# Letting a holiday home in Germany: insuring liability, contents and guest damage > Letting a flat or house to a changing stream of guests carries risks that an owner living there does not face. Guests can get hurt, furniture breaks, and a burst pipe wipes out bookings. Standard German personal policies often exclude letting. This page shows which pieces fit together. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-holiday-let-insurance.php Updated: 2026-11-04 ## Do my personal liability and home contents policies cover my holiday let? Usually not. German personal liability (Privathaftpflicht) normally excludes letting to holiday guests, and home contents insurance (Hausrat) covers your own household, not the furnishings of a let property. You need liability cover that includes your role as a landlord and contents cover written for holiday properties. Tell your buildings insurer that you let the property, too. ## At a glance - **Legal requirement:** none - **Legal basis:** Section 823 BGB, for defects in the flat Section 536a BGB - **Personal liability:** usually excludes letting to holiday guests - **Contents:** covered only if the policy includes holiday letting - **Airbnb AirCover:** applies only to stays booked through Airbnb ## What you are liable for as a host Under German law a holiday let is usually a short term tenancy. You must hand over the flat in a safe condition: secure railings, working appliances, no trip hazards. If a guest is injured because you neglected this duty of care, you are liable under Section 823 of the German Civil Code (BGB), and Section 536a BGB adds liability for defects in the rented property. Courts look closely at what a landlord could have spotted. The Higher Regional Court of Oldenburg dealt with a guest scalded by a faulty coffee pot and rejected liability in that case. Do not count on it: even defending a claim costs lawyers and experts, and liability insurance pays for that defence. ## Three gaps hosts miss most often First, liability: many personal liability policies exclude or tightly limit letting to changing guests. A property owner liability policy or a landlord add on closes the gap, provided it names holiday letting explicitly. Second, contents: the furniture, kitchen, TV and linen are yours, but home contents insurance covers your own household. A let flat needs contents cover for holiday properties, and some insurers ask for an inventory list. Third, guest damage: if a guest breaks something, only the guest's own liability policy pays, and only if it covers damage to rented property. Otherwise the cost often stays with you. ## What platform cover does and does not do Airbnb's AirCover for hosts offers damage protection of up to 3 million US dollars and liability cover of up to 1 million US dollars. It applies only to stays booked through Airbnb and has its own exclusions and reporting deadlines. Bookings through other portals or direct bookings are not included. The German consumer organisation Stiftung Warentest therefore advises having your own liability cover regardless of platform protection. A sensible policy applies to every booking, whichever way the guest found you. ## Loss of rent after damage After a fire or water damage the flat can be unlettable for weeks, and in high season that means lost income. German buildings insurance usually pays loss of rent on let property for a limited period. Whether that includes holiday letting, and how lost rent is calculated, depends on the wording and is worth settling before you sign. ## What is covered - Injury and property damage to guests and third parties for which you are liable as landlord - Defence against unjustified claims by guests, including in court - Contents of the holiday let against fire, escape of water, storm and burglary, with contents cover for holiday properties - Loss of rent after an insured building loss, depending on policy and period - Damage to the building itself through buildings insurance, once the letting has been declared - Natural hazards such as flood and heavy rain, if specifically agreed - Malicious damage by guests, as an add on with some policies ## What is not covered - Normal wear and tear on furniture, linen and appliances - Cancelled bookings where no insured damage occurred - Cash and valuables kept in the flat, usually only within tight limits - Losses from letting that was never declared to the insurer - Guests' own belongings, which fall under their own contents insurance - Fines for missing permits or registration of the letting ## Who needs it - Owners of a holiday flat or house in Germany let to changing guests - Hosts who let through Airbnb, Booking.com or other portals and also directly - Owners who use the property themselves part of the year and let it the rest - People letting individual rooms or a granny flat to holidaymakers - Heirs of a holiday property who continue to let it ## Who does not need it - Owners who use the holiday home only themselves and never let it - Owners letting through an agency whose contract demonstrably covers them ## What it costs There is rarely a single price for holiday letting, because liability, contents and the building may sit in separate policies. Some insurers bundle everything in a holiday home policy, others add a letting module to existing cover. **What drives the premium:** - Number of units and beds - Value of the contents - Location, especially flood and heavy rain exposure - Number of letting days per year - Liability limit and excess - Extras such as loss of rent, malicious damage by guests, natural hazards _We do not give guide prices because we found no reliable independent comparison of holiday let policies in Germany. Your premium is fixed only in the quote._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Basic:** Letting included in liability, contents against fire, escape of water and storm. Barely enough for a small flat with few bookings. - **Standard:** High liability limit for every booking, contents also against burglary, loss of rent after an insured loss. Right for most hosts. - **Premium:** Adds malicious damage by guests, natural hazards, a longer loss of rent period and several properties in one policy. For well equipped holiday homes with high occupancy. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Holiday letting named | occasional letting only | letting to changing guests with no limit on days | Without this clause the insurer can refuse to pay. | | Liability limit | under EUR 10 million combined | at least EUR 10 million combined | A fall with lasting injury can cost millions. | | Every booking covered | certain portals only | whatever the booking channel | Platform cover ends at the platform. | | Contents | fire and escape of water | plus storm, burglary and glass | A furnished holiday let holds a lot of value. | | Damage by guests | not included | including malicious damage | The guest's own policy is often missing or does not pay. | | Loss of rent | long term rent only | holiday rent based on actual bookings, several months | Damage in high season costs a year's income. | | Natural hazards | not included | included | Holiday homes are often near water. | | Own use | letting only | letting and your own stays | Many owners use the property themselves too. | ## Insurers on the German market Many German property insurers cover holiday lets, some with a dedicated host policy, others through modules in property owner liability and contents cover. The list shows the market and is not a ranking. - **Haftpflichtkasse**: mutual focused on liability, sold through brokers - **VHV**: broker insurer based in Hanover - **Die Bayerische**: brokers and own sales - **InterRisk**: part of the Vienna Insurance Group, mainly brokers - **Allianz**: agents and brokers - **AXA**: agents and brokers - **Gothaer**: agents and brokers - **Helvetia**: German company of the Swiss Helvetia group - **R+V**: insurer of the cooperative banks 163 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance. (Allgemeine Haftpflicht, Hagel-, Frost- und sonstige Sachschäden). Source: BaFin company database, 2026-09-18; EU insurers without a German office excluded. ## Typical claims and who pays - **Guest falls on a loose stair** (five figures, more with lasting harm): A classic duty of care case. Liability cover pays justified claims and defends unjustified ones, if it includes letting. - **Guest scalded by faulty pot** (three to five figures): Whether you are liable depends on whether you could have spotted the defect. Liability cover pays for the defence. - **Dishwasher floods the flat** (four to five figures): Buildings insurance pays for the building, only holiday contents cover pays for the furnishings. Loss of rent only if agreed. - **Guests wreck the living room** (four to five figures): The guest's liability policy does not pay for deliberate damage. Some strong policies include damage by guests, often capped. - **Burglary in the off season** (four figures): Burglary is not always part of basic contents cover. Strong policies include it. - **Guests cancel because of rain** (three to four figures, by season): No landlord policy pays for cancellations without damage to the flat. Only cancellation terms in your rental agreement help. ## Myth or truth - „My personal liability pays if a holiday guest is injured." ✘ Usually false: many policies exclude letting to changing guests. A landlord module or property owner liability that includes holiday letting closes the gap. - „AirCover protects me for every booking." ✘ False: AirCover applies only to stays booked through Airbnb. Other portals and direct bookings are not included. - „The furnishings of a holiday let need their own cover." ✔ True: home contents insurance covers your own household. A let flat needs contents cover written for holiday properties. - „Holiday let insurance is a legal requirement in Germany." ✘ False: there is no legal requirement. Your liability as a landlord is unlimited, though, so cover is strongly advisable. - „I should tell my buildings insurer that I let to holiday guests." ✔ True: changing guests change the risk. Tell the insurer so your cover holds when you claim. ## Common mistakes - Assuming your personal liability covers letting - Thinking the contents are covered by the home contents policy at your main home - Relying on booking platform cover alone - Not telling the buildings insurer about the letting - Leaving out natural hazards for a house near water - Having loss of rent calculated on long term rent instead of holiday bookings ## FAQ ### Is holiday let insurance compulsory in Germany? No. But as a landlord you are liable for harm to your guests, and your contents and income are at stake, so cover is strongly advisable for every host. ### Will my personal liability pay if a guest is injured? Usually not, because many policies exclude letting to changing guests. Check the wording or add a landlord module that names holiday letting explicitly. ### Who pays if a guest breaks something? The guest, through their own liability policy if it covers damage to rented property. If it does not, or the damage was deliberate, only a policy that covers damage by guests helps. ### Is Airbnb AirCover enough? It gives basic protection for stays booked through Airbnb. Guests from other portals or direct bookings are not included, and it has its own exclusions. Your own policy covers every booking. ### Do I have to tell my buildings insurer that I let the property? Yes, tell them. Letting to changing guests changes the risk, and undeclared use can put your cover at risk when you claim. ### Are the furnishings insured? Only if you insure them separately. Home contents insurance covers your own household. A let flat needs contents cover written for holiday properties. ### Will I be compensated if I cannot let after water damage? If loss of rent is agreed and the damage was insured, yes. What matters is how long it pays and whether holiday rent is based on actual bookings. ### What if I use the property myself as well? Then the policy should cover both uses. Some policies insure only the letting, others your own stays too. ### Why use a broker? Because liability, contents, building and loss of rent often sit in different policies and gaps open between them. We check what you already have and add only what is missing. The insurer pays our fee. ## Legal basis and sources - [Insurance Contract Act (VVG, German)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vvg_2008/) - [BaFin company database (licensed insurers)](https://portal.mvp.bafin.de/database/InstInfo/) ## Request quotes We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-holiday-let-insurance.php#anfrage --- 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.