Property Ownership in Germany, but Resident Abroad?
How to Secure Your Property Liability Insurance
As a property owner, facility operator, or pet owner with a risk location in Germany, you often face a major hurdle if your center of life is abroad: Most German insurers refuse to take on the liability risk as soon as the policyholder is no longer registered in Germany.
We have a reliable and proven solution for this problem. According to its official underwriting guidelines, the Haftpflichtkasse continues to provide insurance coverage, provided certain formal requirements are met.
Table of Contents
- 1. The Four Requirements for Concluding a Contract
- 2. Which Coverages Does This Exception Apply To?
- 3. Important Exception: Classic Private Liability
- 4. Important Note: Using Our Tariff Calculators
- 5. Excerpt from the Underwriting Guidelines (Translation & Explanation)
- 6. Sources & Further Information
The Four Requirements for Concluding a Contract
In accordance with the binding guidelines of the Haftpflichtkasse, policy acceptance for clients residing or headquartered abroad is completely problem-free if the following criteria are strictly met:
- Risk location in Germany: The risk to be insured (e.g., the rented house, the vacant plot of land, the oil tank, the horse, or the commercial business) must be physically located in Germany.
- German correspondence address: A domestic postal address must be designated (e.g., a relative, property management, lawyer, or tax consultant as a c/o address) to which legally binding mail can be delivered.
- SEPA direct debit mandate: Premium deductions must mandatorily be made from a bank account using an IBAN and BIC.
- Paperless discount (Online Policy): Documents are dispatched exclusively digitally, for which you also receive a premium discount (paperless discount). This is what you should definitely choose to receive your policies abroad.
Which Coverages Does This Exception Apply To?
We can apply this customer-friendly regulation for you to almost all property and location-based risks. These include in particular:
- Homeowners’ and Landowners’ Liability (Haus- und Grundbesitzerhaftpflicht): For rented residential and commercial buildings, single-family homes, or vacant land in Germany.
- Water Damage Liability (Gewässerschadenhaftpflicht): For risks arising from above-ground or underground heating oil tanks in a German building.
- Commercial Liability (Betriebshaftpflicht): For your company registered and operating in Germany.
- Horse Owner’s Liability (Pferdehalterhaftpflicht): If, for example, you are a horse owner and the animal is permanently housed in Germany.
Important Exception: Classic Private Liability
We must draw a clear line when it comes to private liability insurance. Since the insured risk here is the person of the policyholder themselves (and they reside abroad), this regulation does not apply to a permanent residence abroad.
Insurance coverage via a German private liability policy can only be provided analogously if it involves a temporary stay abroad of up to a maximum of one year (for example, as part of a trip around the world).
Important Note: Using Our Tariff Calculators
Please note that the application forms and tariff calculators provided by the German insurance companies are exclusively available in German. We highly recommend using the built-in translation feature of your web browser (such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Safari) to seamlessly translate the calculation pages into your desired language. This will allow you to easily navigate the process and calculate your premiums.
Excerpt from the Underwriting Guidelines (Translation & Explanation)
To provide you with maximum transparency, we have included the exact excerpt from the official underwriting guidelines (Richtlinien für die Antragsaufnahme) of the Haftpflichtkasse regarding policyholders residing abroad. Below you will find the original German text, the English translation, and a brief explanation of what this means for you.
Original German Text (Excerpt)
“Für die Risikobeurteilung und somit für die tarifliche Einstufung sind teilweise detaillierte Angaben erforderlich, u. a. Angaben über Vorversicherung, Vorschäden usw. Individuelle Risikoverhältnisse können besondere Beitragszuschläge, Bedingungen, Selbstbeteiligungen usw. erfordern. Die im Antrag vorgesehenen Fragen müssen vollständig und sorgfältig beantwortet werden. […] Anträge können nicht früher als ein Jahr vor Vertragsbeginn angenommen werden.
Hat der Versicherungsnehmer seinen Wohnsitz/Sitz im Ausland, sind eine deutsche Korrespondenzanschrift und die Abbuchung von einem Bankkonto zwingend erforderlich.”
English Translation
“Detailed information is sometimes required for risk assessment and thus for tariff classification, including information on previous insurance, previous claims, etc. Individual risk circumstances may require special premium surcharges, conditions, deductibles, etc. The questions provided in the application must be answered completely and carefully. […] Applications cannot be accepted earlier than one year before the start of the contract.
If the policyholder has their residence/headquarters abroad, a German correspondence address and direct debit from a bank account are mandatory.”
Explanation
This official clause legally guarantees that living abroad is not a blanket reason for application rejection. As long as you can provide a designated mailing address within Germany (so the insurer can validly deliver important documents like invoices or policy changes) and you agree to automatic SEPA premium deductions from a bank account, the insurer will grant coverage for your property and location-based risks in Germany.
Sources & Further Information
The basis for this coverage commitment is the official Guidelines for Application Acceptance (Richtlinien für die Antragsaufnahme) of the Haftpflichtkasse. This transparent regulation allows us to document legally secure protection for our international clients with domestic risks, where other companies issue blanket rejections.
We are happy to assist you with calculating the tariff, submitting the correct application, and setting up the necessary correspondence address. You can find more details about the Haftpflichtkasse and direct ways to contact us here: Information about Haftpflichtkasse.