# Insurance for self storage, storage units and container sites in Germany

> A self storage site looks calm: roller doors, corridors, storage units, container sites in the yard. Yet hundreds of units hold other people’s property you do not control, and one fire can shut the whole site. This page shows which insurance operators in Germany need, how liability for stored goods works and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-self-storage.php  
Updated: 2026-10-15

## Am I liable for my tenants’ belongings after a break in?

That depends on the contract. If you undertake to store and keep the items, you are a warehouse keeper and liable under the German Commercial Code if the care of a prudent merchant could have prevented the loss. If you only rent out a lockable unit to which the tenant alone has the key, responsibility for the contents lies much more with the tenant. Put this in the contract and tell tenants to insure their belongings themselves.

## At a glance

- **Liability as warehouse keeper:** Anyone who undertakes to store and keep goods is a warehouse keeper under § 467 HGB and liable under § 475 HGB for loss and damage, unless it could not have been prevented with the care of a prudent merchant
- **The contract decides:** Whether you rent out space or take goods into your care follows from your contract; set it out clearly in writing
- **Biggest risk:** Fire in the building, often caused by items tenants store against the rules
- **Basic cover from:** around €500 a year public liability for a medium site, a guide figure from our quoting work
- **Often forgotten:** Loss of rent after a fire: building insurance pays for rebuilding, not for months of missing rent

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Fire:** Gas bottles, fuel cans, batteries and paint stored against the rules can start a fire that destroys many units.
- **Break ins:** Thieves crack several locks in one night. Tenants claim compensation and ask about your security.
- **Water damage:** A leaking roof or burst sprinkler pipe soaks furniture, files and stock in many units.
- **Accidents on site:** A roller door comes down, a customer falls with a trolley, a van hits someone while manoeuvring.
- **Loss of rent:** After a major loss, rent is missing for months while finance and staff costs continue.
- **Access systems and data:** App or PIN access, online booking and CCTV: an outage locks customers out, a data breach costs money.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Commercial buildings** (Essential): Insures the building, container site and roller doors against fire, storm, hail and burst pipes at replacement value. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-commercial-buildings.php
- **Business liability** (Essential): Covers injury and property damage on site and, if included, your liability for goods in your care. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Replaces missing rent and running costs while the site is rebuilt after fire or water damage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): For your own equipment: shelving, trolleys, retail stock like boxes and locks, office. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Strongly advised): For access control, CCTV, fire alarm and tills against power surges, operating errors and theft. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): For online booking, app access and stored customer and payment data. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): For disputes with tenants over clearance, arrears and alleged damage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php

## What it costs: example prices

Building insurance is usually the largest item. It depends on construction, value, fire protection, sprinklers and location. Outdoor container sites are rated differently from a building with a fire alarm system.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Commercial buildings | Building with 400 units, replacement value €3 million, fire, storm, water | around €3,000 to €7,000 a year |
| Commercial buildings | Outdoor site with 60 containers | around €800 to €2,000 a year |
| Business liability | Site with 400 units, €5 million cover | around €500 to €1,500 a year |
| Business interruption | Rent income €600,000 a year, 12 month indemnity period | around €1,000 to €3,000 a year |
| Cyber insurance | Online booking and app access | around €600 to €2,000 a year |

For comparison: For self storage we compare building sum, loss of rent, cover for goods in your care and security requirements, not just the price.

_Guide figures from our own quoting work, October 2026, excluding German insurance premium tax. Fire protection, sprinklers and rules on prohibited items strongly affect the premium. The liability rules come from the German Commercial Code (HGB)._

- [Gesetze im Internet: § 467 HGB, storage contract](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hgb/__467.html)
- [Gesetze im Internet: § 475 HGB, liability of the warehouse keeper](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hgb/__475.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Container site** (outdoor containers with padlock access): Commercial buildings, Business liability, Business contents. Together: around €1,500 to €3,500 a year
- **Storage building** (staffed building with access control and CCTV): Commercial buildings, Business liability, Business interruption, Electronic equipment, Business contents. Together: around €6,000 to €14,000 a year
- **Several sites** (operator with several buildings and online booking): Commercial buildings, Business liability, Business interruption, Electronic equipment, Cyber insurance, Business legal expenses. Together: individual, usually from around €15,000 a year

## The worst day at the storage site

Six losses that really happen at self storage sites, all on one Monday. Tap through and see who pays.

- 06:10: The early shift finds seven units broken into and a damaged access barrier. (€4,500, Paid by: Business contents)
- 09:30: A roller door closes too early and injures a customer’s shoulder. (€7,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 11:45: A power surge after a storm destroys the access control system. (€9,000, Paid by: Electronic equipment)
- 14:20: Heavy rain comes through the roof, twelve units are wet and the building needs repair. (€18,000, Paid by: Commercial buildings)
- 17:00: Until the repair is done, rent from the affected units is missing. (€6,000, Paid by: Business interruption)
- 19:30: A tenant in arrears sues over the clearance of his unit. (€2,500, Paid by: Business legal expenses)

**Damage so far:** €47,000

## Practical tips from your broker

- Make clear in the rental contract whether you rent out space or take goods into your care; your liability depends on it.
- Prohibit dangerous items explicitly and check it; insurers will ask.
- Tell tenants in writing to insure their stored belongings themselves.
- Insure loss of rent with an indemnity period that matches a realistic rebuild, usually 12 to 24 months.
- Fire alarms, CCTV and individual unit alarms lower the premium and make insurers more willing to quote.
- Keep records of maintenance and inspection of roller doors and lifts.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We look at liability first:** Contract and insurance must fit together. We review both before we request quotes.
- **Claims experience from boat insurance:** Boats spend the winter in other people’s storage halls too. We know questions about custody, security and fire from our own claims work.
- **Building, business and private in one place:** Building, liability, loss of rent and your private cover with one contact person.
- **Family run, brokering since 1989:** Norman Nammert acts as an insurance broker and we can advise you in English. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Which insurance is compulsory for self storage in Germany?

No law prescribes a specific insurance for renting out storage units. Banks usually require building insurance for financing, and running a site without public liability cover is not sensible.

### Am I liable for what is in the units?

As a warehouse keeper, meaning you store and keep goods, you are liable under § 475 HGB for loss and damage unless it could not have been prevented with the care of a prudent merchant. For a pure rental of space, the contract decides.

### What does insurance for a self storage building cost?

From our quoting work, around €3,000 to €7,000 a year for a building worth €3 million, plus around €500 to €1,500 for liability and €1,000 to €3,000 for loss of rent.

### Are my tenants’ belongings insured through me?

Not through your contents policy, which only covers your own equipment. Tenants should insure their items themselves; some household policies pay limited amounts outside the home.

### What if a tenant stores prohibited items?

A clear ban in the contract strengthens your position against the tenant. But your building and loss of rent cover has to carry the loss first; make sure it does not exclude fires caused by prohibited items.

## 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-self-storage.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.