Insurances and their Exceptions in Germany
When the Exception Becomes the Highlight – Why Searching Beyond the Standard Rules is Worth Your Time
Does this sound familiar? You type an insurance question into Google or an AI tool – for example: “Does home contents insurance cover partial theft of my bicycle?” – and the answer begins with a classic German phrase that nips any further research in the bud: “In der Regel nicht” (Usually not).
For most people, the search ends right there. That is understandable, especially when navigating the German insurance market, but it is the wrong time to give up. Because “usually not” is not a statement about your actual options – it is simply a statement about the market average. In the end, however, only one single contract matters to you: the one you sign.
This article shows why finding the exception is often the best solution for your insurance needs in Germany.
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The Truth About “Usually Not” & Why Exceptions Exist
Search engines and language models simply reflect what is stated in the majority of sources. If most insurance terms regulate a matter in the same way, the automated answer is: “usually not covered.” The logical fallacy happens when you read it. In your mind, “usually not” turns into “uninsurable.”
But you are not buying a market average. Since the deregulation of the German insurance market in 1994, there are no mandatory standard conditions. Providers who cannot or do not want to stand out via price expand their coverage instead.
Differences in benefits are highly intentional. What was excluded in older terms is frequently included in today’s modern policies.
You do not need a standard rule. You need a provider who makes the exception.
Personal Liability: Five Questions, Five Times “Usually Not”
Personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht) is the prime example of standard answers – and solutions outside the norm.
If any of the following questions are on your mind and you want to know how to solve them, just ask us:
1. Is one policy enough for a shared apartment (WG)?
2. My 25-year-old daughter works and doesn’t want her own policy – is she still covered under mine?
3. Is the deductible for my holiday rental car covered by personal liability?
4. Are there insurers with a coverage limit of more than 50 million euros?
5. My parents are in a nursing home – are they covered under my policy?
We can answer every single one of these questions with: “Yes, there is at least one suitable provider.”
Home Contents & Bicycles: Beyond the Standard Policy
The standard answer: Home contents insurance (Hausratversicherung) typically covers the inventory in your permanently occupied main residence. Second homes, holiday homes abroad, and tiny houses are normally not included. Furthermore, bicycle theft is almost always capped with a strict sum limit, and partial theft (like a stolen saddle or battery) is excluded.
The exception: What you usually won’t find via a quick search is that there are premium tariffs that automatically cover your second home via your primary residence. There are specialized providers for tiny houses and holiday apartments abroad. And yes, it is entirely possible to find coverage for bicycle theft up to the full sum insured including partial theft.
Finding the combination of these requirements—and the exact right tariff—is a task comparison portals are usually incapable of solving.
Buildings: Insuring Hazards, Solar, and Glass Separately
Most likely, your search engine will try to explain to you that natural hazards (Elementarschäden) are only available as a module of a residential building insurance policy. It will state that your photovoltaic system or your heat pump must be included in the main building insurance, and that standalone contracts are usually not possible.
You now have the option to simply believe this or to find actually existing solutions. The same applies to standalone glass insurance, completely independent of home contents or building policies. You find the rule, we know the exception!
When the Rule Remains the Rule
No, there isn’t an exception for absolutely everything. But they do exist often.
We do not reinvent coverages. As independent insurance brokers, we simply use our expertise to cherry-pick the absolute best options in the market and offer them tailored directly to you.
Bechstein Versicherungsmakler GmbH & Co. KG
Do you have a question to which you have so far only received the answer “usually not possible”? Describe your case to us – we will check whether there is an exception for you.
We are happy to advise you in English, German, French, or Spanish.
Your Personal Contact:
Jürgen Bechstein
Phone: 0611-945892402
Email: jb@vmwi.de