# Insurance for furniture stores, kitchen studios and interiors retailers in Germany

> A furniture retailer earns its money not only in the showroom but above all in other people's homes: kitchens are installed, wardrobes fixed to walls, dishwashers plumbed in. That is exactly where the expensive losses happen. This page explains how to insure the showroom, deliveries and fitting work, and what it costs.

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

## Who pays if my fitter drills into a water pipe while installing a kitchen?

Your public liability policy, as long as fitting work in customers' homes and damage to pipes and cables are explicitly included. With a policy written for retail only, that cannot be taken for granted. Water damage to the flat below quickly runs into five figures. What usually remains excluded is the work itself: a new worktop ruined while being cut to size is your own risk.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No statutory insurance for the business itself; Kfz-Haftpflicht (compulsory motor third party liability) applies to every van and lorry
- **Biggest risk:** Water damage and property damage while fitting furniture in customers' homes
- **Basic cover from:** around 80 euros a year for the public liability of a small interiors shop
- **Berufsgenossenschaft:** BGHW, the statutory accident insurer for retail and logistics, compulsory for every business with employees
- **Often forgotten:** Damage to items being worked on: a pipe hit while drilling or a scratched worktop is often excluded from basic retail policies
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 47.55 Einzelhandel mit Möbeln, Einrichtungsgegenständen und sonstigem Hausrat

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Fitting in the customer's home:** A pipe drilled through, a leaking connection at the sink or dishwasher, a wall cabinet that tears out of the wall: fitting mistakes are the most expensive losses in furniture retail.
- **Deliveries:** Freshly painted stairwells, parquet in the hallway, door frames: carrying a sofa causes small and large damage every day.
- **Fire in the showroom:** Upholstery, wood and soft furnishings burn fast, and smoke leaves even undamaged furniture unsellable.
- **Water in the warehouse:** Wood and fabric are sensitive, and a burst pipe in the warehouse can ruin several weeks' worth of sales.
- **Heavy lifting:** Back injuries and crushed hands among fitters and drivers are frequent causes of long absences.
- **Disputes over measurements and defects:** Kitchens measured up wrongly, late deliveries and complaints end up in court more often than in other areas of retail.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays for damage during delivery and fitting in customers' homes, including escaping water, provided fitting work and damage to items being worked on are included. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces showroom stock, warehouse goods and fittings after fire, water damage, storm and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Keeps paying rent and wages if the showroom or warehouse stays closed after a fire. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Cargo insurance** (Strongly advised): Covers goods damaged on your own van or while being carried in, as goods in transit cover for your own vehicles. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php
- **Fleet insurance** (Strongly advised): For vans and lorries, where motor liability is compulsory; several vehicles on one policy are often cheaper. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-fleet-insurance.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): For disputes with customers over measurements and defects, with manufacturers over late deliveries and with landlords. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Depends on the business): Tops up the statutory accident cover from the Berufsgenossenschaft for fitters and drivers who carry heavy loads and spend much of the day on the road. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php

## What it costs: example prices

The premium depends mainly on whether you only sell, or also deliver and fit. Kitchen studios with their own fitters pay considerably more for liability than an interiors shop that does not deliver.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Interiors shop without its own fitting service | around 80 to 300 euros a year |
| Business liability | Kitchen studio with two fitting teams | around 500 to 1,500 euros a year |
| Business contents | Showroom and warehouse worth 150,000 euros | around 400 to 1,000 euros a year |
| Cargo insurance | Goods in transit on your own delivery van | around 180 to 500 euros a year |
| Business interruption | Loss of income for up to twelve months | around 150 to 450 euros a year |

For comparison: For a kitchen studio, a year of liability cover including fitting work plus contents insurance costs about as much as a good three seater sofa from the showroom.

_Guide figures excluding insurance tax, as of September 2026. Entry level prices and goods in transit follow published tariff examples; liability with fitting work and business interruption are guide figures from our own quoting practice._

- [betriebshaftpflicht24.de: Betriebshaftpflicht Möbelhandel](https://www.betriebshaftpflicht24.de/betriebshaftpflicht-moebelhandel.html)
- [Finanzchef24: Versicherungen für den Einzelhandel](https://www.finanzchef24.de/versicherung/einzelhandel)
- [Versicherungsengel: Kosten der Inhaltsversicherung](https://www.versicherungsengel.de/versicherungen/inhaltsversicherung/kosten)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Shop** (interiors or home accessories shop without delivery or fitting): Business liability, Business contents. Together: around 450 to 1,100 euros a year
- **Studio** (kitchen or furniture studio with its own fitters and one delivery van): Business liability, Business contents, Business interruption, Cargo insurance, Fleet insurance. Together: around 2,000 to 4,500 euros a year
- **Furniture store** (furniture store with a warehouse, several fitting teams and a fleet of vehicles): Business liability, Business contents, Business interruption, Cargo insurance, Fleet insurance, Business legal expenses, Group accident insurance. Together: around 5,000 to 12,000 euros a year

## The worst day in the furniture store

Six losses of the kind that furniture and kitchen retailers know well, all on a single Thursday. Tap through and see who pays.

- 08:30: While the dishwasher is being connected, a fitting works loose. By evening there is water in the kitchen and in the flat below. (€22,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 10:15: A wardrobe slips while being carried and knocks a hole in the freshly painted stairwell wall. (€1,800, Paid by: Business liability)
- 11:40: The load on the delivery van shifts on a bend, and a solid wood dining table splits. (€2,600, Paid by: Cargo insurance)
- 13:20: Reversing into a driveway, the delivery van clips a garden gate. (€3,000, Paid by: Fleet insurance)
- 15:50: A customer takes you to court, claiming the kitchen was measured up wrongly. (€5,500, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 21:30: A short circuit in a lamp in the showroom starts a fire. Sofas and upholstered beds are burnt or covered in soot. (€140,000, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €174,900

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have fitting work in customers' homes, water and electrical connections and damage to items being worked on explicitly included.
- Check whether subcontracted fitters are covered by your policy or must show proof of their own liability insurance.
- Insure goods in transit on your own vehicles, because motor insurance does not pay for damage to the load.
- Agree cover in your liability policy for damage to rented and borrowed property, such as lift linings and stairwells.
- Name goods held in external storage and furniture stored temporarily at customers' premises, so they do not fall outside the cover.
- Choose at least 5 million euros of cover; escaping water in blocks of flats often affects several homes at once.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We read the fitting clauses closely:** Whether connection work and damage to pipes are covered can make a difference of thousands of euros. As a broker we compare several insurers on exactly this point.
- **We know how water damage is settled:** In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves, and water is part of daily life there. We know how cause, leak detection and drying have to be documented.
- **Shop, fleet and fitters together:** Your business, vehicles, staff cover and personal protection sit with one contact, reachable on +49 3375 29 12 77.
- **A family business since 1989:** Many furniture stores have grown over generations, and so have we. Our advice is free of charge for you.

## FAQ

### Does a furniture retailer need public liability insurance?

Not by law, but if you deliver and fit furniture, you are in other people's homes every day. Without liability cover that includes fitting work, you pay for water damage yourself.

### How much does insurance cost for a kitchen studio?

With your own fitters, liability usually costs 500 to 1,500 euros a year. Adding contents, goods in transit and vehicles, a studio often pays between 2,000 and 4,500 euros.

### Is damage to delivered goods insured?

Not through motor insurance. For that you need goods in transit cover for your own vehicles.

### Will insurance pay if my fitters install something wrongly?

Consequential damage to the customer's home and belongings, yes. Putting right your own work is usually not covered.

### Are subcontractors covered?

Every policy handles this differently. Often your own liability for subcontractors is insured, but their personal liability is not. Ask them for proof of cover.

### Who pays if a fitter is injured while carrying furniture?

For accidents at work, the BGHW, the statutory accident insurer for retail. Group accident insurance pays on top, and also covers leisure time.

## 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-furniture-store.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.