# Insurance for crime scene and trauma cleaning in Germany

> A flat after an unattended death, a hoarder's home, a room after a violent crime: crime scene and trauma cleaning starts where ordinary cleaning firms say no. The risks are chemicals, germs, other people's homes and a lot of responsibility. 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-crime-scene-and-trauma-cleaning.php  
Updated: 2026-10-15

## Does my liability insurance pay if ozone treatment damages furniture or electronics?

Only if damage to worked items is expressly included. You are treating exactly those items, and basic policies exclude that. Agree in writing with the client what will be removed, treated or disposed of, and photograph the condition beforehand.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** Motor liability for every vehicle, by law at least €7.5 million for injury, €1.3 million for property damage and €50,000 for pure financial loss
- **Health and safety:** For work with biological agents, the employer must carry out a competent risk assessment before work starts and review it at least every two years (§ 4 BioStoffV, Biological Agents Ordinance)
- **Biggest risk:** Damage to furniture and building fabric from disinfection, ozone or strip out, and infections among staff
- **Basic cover from:** about €400 a year for public liability for a small firm, a guide value from our quoting work
- **Often forgotten:** Damage to items you clean or remove is excluded in basic liability policies

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Damage from treatment:** Ozone, disinfectants and strip out attack surfaces, electronics and building fabric that should have stayed intact.
- **Infection on the job:** A needle stick, a splash, damaged protective gear: an employee falls ill after the job.
- **Thrown away by mistake:** An heirloom or important papers end up in the waste, and the relatives claim compensation.
- **Neighbours affected:** Odour, pests or fluids reach the flat next door, and its owner demands repairs.
- **Lost keys:** The property manager's master key is lost and the locking system has to be replaced.
- **Mental strain:** The work takes its toll. If you cannot carry on, you earn nothing.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Car insurance** (Essential): Motor liability is compulsory for every vehicle. Converted vans should be insured at their value under comprehensive cover. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php
- **Business liability** (Strongly advised): Not compulsory, but essential: with damage to worked items, lost keys, rented property and environmental damage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Accident insurance** (Strongly advised): Adds to statutory cover; check that infections are included. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-accident-insurance.php
- **Occupational disability** (Strongly advised): Protects your income if body or mind no longer allow the work. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): For disputes with clients, heirs and property managers about work and invoices. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Depends on the business): For ozone generators, foggers and dryers against breakdown and operating errors. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Business contents** (Depends on the business): For your store, protective gear and equipment against fire, burglary and water. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php

## What it costs: example prices

Insurers rarely publish rates for trauma cleaning. The premium depends on turnover, staff, limit of indemnity and inclusions, above all worked items and keys.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Sole trader, €3 million limit, worked items and keys included | about €400 to €800 a year |
| Business liability | Firm with five staff, strip out and odour removal, €5 million limit | about €1,000 to €2,400 a year |
| Car insurance | Converted van up to 3.5 tonnes, third party and partial cover | about €900 to €1,800 a year |
| Accident insurance | Owner, €100,000 disability sum with progression, infections included | about €200 to €400 a year |
| Machinery breakdown | Ozone and fogging equipment worth €20,000 | about €300 to €700 a year |

For comparison: Public liability for a small trauma cleaning firm costs about as much a year as half a day on a heavily contaminated job.

_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, the risk assessment duty in § 4 of the Biological Agents Ordinance._

- [Biostoffverordnung § 4: risk assessment](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/biostoffv_2013/__4.html)
- [Pflichtversicherungsgesetz, Annex: minimum sums insured](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflvg/anlage.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Sole trader** (Trauma cleaner with one van and occasional helpers): Car insurance, Business liability, Accident insurance, Occupational disability. Together: about €1,500 to €3,000 a year, excluding disability income
- **Small firm** (Three to ten staff, disinfection and strip out): Car insurance, Business liability, Machinery breakdown, Business legal expenses, Accident insurance. Together: about €3,500 to €8,000 a year
- **With store** (Firm with its own store, several vans and work for property managers): Car insurance, Business liability, Machinery breakdown, Business legal expenses, Accident insurance, Business contents. Together: tailored, usually from about €6,000 a year

## The worst day in trauma cleaning

Six things trauma cleaners really go through, all on one day. Tap through and see who pays.

- 07:45: Unloading equipment, the van rolls into a parked car. (€2,400, Paid by: Car insurance)
- 09:30: Ozone treatment damages a TV and a leather sofa that were meant to stay. (€3,800, Paid by: Business liability)
- 11:15: While removing flooring, fluid seeps into the ceiling of the flat below. (€6,900, Paid by: Business liability)
- 13:40: An employee is injured by a syringe hidden in rubbish. (€3,500, Paid by: Accident insurance)
- 16:00: The heirs claim an envelope of cash was thrown away and threaten to sue. (€2,600, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 18:20: The ozone generator fails after an operating error. (€2,900, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)

**Damage so far:** €22,100

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have worked items and lost keys expressly included in your liability policy.
- Photograph every room before you start and record in writing what may be disposed of.
- Complete the risk assessment under the Biological Agents Ordinance before your first job and review it regularly.
- Check that your accident policy includes infections.
- Keep found items such as cash, jewellery and documents separate and have the handover signed.
- Describe your actual work precisely to the insurer, not just as building cleaning.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We read the small print:** For trauma cleaners, worked items and the exact business description decide. As an insurance broker, Norman Nammert compares the wording of several insurers for you.
- **Business and personal cover together:** Van, liability, accident and income protection 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 trauma cleaners in Germany?

Motor liability for every vehicle. Public liability is not required by law, but property managers and clients often ask for it.

### What does public liability cost?

For sole traders about €400 to €800 a year with worked items and keys, for firms with staff about €1,000 to €2,400, as guide values from our quoting work.

### Is a cleaning company policy enough?

Often not. Strip out, ozone treatment and disposal must be in the business description, or cover may be missing when a claim comes.

### Which health and safety rules apply?

For work with biological agents, § 4 of the Biological Agents Ordinance requires a competent risk assessment before work starts, reviewed at least every two years.

### Am I covered if I catch an infection?

Employees are covered by statutory accident insurance. As the owner, a private accident policy that expressly includes infections helps.

## 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-crime-scene-and-trauma-cleaning.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.