What does household insurance cover?

A household insurance is a possibility to insure objects inside the house. This type of property insurance therefore covers damage that can occur to the inventory of a residential property as a result of a wide variety of hazards.

What does household insurance cover?

The following is a brief overview of which damages and services are normally covered by the insurer and which are excluded from the outset.

Short answer

Household insurance usually covers damage and loss of items in the apartment or house. In addition, with the household insurance you also get a liability insurance, which pays for damage that you cause yourself. The exact insurance points vary depending on the insurance and selected tariff.

Long answer

As you have already learned, household insurance offers different insurance points depending on the provider and tariff. To give you a more detailed overview of what is covered by household insurance and what can be supplemented via additional tariffs, the following section explains.

What is protected by a household insurance?

Items covered by this type of insurance are items that are commonly used in a household or serve as furnishings. Household insurance can cover various perils to effectively protect the policyholder’s property. The scope of services often includes protection against damage caused by fire, water or storms.

However, standard household insurance policies also include coverage for damage caused by theft or vandalism. However, some insurance companies allow for additional coverage if the policyholder desires additional protection of their property.

Fire damage

Fire damage is one of the most expensive and far-reaching damages, which quickly destroys all belongings. In order to be well covered in the event of damage, you should pay close attention to the insurance rates and also book optional points to it. Singeing damage in particular must be insured separately with most insurance companies, but occurs particularly frequently.

The insurance cover includes

Fire and fire damage

Damage caused by a lightning strike

Consequential fire damage due to extinguishing work and soot

Do not fall under the insurance coverage:

  • Singeing damage (only covered by a few insurances)
  • Damage caused by a short circuit of an electrical device

Water damage

Water damage can have considerable consequences for the substance of your four walls. Household insurance covers the typical perils in water damage, but can be extended as needed. If you live in a flood area, for example, you should choose the tariff carefully, because floods are not included in the standard tariff of many insurance companies.

What is covered by the insurance:

Water leakage from defective appliances, such as dishwashers or washing machines

Do not fall under the insurance coverage:

  • Damage caused by rising groundwater and floods (contents of a natural hazard insurance policy)
  • Damage due to increased precipitation

Glass breakage

Glass breaks quickly and especially with children can quickly show what you have glass insurance for. It is important to note, however, that not all types of glass breakage are insured. Many insurance policies limit damage coverage by window size.

are covered by the insurance:

Broken windows under 5 m²

Not covered under the policy:

  • Damage to hollow glass, such as vases and jars
  • Broken windows over 5 m² (varies depending on the insurance company)

Burglary

The consequences of a burglary are not only the valuables but also the psychological stress for the victims. To ensure that you are not left without help in the event of a loss, a good household insurance policy will also cover consequential damages such as lock replacements.

The following are covered by the insurance:

Value of the stolen goods

Damage due to burglary

Consequential damage from burglaries (damage to locks)

Not covered by the insurance:

Other benefits of the insurance

In most cases, such insurance also covers the costs incurred by the actual destruction or damage. However, the individual circumstances of household insurance can differ, depending on the arrangements between the insurer and the policyholder. Examples are costs incurred by cleanup and restoration work or costs for the accommodation of the policyholder, if the residential property has become uninhabitable due to the incident.

But also transport or storage costs, if they are included in the scope of insurance, can be covered by the insurance. This case occurs when the damage has put the residential property in a condition that no longer allows objects to be stored in it without risking damage to them. Moving and protection costs are normally also covered by the insuring company, if objects have to be moved from one place to another in order to be recovered or restored.

The additional clauses

Insureds who feel that the above mentioned protection of their household contents is not sufficient can normally agree on so-called additional clauses with their insurer and include them in the insurance contract.
For example, items that are not actually inside the house, such as bicycles, can be included in the insurance and thus protected against theft and property damage.

But also protection against overvoltage can be applied by such an additional clause. This can cover damage caused by an overvoltage of electrical equipment or a short circuit. Typically, such damage occurs as a result of a lightning strike.

What the insurance does not cover

In order to ensure the turnover of the insurance company and thus the guaranteed action in a real insured event, some exclusions are already specified before the conclusion of the homeowner’s insurance policy. Only in this way can the insurer also effectively protect himself against insurance fraud. These excluded circumstances include, among others, trick theft, in which the thief takes advantage of the victim’s surprise and inability to act in order to obtain the stolen goods.

Likewise, moisture damage caused by snowfall is often not covered by household insurance. Furthermore, components of the building, simple thefts and scorching damage usually, are not protected by the insurer. Here, as a policyholder, it is important to get detailed information in advance to ensure that the exact items that he or she believes need special protection receive it in sufficient quantity.

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