burntContents insurance (Hausrat)movable items, not the building
Flying sparks damage the neighbour's housePersonal liability insuranceif you are liable for the damage

Before the first fire: the chimney sweep

The building codes of the German states require that a fireplace may only be used once the district chimney sweep has certified that the flue is suitable and safe to use. In Bavaria this is in Art. 78 (3) of the Bavarian Building Code (BayBO). The inspection costs about EUR 50 to 150 depending on the municipality.

If you use the stove without this certificate and a fire breaks out, you have broken a rule designed to prevent exactly that damage. This gives the insurer arguments for a reduction for gross negligence. Send the certificate to the insurer together with your report.

Where the stove becomes gross negligence

Most stove damage does not start inside the stove but next to it: ash that is still glowing, wood stacked right by the door, a missing spark guard plate. In a judgment of 10.12.2010 (20 U 73/10) the Higher Regional Court of Hamm upheld a 50 percent reduction after fireplace ash with embers had been tipped into a plastic bin and set the house on fire.

A tariff that waives the gross negligence defence helps here. Agreed safety rules still apply, such as the duty to keep insured property in good condition and to remedy defects without delay.

Tenants, flats and when you need do nothing

If you bought the stove yourself as a tenant, it belongs to your contents. Report it there and ask your landlord first, as the chimney and wall are part of the building. In a flat you own, speak to the property management first, because the chimney is usually common property and the buildings insurance runs through the owners' association.

You need do nothing if the stove was already there when the contract was taken out and you stated it in the application. Replacing it with a similar appliance in the same place usually does not change the risk either. A short notice does no harm.

Step by step

  1. Check your application or policy schedule for a question about fireplaces or heating type.
  2. Book the district chimney sweep for the inspection before the first fire.
  3. Report the stove in writing to your buildings insurer, with certificate and invoice.
  4. Keep the insurer's confirmation.
  5. Check the limits for scorch damage and for smoke and soot in your policy.
  6. Provide a spark guard plate, the manufacturer's clearances and a metal bin for the ash.

Checklist

  • Chimney sweep certificate available
  • Stove reported to the buildings insurer and confirmed
  • Scorch damage covered without a tight limit
  • Smoke and soot from heating systems included
  • Waiver of the gross negligence defence in the policy
  • Ash only in a metal container with a lid

Common mistakes

  • Lighting the stove before the inspection
  • Forgetting the application question about fireplaces and not reporting the stove
  • Assuming every scorched spot is paid in full
  • Putting warm ash into a plastic bin or paper bag
  • Stacking firewood right next to the stove door

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does a wood-burning stove make buildings insurance more expensive?

Often not, or only a little.

It depends on the tariff.

Ask when you report it whether the premium changes.

Do I need an inspection before the first fire?

Yes.

Under the state building codes a fireplace may only be used once the district chimney sweep has

certified the flue.

Do I also have to report a pellet stove?

Yes, pellet stoves are treated like wood-burning stoves.

They also need the chimney sweep's certificate before first use.

What happens if I did not report the stove?

Report it now.

The insurer may only reduce payment if there was an increase in risk,

you acted with gross negligence or intent,

and it caused the damage.

Does contents insurance pay for the stove?

If you bought it yourself as a tenant, yes.

As a homeowner you insure it through buildings insurance,

as a fixed part or as an accessory used to heat the house.

Are soot marks on the wall covered?

If smoke and soot escape suddenly, yes, often up to a limit.

Slow yellowing over many evenings by the fire is not covered.

Sources

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