# Insurance for roofers and roofing contractors in Germany

> Roofers work where a mistake drops straight into the whole house: rain through the stripped roof, fire while torching bitumen, a tile on the neighbour's car. On top of that comes the highest fall risk of any trade. This page explains what your business has to insure and what you should budget for.

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

## Who pays if a thunderstorm comes overnight and rain gets into the stripped roof?

Usually your public liability policy, if you had not secured the roof well enough: the customer's ceilings, insulation, furniture and floors. What matters is that weather damage to buildings you are working on is not excluded and that you document the sheeting with photos. Storm damage to a roof nobody is working on is paid by the owner's buildings insurance instead.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No statutory insurance duty for the business itself; motor liability for vehicles and trailers, and clients almost always ask for proof of liability cover
- **Biggest risk:** Water and fire damage to the customer's building during the work, and falls of people and materials
- **Basic cover from:** about €275 a year for the public liability of a very small business, usually well over €1,000 with employees
- **Statutory accident insurer:** BG BAU, the Berufsgenossenschaft for the construction industry; membership is compulsory from your first employee
- **Often forgotten:** Storm damage to an opened roof and hot work such as torching must be expressly written into the policy

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Rain in the open roof:** The old covering is off and the tarpaulin does not survive the storm. Water runs through two floors and the customer moves into a hotel.
- **Fire while torching:** While welding bitumen membranes, insulation or timber catches fire. These fires are among the most expensive claims in the building trades.
- **Falling objects:** Tiles, sheet metal or tools drop from the roof onto cars, conservatories or passers-by.
- **Falls:** Stepping through a rooflight, falling from the scaffold: no trade has as many serious fall accidents. For owners without Berufsgenossenschaft cover this can threaten their livelihood.
- **Asbestos and contamination:** Removing old corrugated sheets releases asbestos. Cleaning up neighbouring areas and claims from neighbours are often not covered.
- **Leaking junctions:** A faulty flashing at a chimney or dormer drips unnoticed for years. The consequential damage to timber and insulation is large and hard to prove.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays for water, fire and injury claims that your work causes to customers, neighbours and passers-by. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Accident insurance** (Essential): If you as the owner are not voluntarily insured with the Berufsgenossenschaft, you have no accident cover after a fall. Personal accident insurance with a high sum insured closes this gap. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-accident-insurance.php
- **Cargo insurance** (Strongly advised): Covers tools, machines and materials on the truck and on site against theft and accidents. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Strongly advised): Inclined hoists, roofing cranes and sheet metal machines are expensive and break down after operating errors or storms. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Occupational disability** (Strongly advised): Roofing is one of the occupations with the highest risk of being unable to work. Take out income protection early, or it becomes expensive or impossible. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces a store of tiles, sheet metal and insulation plus the workshop equipment after fire, storm and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Fleet insurance** (Depends on the business): Flatbed trucks and crane vehicles are easier to manage and often cheaper under one fleet policy. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-fleet-insurance.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Depends on the business): Pays employees a lump sum after an accident in addition to the Berufsgenossenschaft, including in their free time. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php

## What it costs: example prices

Roofers pay more for liability than most finishing trades, because fire, storm and fall claims are high. The premium depends on turnover, payroll and the share of flat roof and welding work.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Micro business with low turnover, €3 million cover | about €275 to €900 a year |
| Business liability | Business with three to five employees, €250,000 to €500,000 turnover, including flat roofs | about €1,500 to €5,000 a year |
| Cargo insurance | Tools in transit for three vehicles, up to €10,000 per claim | about €150 to €300 a year |
| Machinery breakdown | Inclined hoist and sheet metal folder worth €40,000 | about €400 to €900 a year |
| Accident insurance | Owner, €150,000 basic sum insured with progression | about €300 to €700 a year |

For comparison: Liability insurance for a small roofing business costs roughly as much per year as ten to fifteen square metres of newly laid tiled roof.

_Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026. The entry price for liability and the tools in transit figure come from published examples; the other ranges are guide values from our quoting practice, because hardly any reliable tariff examples for roofers are published. We obtain the exact quote for you._

- [betriebshaftpflicht24.de: Betriebshaftpflicht Dachdecker](https://www.betriebshaftpflicht24.de/betriebshaftpflicht-dachdecker.html)
- [Finanzchef24: Versicherungen für Dachdecker](https://www.finanzchef24.de/versicherung/dachdecker)
- [handwerk.com: Werkzeug absichern unterwegs und auf der Baustelle](https://www.handwerk.com/tipps-werkverkehrsversicherung-fuer-handwerker)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Start** (owner alone or with one helper, repairs and small roofs): Business liability, Accident insurance, Cargo insurance. Together: about €750 to €1,800 a year
- **Master business** (three to ten employees, pitched and flat roofs): Business liability, Accident insurance, Cargo insurance, Machinery breakdown, Business contents. Together: about €2,500 to €6,500 a year
- **All round** (larger business with crane, store and commercial buildings): Business liability, Accident insurance, Cargo insurance, Machinery breakdown, Business contents, Fleet insurance, Group accident insurance. Together: about €7,000 to €15,000 a year

## The worst day on the roof

Six claims that really happen to roofing businesses, all on a single Wednesday in June. Go through the day and see who pays.

- 06:30: After an overnight thunderstorm the tarpaulin has torn off the stripped roof. Water on two floors, ceilings and parquet ruined. (€32,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 09:15: A loose tile slides off the scaffold boards and smashes the windscreen and bonnet of a parked car. (€3,900, Paid by: Business liability)
- 11:40: While torching on a flat garage roof, the timber decking catches fire. The neighbour's garage and carport are destroyed. (€58,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 13:20: A gust of wind tips over the inclined hoist; motor and guide rail are bent. (€7,500, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)
- 15:05: The owner steps through a rooflight and falls four metres. Broken vertebra, months of rehabilitation, lasting impairment. (€120,000, Paid by: Accident insurance)
- 22:30: Copper sheet, cordless tools and the circular saw are stolen from the flatbed truck at the site. (€6,800, Paid by: Cargo insurance)

**Damage so far:** €228,200

## Practical tips from your broker

- Get written confirmation that weather damage to an opened roof and to buildings you are working on is covered.
- Hot work such as torching and welding must be expressly included; follow the requirements for extinguishers and fire watch.
- Choose at least €5 million combined cover; for commercial and industrial roofs clients often ask for €10 million.
- Check whether asbestos work and the cleanup of asbestos contamination are covered if you strip old roofs.
- If you as the owner are not voluntarily insured with BG BAU, you need personal accident insurance with a high sum insured.
- Solar installation must be in the policy if you fit panels yourself or prepare the roof for them.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We negotiate the clauses:** For roofers the problem is not the price but exclusions for weather and hot work. We put the wording of several insurers side by side and show you the gaps.
- **Storm damage is our daily work:** In boat insurance we settle storm and water claims ourselves. We know how to document a loss so that it gets paid quickly.
- **We think of you too:** Accident and income protection for owners and employees are part of running a roofing business. We handle both together.
- **Family owned since 1989:** We can be reached when things go wrong, and we speak the language of businesses that roll up their sleeves.

## FAQ

### Does a roofer in Germany need liability insurance?

It is not required by law, but clients and property managers almost always ask for proof. Without it, a single fire while torching can cost you the business.

### How much does liability insurance cost for roofers?

For very small businesses, tariffs start at around €275 a year. With employees and flat roof work, premiums in our experience usually range from €1,500 to €5,000.

### Is rain damage to an open roof covered?

Yes, under public liability, if weather damage to buildings you are working on is included. Photograph the sheeting; that helps answer the question of whether you secured the roof well enough.

### Am I as the owner covered by the Berufsgenossenschaft?

Not automatically. As a business owner you can insure yourself voluntarily with BG BAU, the statutory accident insurer for construction. Without it you should have personal accident insurance; in roofing that is essential for your own sake.

### Why is income protection so expensive for roofers?

Because falls, backs and joints push the risk up sharply. The younger and healthier you are when you sign, the cheaper it is. Some insurers offer better ratings for master roofers who mainly plan and supervise.

### Is solar work on the roof covered?

Only if installing solar panels is named as an activity in the policy. Many roofers now offer it but have never updated their policy.

## 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-roofer.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.