Insurance beyond health insurance

Covers: Damage you accidentally cause to someone else's property or person — you knock over an expensive vase at a friend's place, your bike collides with a pedestrian, your child breaks a neighbour's window. Covers the resulting claim against you, which under German civil law (§ 823 BGB, general tort liability) you are personally liable for regardless of intent.

Why it matters: Not legally required, but so close to universal among German residents that landlords, employers and even some social circles treat not having it as unusual. A single serious accidental-damage claim without cover can be financially ruinous in a way health insurance (which is mandatory) doesn't protect you from at all — the two cover completely different kinds of risk.

What we don’t claim: We do not state a typical premium. Rates depend on your provider, coverage limit, and whether you bundle it with other policies, and change over time.

Covers: Your own belongings inside your rented apartment or room — furniture, electronics, clothing — against fire, burst water pipes, storm damage, and (depending on the policy) theft or burglary.

Why it matters: Distinct from your landlord's building insurance, which covers the building itself, not your possessions inside it. If you own little of value it may not be worth it yet; if you've furnished a place or brought expensive equipment, this is the policy that actually covers replacing it.

What we don’t claim: We do not state a typical premium or what coverage limit is 'enough' — that depends on the value of what you actually own.

Covers: Legal fees and court costs if you end up in a dispute — commonly tenancy disputes with a landlord, employment disputes, or disputes over a purchase. Policies are usually split by area (Mietrecht, Arbeitsrecht, etc.) and you pay for the areas you want covered.

Why it matters: Germany's legal system does not have a simple 'loser pays' rule that makes this a non-issue — the loser typically does pay both sides' costs, which means bringing a case you might lose can be a real financial risk without this cover. Particularly relevant for tenancy disputes, which international renters run into disproportionately often (deposit disputes, disputed rent increases).

What we don’t claim: We do not state a typical premium, and coverage exclusions (many policies exclude disputes that started before the policy began, for example) vary by provider — read the Bedingungen (policy terms) for what's actually excluded before assuming a dispute is covered.