# Insurance for bouncy castle and photo booth hire in Germany

> A gust lifts the bouncy castle and a child falls onto the lawn; at a wedding a guest knocks over the photo booth. In bouncy castle and photo booth hire your equipment is somewhere different every weekend, and you are liable for its condition. Here is what is compulsory in Germany, which insurance carries the typical losses and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-bouncy-castle-and-photo-booth-hire.php  
Updated: 2026-10-15

## Who is liable if a child is hurt on my bouncy castle?

It depends on the case. You are liable if the equipment was faulty, set up wrongly or poorly anchored, or if your staff were supervising. Supervision at the customer's event usually lies with the hirer. Record set up, anchoring and briefing in writing, and have your liability policy tailored to hire and supervision.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** Motor liability for van and towing vehicle, by law at least €7.5 million for injury, €1.3 million for property damage and €50,000 for pure financial loss; trailers need their own policy
- **Biggest risk:** Children injured on the bouncy castle where equipment, set up or anchoring were faulty
- **Basic cover from:** about €300 a year for public liability for a small hire business, a guide value from our quoting work
- **With or without supervision:** If you provide staff to supervise, you carry more responsibility, and that activity must be named in your liability policy
- **Often forgotten:** The photo booth and accessories are only covered against breakage at the customer's venue under electronic equipment cover

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Wind and weather:** A gust lifts or topples the bouncy castle. Children fall and the inflatable tears.
- **Accidents while bouncing:** Too many children, a collision, a fall over the edge: parents claim compensation.
- **Damaged photo booth:** A guest knocks over the booth; camera and printer are broken.
- **Theft:** Inflatables, blowers and electronics disappear from the store or a parked trailer.
- **Damage during set up:** A ground stake hits a garden pipe; lawn and paving are damaged.
- **Towing:** Many kilometres every weekend with a heavy load, often in rain and under time pressure.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Car insurance** (Essential): Motor liability is compulsory for van, towing vehicle and trailer. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php
- **Business liability** (Strongly advised): Not compulsory, but essential: for injury and damage caused by faulty equipment, set up and supervision. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Strongly advised): For photo booth, camera, printer and lighting against breakage, water and theft, including at the venue. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): For inflatables, blowers and accessories in your store against fire, burglary and water. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Cargo insurance** (Depends on the business): For equipment in transit in the van or trailer. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): For disputes about cancellations, damaged equipment and unpaid invoices. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Accident insurance** (Depends on the business): For yourself if you set up and take down equipment. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-accident-insurance.php

## What it costs: example prices

Insurers rarely publish rates for bouncy castle and photo booth hire. The premium depends on turnover, number of units, limit of indemnity and whether you provide supervising staff.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Hire business with up to five bouncy castles, no supervision, €3 million limit | about €300 to €650 a year |
| Business liability | Hire with supervising staff at town festivals, €5 million limit | about €700 to €1,600 a year |
| Electronic equipment | Two photo booths with camera and printer, €12,000 in total | about €250 to €550 a year |
| Business contents | Store with equipment worth €40,000 | about €200 to €450 a year |
| Car insurance | Van, business use, third party and partial cover, plus one trailer | about €900 to €1,700 a year |

For comparison: Public liability for a small bouncy castle hire business costs about as much a year as two weekend hires.

_All premiums are guide values from our quoting work, excluding German insurance premium tax, as of October 2026. The motor liability minimums are set in the Compulsory Insurance Act (Pflichtversicherungsgesetz)._

- [Pflichtversicherungsgesetz, Annex: minimum sums insured](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflvg/anlage.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Side business** (Two or three bouncy castles or one photo booth, hire without supervision): Car insurance, Business liability, Electronic equipment. Together: about €1,300 to €2,700 a year
- **Hire business** (Several bouncy castles and photo booths with your own store): Car insurance, Business liability, Electronic equipment, Business contents, Cargo insurance. Together: about €2,000 to €4,000 a year
- **Event service** (Hire with supervising staff at festivals and company events): Car insurance, Business liability, Electronic equipment, Business contents, Business legal expenses, Accident insurance. Together: tailored, usually from about €3,000 a year

## The worst Saturday in bouncy castle hire

Six things hire businesses really go through, all on one Saturday in June. Tap through and see who pays.

- 08:10: On the way to a birthday party, the trailer pushes into a car at the lights. (€3,200, Paid by: Car insurance)
- 10:30: During set up a ground stake pierces the garden irrigation pipe. (€900, Paid by: Business liability)
- 14:20: A gust lifts the poorly anchored castle and two children are injured. (€18,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 19:40: At a wedding a guest knocks over the photo booth; camera and printer are broken. (€2,600, Paid by: Electronic equipment)
- 23:00: The customer refuses to pay after the accident and hires a lawyer. (€1,500, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 03:30: Burglars empty the store: two castles and three blowers are gone. (€9,500, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €35,700

## Practical tips from your broker

- Record set up, anchoring and briefing in writing for every hire, ideally with photos.
- Put a wind limit and the hirer's duty to supervise into your hire terms.
- Have hire and supervision named as activities in your liability policy.
- Insure photo booths under electronic equipment cover that applies at the venue.
- Check every unit for tears and seams after each hire and keep a record.
- Insure the trailer and always lock it with a hitch lock when parked.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We read the small print:** For hire businesses, what decides is whether hire, set up and supervision are described. As an insurance broker, Norman Nammert compares the wording of several insurers for you.
- **Equipment, vehicles and liability together:** Inflatables, photo booth, trailer and liability all run through one contact.
- **Broker since 1989:** A family business, not tied to any insurer. Our service is free for you; the insurer pays our commission. We advise in English.

## FAQ

### What insurance is compulsory for bouncy castle hire in Germany?

Motor liability for vehicles and trailers. Public liability is not required by law, but councils and event organisers often ask for it.

### What does public liability cost?

Without supervision about €300 to €650 a year, with supervising staff about €700 to €1,600, as guide values from our quoting work.

### Is the photo booth covered at the customer's venue?

Only under electronic equipment cover that applies away from your premises. Contents insurance usually covers the store only.

### Is my personal liability policy enough for a side business?

No. Commercial hire is not covered by personal liability insurance.

### Do I have to provide supervising staff?

That is agreed with the customer. If you provide staff, supervision must be named in your liability policy.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-bouncy-castle-and-photo-booth-hire.php#anfrage

---

Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

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