# Insurance for conservators and restorers working in Germany

> Conservators and restorers working in Germany handle objects that are often irreplaceable: paintings, furniture, wall paintings, stone sculpture, books. Some sit in your own studio, others in a museum or a church under scaffolding. A slip with a solvent, a burst pipe in the studio or a knock during transport can cost more than a whole year's fees. This page shows what to insure.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-conservator-and-restorer.php  
Updated: 2026-10-15

## Will my liability insurance pay if I damage the paint layer while cleaning?

Not automatically. Damage to the object you are working on is excluded in many policies, as is damage to other people's property in your care. For conservators this treatment and custody damage must be expressly included, with a limit that matches the value of your objects. That is the first thing to check in your policy.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No specific statutory insurance for conservators. Museums, parishes and lenders almost always ask for proof of liability cover, though
- **Warranty period:** Under § 634a of the German Civil Code, defect claims for work on an object become time barred after two years, for work on a building after five years
- **Biggest risk:** Damage to the object itself during treatment, which many liability policies exclude
- **Basic cover from:** about €250 a year of liability for a one person studio, a guide figure from our own quoting work
- **Often forgotten:** Clients' objects in your studio are usually not, or only marginally, covered by standard contents insurance

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Treatment damage:** A solvent attacks the original paint, a veneer tears while being lifted. The owner claims the loss in value.
- **Clients' objects in the studio:** A fire or burst pipe affects not only your tools but your clients' paintings and furniture.
- **Transit:** A chest of drawers tips over in the van on the way back to the client.
- **Work on buildings:** Wall paintings, stucco or stone façades carry a five year warranty period and can cause costly damage to the building.
- **Theft:** Valuable objects in the studio attract burglars.
- **Your own health:** Solvents, dust and scaffolding: accidents and illness threaten your income.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): The core cover, but only with treatment and custody damage to third party objects included and a sufficient limit for it. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Covers tools, materials and, if agreed, clients' objects in the studio against fire, water and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Cargo insurance** (Strongly advised): Fine art transit cover between client, studio and museum, including in your own vehicle. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php
- **Occupational disability** (Strongly advised): Eyes, hands and back are your capital; without them there is no income. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php
- **Accident insurance** (Depends on the business): For work on scaffolding if you are self employed and not covered by statutory accident insurance. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-accident-insurance.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): Legal expenses for fee disputes and alleged defects after handover. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Depends on the business): For microscopes, measuring equipment, UV lamps and documentation cameras. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php

## What it costs: example prices

Premiums depend mainly on the value of the objects you treat and whether you work in your own studio or on site.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | One person studio, furniture or paintings, treatment damage up to €100,000 | about €250 to €600 a year |
| Business liability | Conservation business with work on listed buildings and two employees | about €700 to €1,800 a year |
| Business contents | Studio with own property €50,000 and clients' objects €300,000 | about €600 to €1,500 a year |
| Cargo insurance | Fine art transit in own vehicle up to €200,000 per trip | about €300 to €800 a year |

For comparison: Liability cover for a conservation studio costs about as much a year as two days of work on a painting.

_Guide figures from our own quoting work, October 2026, excluding German insurance premium tax. The linked source supports the legal statement on this page, not the prices._

- [Gesetze im Internet: § 634a BGB, limitation of defect claims](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__634a.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Studio** (self employed conservators with their own studio): Business liability, Business contents, Cargo insurance. Together: about €1,100 to €2,900 a year
- **On site** (conservators working mainly in churches, palaces and museums): Business liability, Accident insurance, Occupational disability, Business legal expenses. Together: about €800 to €2,000 a year, excluding income protection
- **Business** (conservation firm with staff, studio and building sites): Business liability, Business contents, Cargo insurance, Electronic equipment, Business legal expenses. Together: tailored, usually from about €3,000 a year

## The worst day in the studio

Six things that really happen to conservators, here on a single day. Tap through and see who pays.

- 08:00: A heating pipe has burst overnight and two clients' paintings are standing in water. (€18,000, Paid by: Business contents)
- 10:30: While removing varnish, the original glaze comes away too. The owner claims the loss in value. (€9,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 13:00: Unloading a baroque chest of drawers, it slides off the ramp and a leg breaks. (€4,500, Paid by: Cargo insurance)
- 15:20: In a church your toolbox falls from the scaffold onto a pew. (€2,200, Paid by: Business liability)
- 17:00: The stereo microscope falls off the bench. (€3,800, Paid by: Electronic equipment)

**Damage so far:** €37,500

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have treatment and custody damage expressly included and set the limit by your most valuable object.
- Record condition, photos and treatment of every object before and after work.
- For loans and museum commissions, ask whether the client has its own exhibition insurance.
- Agree fixed values for clients' objects kept in your studio.
- Work on buildings carries a longer warranty period, so keep your liability policy in force after large projects end.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We read the exclusions:** Whether treatment and custody damage are covered decides what a policy is worth. We put the wordings side by side.
- **Studio, transit and site together:** We align liability, contents and transit so an object is covered all the way.
- **Family run since 1989:** Norman Nammert arranges your cover as an insurance broker, in English if you prefer. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Is liability insurance compulsory for conservators in Germany?

Not by law. Museums, parishes and private clients often ask for proof.

### What is treatment damage?

Damage to the object you are working on. Many general liability policies exclude it; for conservators it has to be included.

### How long am I liable for defects?

Under § 634a of the Civil Code, two years for work on an object and five years for work on a building.

### Are my clients' paintings in my studio insured?

Only if agreed. Standard contents cover often excludes third party property or covers it only for a small sum.

### What does it cost?

Liability including treatment damage starts at about €250 a year. With contents and transit, about €1,100 to €2,900 is typical for a one person studio, as a guide figure.

## 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-conservator-and-restorer.php#anfrage

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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.