# Insurance for owners who let holiday flats and holiday homes in Germany

> If you let a holiday flat, you hand your property to strangers every week. Most of them treat it with care, but sooner or later the ceramic hob cracks, the bath overflows or a guest falls on the outside stairs. Standard German buildings and household contents policies often do not fit, because they are designed for homes you live in yourself. This page shows what you need and what it costs.

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

## Will my private liability policy pay if a holiday guest is injured?

Usually not. German private liability policies mostly exclude let property or cover only a single granny flat in a house you live in. For a holiday flat you need property owner's liability or, if you let commercially, business liability. It pays if a guest falls on the stairs, the balcony leaks or your wood burner sets something on fire.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No insurance required by law, but booking platforms and owners' associations often ask for liability cover
- **Biggest risk:** A guest being injured, for instance falling on stairs or a jetty
- **Basic cover from:** about €60 a year for landlord's liability as an add-on, about €100 as a standalone policy
- **Statutory accident insurer:** BGN, the Berufsgenossenschaft for hospitality, once you let commercially and employ cleaners or a caretaker
- **Often forgotten:** The letting must be declared to your buildings and furnishings insurer, otherwise the payout may be cut
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 55.20 Ferienunterkünfte und ähnliche Beherbergungsstätten, 55.40 Vermittlungstätigkeiten für Beherbergungsdienstleistungen

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **A guest falls:** Outside stairs in the rain, a jetty on the lake, a loose rug edge: when a guest is hurt, they will check whether you neglected your duty to keep the property safe.
- **Water in the house:** An overflowing bath, a burst washing machine hose, pipes frozen in the off season: water is the most common claim.
- **Guests damage the furnishings:** Cracked hob, burnt sofa, dropped television. Not every guest owns up, and the deposit is rarely enough.
- **Storms and floods:** Holiday homes like to sit on coasts, rivers and mountains. Storm surges, torrential rain and snow load are no rarity there.
- **Loss of rent:** After water damage the flat cannot be let for weeks, and peak season bookings are lost.
- **Wood burner, sauna, pool:** A wood burner, private sauna and pool make the property attractive and raise the risk of fire and accidents.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): As landlord's or property owner's liability, it pays when guests or neighbours are harmed because of your property. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Buildings insurance** (Essential): Replaces the holiday home after fire, burst pipes, storm and hail; commercial letting must be declared. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-buildings-insurance.php
- **Contents insurance** (Strongly advised): As furnishings insurance it replaces furniture, kitchen and equipment in the holiday flat, including damage caused by guests if included. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-contents-insurance.php
- **Natural hazard cover** (Strongly advised): Covers floods, torrential rain and snow load, which are particularly common in holiday regions. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-natural-hazards.php
- **Business interruption** (Depends on the business): As loss of rent insurance it replaces lost bookings while the flat is out of use after damage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Legal expenses insurance** (Depends on the business): For disputes with guests over deposits and damage, with booking portals or with the owners' association. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-legal-expenses.php
- **Solar panel insurance** (Depends on the business): If there is a solar installation on the holiday home, it covers storm, hail, theft and lost yield. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-solar-panel-insurance.php

## What it costs: example prices

Holiday lets are cheap to insure as long as the policies match how the property is used. What counts is location, value of building and furnishings, pool or sauna, and whether you let privately or commercially.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Landlord's liability for one holiday flat, as an add-on or standalone | about €60 to €150 a year |
| Contents insurance | Furnishings up to €20,000, holiday flat in Germany | about €60 to €120 a year |
| Contents insurance | Furnishings up to €50,000, holiday home with high end fittings | about €75 to €190 a year |
| Business interruption | Landlord package with loss of rent up to 120 days and damage by guests | about €60 to €150 a year |
| Buildings insurance | Holiday home with a rebuild value of around €300,000, without natural hazards | about €300 to €800 a year |

For comparison: Landlord's liability and furnishings insurance cost about as much a year as one or two nights paid by your guests.

_Guide prices as of September 2026, based on published tariffs for holiday lets and on our own quoting practice. Buildings premiums vary widely by region and year of construction, and natural hazard cover on coasts and rivers costs more; we obtain the exact quote for you._

- [Versicherungsmakler Kellert: Ferienwohnung Versicherung](https://www.versicherungsmakler-kellert.de/ferienwohnung-versicherung.html)
- [Travanto: Wichtige Versicherungen für Ferienwohnung und Ferienhaus](https://www.travanto.de/vermieter/magazin/versicherungen/)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Starter** (one holiday flat in a block, with the building insured by the owners' association): Business liability, Contents insurance. Together: about €120 to €280 a year
- **Holiday home** (your own holiday home, let all year round): Business liability, Buildings insurance, Contents insurance, Natural hazard cover. Together: about €550 to €1,300 a year
- **All round** (several units, or a holiday home with pool, sauna and solar panels): Business liability, Buildings insurance, Contents insurance, Natural hazard cover, Business interruption, Legal expenses insurance, Solar panel insurance. Together: about €1,000 to €2,500 a year

## The worst changeover day at the holiday let

Six claims of the kind holiday lets really see, all on one changeover Saturday in August. Click through the day and see who pays.

- 09:30: At check out it turns out the ceramic hob is cracked and the sofa has burn holes. (€1,800, Paid by: Contents insurance)
- 11:00: The cleaner finds an overflowed bath. The water has run into the flat below. (€9,500, Paid by: Buildings insurance)
- 12:30: The flat cannot be let for three weeks and two bookings have to be cancelled. (€2,800, Paid by: Business interruption)
- 15:20: The new guest slips on the wet outside stairs and breaks an ankle. (€12,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 18:00: A thunderstorm with torrential rain floods the cellar with the boiler and laundry room. (€22,000, Paid by: Natural hazard cover)
- 21:10: The previous guest denies the damage, demands the deposit back and brings in a lawyer. (€1,500, Paid by: Legal expenses insurance)

**Damage so far:** €49,600

## Practical tips from your broker

- Tell your buildings and furnishings insurer that you let to holiday guests; undeclared commercial use is a reason for cutting the payout.
- Include damage by guests expressly in the furnishings policy, otherwise it pays only for fire, water, storm and burglary.
- Choose liability cover of at least €5 million and check that pool, sauna, jetty and play equipment are included.
- Think about the off season: pipes in empty houses must be drained or heated in winter, otherwise the insurer will not pay for frost damage.
- Add natural hazard cover if your holiday home is near water, on a slope or in a snowy region.
- If your flat is in a block, check whether it is covered by the owners' association's (WEG) buildings policy and what the association requires for letting.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We adapt policies to letting:** As a broker we compare several insurers and check whether your existing private policies even know about the letting. That is often where the biggest gap lies.
- **We know water damage:** In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves, and water is our daily business. We know what to do after a burst pipe or a flood.
- **Holiday home and private cover together:** Your own home, the holiday let and your family sit with one contact, so overlaps between policies get spotted.
- **Family business since 1989:** Advice is free for you, as the insurer pays our commission. And many holiday homes are by the water, which is familiar ground for us.

## FAQ

### What insurance do I need for a holiday flat in Germany?

Landlord's or property owner's liability, buildings insurance with the letting declared, and furnishings insurance for the contents. Natural hazard cover and loss of rent insurance make sense.

### Is my household contents policy enough for the holiday flat?

Usually not. Household contents insurance applies to your own home. A holiday flat needs its own furnishings policy that knows about the letting.

### How much does insurance for a holiday flat cost?

Liability and furnishings for one flat usually cost between €120 and €280 a year. For your own holiday home with building and natural hazard cover, about €550 to €1,300.

### Who pays if a guest breaks something?

First the guest, whose private liability policy often covers damage to rented property. If they do not pay, furnishings insurance that includes damage by guests, or a landlord package, steps in.

### Does the deposit cover damage by guests?

Often only partly. A deposit of €200 or €300 covers a cracked hob, not water damage.

### Do I need to join a Berufsgenossenschaft?

If you let commercially and employ cleaners or a caretaker, yes, usually the BGN, the statutory accident insurer for hospitality. If you let purely privately, check which statutory accident insurer is responsible for your help.

## 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-holiday-let.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.