# Insurance for campsites, motorhome pitches and holiday parks in Germany

> A campsite is a small village with roads, a power grid, a toilet block, a playground, often a bathing lake and a kiosk. You are responsible for keeping all of it safe, and in a storm your trees fall on your guests' caravans. Add rental accommodation, boat hire and waste water systems. This page shows what to insure and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-campsite.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Who pays if a tree falls on a caravan in a storm?

That depends on whether you met your duty to inspect your trees. With a healthy tree and an exceptional storm, the guest's own comprehensive motor or contents insurance pays. If you should have spotted the damage to the tree, you are liable, and your public liability pays. Documented tree inspections are therefore your best protection, because in a dispute they prove you took care.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No insurance required by law; motor liability for site vehicles that use public roads
- **Biggest risk:** Trees and branches falling on occupied pitches in a storm
- **Basic cover from:** a minimum premium of about €180 to €300 a year for the public liability policy of small sites
- **Statutory accident insurer:** BGN, the Berufsgenossenschaft for food and hospitality; mandatory for every business with staff
- **Often forgotten:** Bathing lake, jetty and hire of pedal boats or bicycles must be named in the policy
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 55.30 Campingplätze

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Trees and storms:** Shade is a selling point, but in a storm branches become a danger to caravans, tents and people.
- **Bathing lake and jetty:** Where people swim, accidents happen. If signs, a lifebuoy or supervision are missing, the question of liability arises.
- **Power at the pitch:** Hook up points, cable reels and wet ground: faulty connections can destroy guests' appliances or injure people.
- **Waste water and oil tank:** Sanitary facilities, soakaways and heating oil tanks can pollute soil and water, and that gets expensive.
- **Rental accommodation:** Mobile homes, camping barrels, tiny houses and rental caravans catch fire, get damaged or suffer water damage.
- **Flooding:** Many sites lie by rivers and lakes. A flood hits the toilet block, reception and guests at the same time.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 4, Theft 2, Cyber 2, Downtime 3, Health 3

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays for accidents caused by trees, paths, playground and bathing lake, and includes environmental damage from waste water and tanks if agreed. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Commercial buildings** (Essential): Replaces toilet blocks, reception, restaurant and your own rental units after fire, storm, hail and burst pipes. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-commercial-buildings.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces furnishings, kiosk, workshop and site equipment after fire, burglary and storm. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Natural hazard cover** (Strongly advised): Covers floods and torrential rain, often the largest possible property loss for sites by the water. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-natural-hazards.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Pays fixed costs and lost profit if the site stays closed during the season after a storm or flood. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Depends on the business): Covers the sewage plant, pumps and site vehicles against sudden breakdown. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): If the booking system and barrier fail or guest data is stolen. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php

## What it costs: example prices

Campsites are usually rated on annual turnover, with a minimum premium. A bathing lake, boat hire, restaurant or many rental units cost more, and buildings are insured separately.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Small site up to €125,000 turnover, €5 million cover, environmental damage included | about €180 to €400 a year |
| Business liability | Site with bathing lake, hire and restaurant, €6 to €10 million cover | about €600 to €2,000 a year |
| Commercial buildings | Toilet block and reception with a rebuild value of around €500,000 | about €700 to €1,600 a year |
| Business contents | Furnishings, kiosk and site equipment worth €80,000 | about €250 to €600 a year |
| Natural hazard cover | Add on for building and contents, location outside a flood zone | about €150 to €500 a year on top |

For comparison: Basic cover of public liability and contents insurance costs about as much a year as 25 nights for a motorhome with two people.

_Guide prices as of September 2026, based on published tariffs for site operators and on our own quoting practice. Minimum premiums are about €180 to €300 before tax depending on the provider; by rivers, natural hazard cover can cost considerably more. We obtain the exact quote for you._

- [campingassec: Betriebshaftpflicht für Campingplatzbetreiber](https://www.campingassec.de/Betriebshaftpflicht-Platzbetreiber.html)
- [Hütten und Tesch: Betriebshaftpflicht Campingplatz](https://www.campingplatz-versicherungen.de/versicherungen/haftpflicht/betriebshaftpflicht)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Motorhome site** (motorhome pitches with fresh water and waste disposal, no buildings): Business liability, Business contents. Together: about €400 to €900 a year
- **Campsite** (site with toilet block, reception and playground): Business liability, Commercial buildings, Business contents, Business interruption. Together: about €1,800 to €4,000 a year
- **All round** (holiday park with bathing lake, rental units, restaurant and hire): Business liability, Commercial buildings, Business contents, Business interruption, Natural hazard cover, Machinery breakdown, Cyber insurance. Together: about €4,500 to €12,000 a year

## The worst day on the campsite

Six claims of the kind campsites really see, all on a single day in high summer. Click through the day and see who pays.

- 06:40: The sewage plant pump has failed and the toilet block has to be closed. (€7,800, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)
- 10:15: A child traps a hand in a damaged climbing frame on the playground. (€6,500, Paid by: Business liability)
- 13:30: A faulty hook up point knocks out the fridge and electrics of a motorhome. (€3,200, Paid by: Business liability)
- 16:50: Thunderstorm: a rotten branch falls on a caravan. The tree had already been flagged at the last inspection. (€18,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 17:30: The storm tears the roof off the toilet block, and rain pours into the showers and the plant room. (€42,000, Paid by: Commercial buildings)
- 22:00: Torrential rain: the river bursts its banks, and the lower part of the site and the kiosk are under water. (€65,000, Paid by: Natural hazard cover)

**Damage so far:** €142,500

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have bathing lake, jetties, boat hire, bicycle hire and entertainment written into public liability expressly.
- Include environmental damage from waste water systems, soakaways and heating oil tanks.
- Inspect trees at least twice a year and record it with dates and photos: that decides liability cases.
- Check whether damage to pitches and mobile homes that you lease yourself is covered.
- Base business interruption on the season: a loss in June costs you a year, one in November hardly anything.
- Ask about group liability cover for seasonal campers, so your long stay tenants have suitable cover too.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We know life by the water:** As a broker we compare several insurers. Where bathing lakes, jetties and boat hire are part of the business, we know the risks from our own line of work.
- **We settle claims ourselves:** In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves, including after storms and floods. That helps when, after a storm, it has to be decided who pays for the branch.
- **Site, buildings and family in one place:** Liability, buildings, vehicles and your own cover are handled by one contact.
- **Family business since 1989:** Advice is free, as the insurer pays our commission. Many campsites are family businesses, and so are we.

## FAQ

### What insurance does a campsite in Germany need?

Public liability including environmental damage, buildings insurance for toilet block and reception, and contents insurance. By the water add natural hazard cover, and business interruption cover for the season.

### How much does public liability cost for a campsite?

Small sites usually pay a minimum premium of about €180 to €300 a year. With a bathing lake, restaurant and hire it is usually €600 to €2,000.

### Am I liable for accidents at the bathing lake?

You have a duty to keep it safe: signs, rescue equipment, secure jetties. If you neglect it, you are liable, so the bathing lake has to be in your public liability policy.

### Are seasonal campers' caravans insured through me?

No, the owners insure their caravans themselves. You are liable only if you caused the damage, for instance through a tree that was not inspected.

### Do I need insurance for an unstaffed motorhome site?

Yes, public liability, because you are liable for hook up points, the disposal station and the access road. For pure motorhome pitches it is usually cheap.

### Are my seasonal staff insured?

At work through the BGN, the statutory accident insurer for food and hospitality, including seasonal workers and mini jobbers.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-campsite.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.