# Insurance for estate agents and agency offices in Germany

> An estate agent does not really sell houses, you sell information: floor area, year of construction, energy certificate, rental income. If any of it is wrong, the buyer claims damages, and the amount is the drop in value of a whole property. On top of that come viewings in other people's homes and keys that go missing.

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

## Do I really need professional indemnity as an estate agent?

Not by law, but financially almost always. Public liability only pays if someone is injured or something is damaged. The typical agent's mistakes, a floor area copied without checking, water damage that was not disclosed, wrong information on whether a flat can be let, cause pure financial loss. Only professional indemnity for financial loss (Vermögensschadenhaftpflicht) covers that.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No compulsory insurance for the estate agent licence under § 34c GewO, the German trade licence for estate agents and property managers. If you also broker property loans, § 34i GewO requires professional liability cover, and § 15 MaBV applies to managing owners' associations and rented homes
- **Biggest risk:** Wrong details in the sales particulars on floor area, condition or rental income, and the financial losses buyers suffer as a result
- **Basic cover from:** about 175 to 400 euros a year for professional indemnity for a sole agent
- **Statutory accident insurer:** VBG, the Berufsgenossenschaft responsible for administration and services; membership is compulsory for every agency with employees
- **Often forgotten:** Lost keys: losing the master key to a residential block can mean replacing the entire locking system
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 68.31 Vermittlung von Grundstücken, Gebäuden und Wohnungen für Dritte

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Wrong details in the particulars:** The floor area comes from an old calculation, the roof is supposedly new, the rent is said to be at market level. If it turns out to be wrong, the agent is liable for passing it on unchecked.
- **Failure to disclose:** A damp cellar, a lawsuit running in the owners' association, a public easement in the land register: what the agent knew and did not say becomes expensive.
- **Viewings:** A prospective buyer falls on the cellar stairs, a child knocks over a vase, a door no longer closes properly. That is a matter for public liability.
- **Keys:** Agents often carry keys to several properties. If a bunch goes missing, the locking system has to be replaced.
- **Data protection:** ID copies, proof of income, tenant self disclosure forms: agencies collect sensitive data, and a hacked mailbox triggers a duty to report the breach.
- **Commission disputes:** Whether your introduction actually led to the sale, or whether commission is owed under the rule that whoever commissions the agent pays (Bestellerprinzip), is often decided in court.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Professional indemnity** (Essential): Professional indemnity covers wrong information, advice errors and oversights when brokering, valuing and writing particulars. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-professional-indemnity.php
- **Business liability** (Essential): Covers injury and property damage at viewings and in the office, with lost keys as an important extension. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Strongly advised): Helps with hacked mailboxes, fake payment instructions and data breaches involving buyers' and tenants' personal details. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): For commission disputes that end up in court and for disagreements with staff. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Fleet insurance** (Depends on the business): For the company cars you drive to viewings every day. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-fleet-insurance.php
- **Business contents** (Depends on the business): For the office, shop window and IT against fire, water, burglary and glass breakage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php

## What it costs: example prices

The premium for professional indemnity depends on turnover, the amount of cover and the excess. Brokering loans, valuations and property management push it up. Many insurers offer public liability and professional indemnity as a package.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Professional indemnity | Sole agent with 30,000 euros turnover, 100,000 euros of cover | about 175 to 250 euros a year |
| Professional indemnity | Agent with 60,000 euros turnover, 500,000 euros of cover, 500 euros excess | about 320 to 450 euros a year |
| Business liability | Agency with up to seven employees | about 60 to 180 euros a year |
| Cyber insurance | Agency with 300,000 euros turnover, 250,000 euros of cover | about 350 to 550 euros a year |
| Business legal expenses | Office with two employees | about 160 to 350 euros a year |

For comparison: For a sole agent, professional indemnity and public liability together cost about three to five percent of the commission from one side of a sale of a 300,000 euro flat.

_Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026, based on published examples and our own quoting experience. Agents who also broker property loans under § 34i have their own minimum sums._

- [Hiscox: insurance for estate agents](https://www.hiscox.de/geschaeftskunden/immobilienmakler-versicherung/)
- [transparent-beraten.de: professional liability for estate agents](https://www.transparent-beraten.de/berufshaftpflichtversicherung/berufsgruppen/immobilienmakler/)
- [Finanzchef24: professional indemnity for estate agents](https://www.finanzchef24.de/versicherung/immobilienmakler)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Sole agent** (Self employed agent working from home or a small office): Professional indemnity, Business liability. Together: about 250 to 550 euros a year
- **Office** (Agency with employees, a shop window and online listings): Professional indemnity, Business liability, Cyber insurance, Business legal expenses, Business contents. Together: about 1,000 to 2,000 euros a year
- **Full service** (Agent offering valuations, mortgage broking, property management and company cars): Professional indemnity, Business liability, Cyber insurance, Business legal expenses, Business contents, Fleet insurance. Together: about 2,500 to 5,000 euros a year

## The worst day at the estate agency

Six things that really happen to estate agents, all packed into a single Thursday. Click through the day and see who pays.

- 08:30: A buyer has the flat measured: it is 11 square metres smaller than stated in the particulars. He wants the matching share of the price back. (€42,000, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 10:15: During a viewing a prospective buyer falls down the unlit cellar stairs. (€11,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 12:00: The bunch with the master key to a residential block is gone. The locking system for 24 households has to be replaced. (€9,800, Paid by: Business liability)
- 14:20: A fake payment instruction is sent to a buyer from the hacked office mailbox, and tenant disclosure forms have been stolen too. (€15,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 16:00: A seller refuses to pay commission, claiming your introduction did not lead to the sale. The case goes to the regional court. (€6,500, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 18:40: On the way to an evening viewing, the company car runs into the car in front. Damage to both vehicles. (€8,200, Paid by: Fleet insurance)

**Damage so far:** €92,500

## Practical tips from your broker

- Never copy floor areas, construction years or rents without checking, and mark the seller's information as such in the particulars.
- Choose at least 250,000 euros of professional indemnity cover, and 500,000 euros or more for high value properties.
- Have lost keys for third party locking systems included in your public liability with a sufficient sum.
- List every activity in the policy: valuations, mortgage broking, rental management. Activities not listed are not insured.
- Protect the office mailbox with two factor login and always call back when a supplier or client changes bank details.
- Remember the training duty of 20 hours every three years under § 34c GewO.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **Brokers for agents:** We work as brokers ourselves, under a trade licence with compulsory insurance. Liability for advice and careful documentation are part of our own daily work.
- **We compare the wording:** With professional indemnity, run off cover, the description of your activities and exclusions matter more than ten euros of premium. We get quotes from several insurers and show you the differences.
- **We know how claims work:** In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. When a buyer makes a claim, we help you present the case clearly to the insurer.
- **Useful for your clients too:** Buildings insurance, builder's liability and property owner's liability come up with every purchase. A family business since 1989, and free for you because the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Is professional liability insurance compulsory for estate agents?

Not for pure agency work under § 34c GewO. It becomes compulsory if you also broker property loans under § 34i GewO or manage homes for others.

### How is it different from public liability?

Public liability pays for injury and property damage, such as a fall during a viewing. Professional indemnity pays when someone loses money because of wrong information.

### What does insurance for an estate agent cost?

Professional indemnity starts at about 175 euros a year. Together with public liability, sole agents usually pay between 250 and 550 euros.

### Is the agent liable for what the seller says?

In principle you may pass it on if you mark it as the seller's information and had no reason to doubt it. If you overlook obvious errors or present the details as your own, you are liable.

### Is a lost key insured?

Only if lost keys are included in your public liability. Watch the sum, because locking systems in large buildings quickly cost five figures.

### Does the insurance cover mistakes in valuations?

Yes, if valuation is listed as an activity in the policy. Reports used in court often need higher sums and a separate extension.

## 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-estate-agent.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.