# Heat pump insurance in Germany: closing the gaps in your buildings policy > German buildings insurance (Wohngebäudeversicherung) only pays for the perils it lists: fire, escaping water, storm and hail. Heat pumps usually fail in other ways, through short circuits, grid surges, martens chewing cables, vandalism or a stolen outdoor unit. Insurers offer home systems add-ons and standalone heat pump policies for this. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-heat-pump-insurance.php Updated: 2026-11-13 ## Is my heat pump covered by my German buildings insurance? Partly. Permanently installed heating usually counts as part of the building, but it is only covered against the named perils: fire, lightning, escaping water, storm and hail. Under the 2022 model conditions (VGB 2022), a power surge is only covered if lightning caused it. Short circuits, surges from the grid, animal bites, vandalism and theft are missing. If the outdoor unit stands on its own base in the garden, it may not even count as part of the building. Tell your insurer about the system and ask about a home systems add-on. ## At a glance - **Compulsory?:** No, neither for heat pumps nor for wallboxes or batteries - **Buildings insurance:** named perils only, surges usually only after lightning - **Typical gaps:** short circuit, grid surge, animal bite, vandalism, theft - **Add-on price:** from 19 to 343 euros a year in the Finanztest survey 12/2024 - **Never covered:** wear, ageing, lack of maintenance ## Why buildings insurance often does not pay In Germany, buildings insurance is named perils cover. It does not pay because something broke, only if one of the listed perils caused the damage. For a heat pump, fire and storm are rarely the cause. More often the control board fails after a grid surge, a marten bites through a cable, or someone damages the outdoor unit. Under the model conditions published by the German insurers association in 2022, power surges are only covered if lightning or atmospheric electricity caused them. Theft and vandalism are not among the basic perils at all. Many insurers write better terms, but you only know once you have read your own policy. ## The outdoor unit: part of the building or not? An outdoor unit fixed to the house wall usually counts as part of the building. One that stands on its own base a few metres away may be treated as another fixture on the plot, which not every policy includes. German consumer advice centres recommend having anything installed outside added to the contract explicitly. Thefts of outdoor units have become a real issue, because the units are expensive and quick to unbolt. Even where theft is included, some policies cap it at a few thousand euros, far below the price of a new system. ## Add-on or separate policy? The simplest route is a heat pump or home systems add-on with the same insurer that covers your building. Then there is no argument after a loss about which contract applies. Finanztest recommended exactly that in December 2024, even if it means switching your buildings insurer. Some policies include the heat pump at no extra cost. Standalone heat pump policies also exist, independent of who insures the building. Most are all risks: any sudden and unforeseen damage is covered unless excluded. Check that wallbox, home battery and air conditioning can be added if you have or plan them. ## What is covered - Short circuit, overcurrent and power surges, depending on the policy also without lightning - Operating errors and carelessness - Vandalism and malicious damage - Animal bites, for example martens chewing cables - Theft of the outdoor unit, wallbox or parts, often with its own limit - Frost, ice and snow load on outdoor equipment - Design, material and workmanship defects in all risks policies - Repairs, fault finding, spare parts, call out and labour ## What is not covered - Wear, tear and ageing - Limescale, corrosion and sludge - Damage the manufacturer or installer must pay for under warranty - Defects known when the policy started - Consumables such as filters and fuses - Consequences of missing maintenance where the policy requires it ## Who needs it - Homeowners in Germany with a heat pump, especially with a freestanding outdoor unit - Owners of a wallbox, home battery, air conditioning or extensive smart home systems - Anyone who has just replaced an old boiler with new heating technology - Owners whose older buildings policy does not mention home systems ## Who does not need it - A separate contract, if your buildings policy already covers the heat pump against short circuit, surges, animal bites, vandalism and theft with a sufficient sum ## What it costs In the Finanztest survey (issue 12/2024), heat pump add-ons to buildings insurance cost from 19 euros a year, the most expensive 343 euros. Standalone policies tend to cost more depending on the system. Some buildings policies include the heat pump at no extra charge. **What drives the premium:** - Purchase price of the heat pump and other systems - Type: air source, ground source with boreholes or groundwater - Age of the system when cover starts - Wallbox, battery and air conditioning included or not - Excess per claim - Add-on with your buildings insurer or separate policy _The range comes from the Finanztest survey 12/2024 and applies to add-ons. Your premium is only fixed in the quote._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Buildings insurance only:** Fire, lightning, escaping water, storm and hail. Surges usually only after lightning, no theft, no animal bites. - **Heat pump add-on:** Adds short circuit, surges, animal bites, vandalism and often theft, with a separate limit for the system. - **All risks home systems:** Any unforeseen damage to heat pump, heating, wallbox, battery and air conditioning, including operating and material errors, but not wear. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Sum insured for home systems | 25,000 euros | replacement value of all systems, also above 50,000 euros | Finanztest recommends at least 25,000 euros, and a new heat pump including installation often costs more. | | Electrical damage | short circuit and surges also without lightning | plus electronic failure of control boards without external cause | The control electronics are the most sensitive part of the system. | | Theft | outdoor unit and wallbox included | up to the full sum insured, no low sublimit | Some policies pay only a few thousand euros for theft. | | Covered equipment | heat pump including outdoor unit | also boreholes, wallbox, battery, air conditioning and smart home | If you add equipment later, you should not need a second contract. | | Settlement basis | current value after a few years | new for old for many years | For a ten year old system, the deduction decides a large share of the payout. | | Gross negligence | reduction depending on fault | no reduction | Forgetting frost protection or a wrong setting can count as grossly negligent. | | Costs beyond the repair | labour and spare parts | plus fault finding, crane, groundwork and temporary heating | With ground source systems or roof units, side costs often exceed the part itself. | ## Insurers on the German market In Germany, home systems are mostly covered by the large buildings insurers as an add-on, plus a few specialists with standalone heat pump policies. Terms and limits change often. This list is a market overview, not a rating. - **Allianz**: buildings insurance with heat pump cover, agents and brokers - **HUK-COBURG**: add-on to buildings insurance - **Alte Leipziger**: buildings insurance with home systems, broker channel - **VHV**: standalone heat pump insurance, broker insurer - **SIGNAL IDUNA**: separate policy for home systems and smart home - **Waldenburger**: standalone heat pump insurance, part of the Würth group - **Württembergische**: home systems and heat pump add-ons to buildings insurance 155 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance. (Hagel-, Frost- und sonstige Sachschäden, Feuer). Source: BaFin company database, 2026-09-18; EU insurers without a German office excluded. ## Typical claims and who pays - **Surge from the grid** (control board, often 1,000 to 3,000 euros): Without lightning, surges are usually not covered by buildings insurance. A home systems add-on pays the repair. - **Outdoor unit stolen overnight** (new system including installation): Theft is not a basic peril. Good add-ons pay up to the agreed sum, some only up to a low sublimit. - **Marten chews the cables** (a few hundred to a thousand euros): Animal bites are not on the list of basic perils. Heat pump add-ons regularly include them. - **Lightning strikes the house** (electronics of heating and wallbox): Surges caused by lightning are already covered by buildings insurance, provided the system counts as part of the building. - **Compressor worn out after 14 years** (replacement, often several thousand euros): No insurance pays for wear and ageing. Extended warranties exist for that, usually via manufacturer or installer. - **Wrong setting, unit freezes up** (repair and fault finding): Operating errors and frost damage to the outdoor unit are only covered by all risks cover. A waiver for gross negligence helps. ## Myth or truth - „A boiler in the basement is part of the building and covered by buildings insurance." ✔ True, permanently installed heating usually counts as part of the building. But it is only covered against the perils in the policy, such as fire and escaping water, not against every breakdown. - „Any heat pump breakdown is an insurance claim." ✘ No. Wear, limescale and ageing are excluded, and without an add-on buildings insurance only pays for the listed perils. - „An outdoor unit in the garden may be treated differently from one on the house wall." ✔ Correct. Freestanding units on their own base count as other fixtures on the plot under some policies, which are not included everywhere. - „Every German buildings policy covers power surges." ✘ Under the model conditions only when lightning caused them. Grid surges and short circuits need an extended policy. - „Some buildings policies include the heat pump at no extra cost." ✔ Yes. In its 12/2024 survey, Finanztest found recommended policies in which heat pump cover is already included. ## Common mistakes - Not telling your buildings insurer about the new heat pump - Assuming buildings insurance pays for any heating breakdown - Not having a freestanding outdoor unit included explicitly - Overlooking the theft sublimit in the small print - Not keeping maintenance records - Taking out two contracts with two insurers who then point at each other after a loss ## FAQ ### Does buildings insurance pay if my heat pump fails after a power surge? Only if lightning caused the surge or your policy covers surges in general. A surge from the grid is not covered under the German model conditions. A home systems or heat pump add-on closes this gap. ### Is the outdoor unit covered against theft? Usually not in plain buildings insurance, because theft is not a listed peril there. Good add-ons and standalone policies include it, sometimes with a lower separate limit. Check whether that limit matches the price of your system. ### Do I need to tell my insurer about the heat pump? Yes. New heating changes the value of the building, and an outdoor unit in the garden is not automatically part of it in every policy. Notify the insurer in writing and ask for confirmation of how it is covered. ### Will insurance pay if the heat pump simply wears out? No. Wear, tear and ageing are excluded in every policy. Only sudden, unforeseen damage is covered. For age related failures there are extended warranties, often through the manufacturer. ### Are wallbox and home battery covered too? Permanently installed equipment usually counts as part of the building, but only against the basic perils. For electronic damage, marten bites and theft you need an add-on here as well. Good home systems policies include wallbox, battery and air conditioning in the same sum. ### How high should the sum insured be? At least the new price of all systems including installation. Finanztest recommends at least 25,000 euros for heat pumps. Ground source systems add drilling and groundwork costs, which a good policy also pays. ### Is maintenance required for cover? Many policies require professional installation and regular servicing by a qualified firm. Without proof, the insurer may reduce payment if the damage is linked to it. Keep your service records. ### Which is better: add-on or separate policy? Usually the add-on with your buildings insurer, because then one contract covers house and system. A separate policy makes sense if your buildings insurer has no suitable add-on and switching is not an option. ## 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-heat-pump-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.