Holiday Apartment Insurance for Landlords: Comprehensive Protection for Your Property and Income
31 Mar 2025
11
Minutes
Katrin Straub
Managing Director at nextsure
Renting out your holiday apartment comes with specific risks, from property damage to rental losses, which can often result in damages exceeding a million euros. Suitable insurance coverage is therefore essential for every landlord. Discover how to optimally protect your holiday property with the right policies.
The topic in brief and concise terms
A special holiday home insurance is essential for landlords, as standard policies often do not apply and damages can quickly amount to several thousand euros.
Important components include building insurance, contents/inventory insurance, and landlord liability insurance; rent guarantee and legal protection insurance offer meaningful additional protection.
The correct specification of the type of use (private/commercial) and any necessary change in use are crucial for full insurance coverage.
Minimise Risks: Fundamental Protection for Holiday Home Owners
Renting out a holiday apartment carries higher risks than a long-term rental, often by up to thirty percent. Frequent guest changes and vacancy periods increase the risk of break-ins or undiscovered damage. Water damage can quickly result in costs exceeding 5,000 euros if detected late. Conventional private insurance often offers insufficient protection for landlords in these cases. Therefore, a specialised holiday apartment insurance is essential for every owner. These specific policies take into account the particular usage conditions and protect you against typical risks, safeguarding your assets, which are often worth several hundred thousand euros.
Identifying Core Components: These insurances are essential for landlords
For comprehensive protection of your holiday property, several insurance components are essential. The building insurance covers damage to the building itself, for example from fire, storm or water damage. Make sure that elemental damage such as flooding or earthquakes are also included; this can increase the premium by about ten to twenty percent but is often indispensable. The contents or inventory insurance protects the movable furnishings of your holiday home. It is crucial whether you rent it privately or commercially, as this affects the type of insurance; commercial policies often cover higher sums. A landlord liability insurance (often known as property owner's liability insurance) is essential. It intervenes if third parties, such as your tenants, suffer harm on your property or in the house and claim up to three million euros. If you clearly operate commercially with several units, a business liability insurance may become necessary, covering additional risks. The careful selection of these core components forms the foundation of your protection.
Optimising Costs: Understanding Holiday Home Insurance Premiums
The costs for holiday rental insurance for landlords vary greatly and depend on several factors. These include the location (e.g., flood-prone area), the size in square metres, the construction type, and the quality of the furnishings. A building insurance for a holiday home with 100 square metres can cost between 200 and 800 Euros annually. Household contents insurance for an averagely furnished holiday apartment with 60 square metres could additionally amount to 100 to 300 Euros per year. Landlord liability insurance is often available from as little as 50 Euros per year. By choosing an appropriate deductible, for example, 250 or 500 Euros per claim, you can often reduce the annual premium by five to ten percent. It's advisable to obtain at least three different quotes and compare the services carefully. Some insurers offer package deals that cover several risks and can therefore be cheaper than individual policies. Certain insurance costs can also be tax-deductible for landlords.
Implement additional protection: Secure against rental loss and legal disputes
In addition to the basic insurance policies, two additional policies can be very useful for landlords of holiday homes. A rent loss insurance protects you from financial losses if, for example, your holiday home cannot be rented out for several weeks or months after an insured event (e.g. fire, water damage). This insurance then covers the lost rental income, often for a period of up to twelve months. Carefully check the conditions, as vacancies between regular bookings are usually not covered. A landlord legal protection insurance is also an important addition. It covers the costs for a lawyer and court if there are legal disputes with tenants, neighbours or authorities – a dispute value of 5,000 euros can quickly lead to lawyer and court costs of over 1,500 euros. Such disputes may arise, for example, due to noise pollution or unpaid visitor's tax. The premiums for a landlord legal protection insurance start at around 150 euros per year. These additional components usefully complement your insurance coverage.
Special Case Online Portals: Understanding the Nuances of Airbnb and Co.
Renting through online platforms such as Airbnb or Booking.com is popular, but it involves specific insurance considerations. Some platforms do offer their own protection programs for hosts, like Airbnb's 'Host Guarantee', which can cover property damage up to one million US dollars. However, these programs are often not a full substitute for an independent, comprehensive holiday rental insurance for hosts. The conditions of these platform guarantees often contain exclusions or envisage secondary liability, meaning that your private insurance must pay first. Additionally, they usually do not cover liability claims or loss of rental income. It is therefore essential to tailor your own insurance coverage, especially landlord liability and contents insurance, to the specific risks of short-term letting. Clarify with your insurer whether renting through such portals is explicitly covered and whether there are limitations, for example, on the maximum rental duration per year (often 60 to 90 days). Transparent communication with your insurer about your rental activities is crucial.
Claims management: Acting appropriately when something happens
If damage occurs in your holiday apartment, swift and correct action is crucial for a seamless settlement by your insurance company. Document the damage immediately and as detailed as possible with photos or videos - at least five to ten recordings are recommended. Report the damage to your insurance company without delay, usually within a week. Take immediate measures to mitigate the damage, such as shutting off the water supply in the event of a burst pipe to prevent further costs of hundreds of euros. Keep damaged items until the issue is resolved with the insurer, as they often need to be inspected. Create a list of all damaged or stolen items with details of their new value and purchase date; the pre-existing inventory list can be helpful here. In the event of burglaries or vandalism, report the incident to the police immediately - a copy of the report will be required by the insurer. Our expert tip: Keep the claim number provided by the insurer ready for all communications to speed up allocation and processing by up to thirty percent. Good preparation and prompt action in the event of an emergency are invaluable.
Legal framework and obligations for landlords
As a landlord of a holiday apartment, you are subject to various legal obligations, and failure to comply can also have insurance implications. This includes the duty of care: you must ensure that your property poses no danger to tenants or third parties, such as loose stair treads or unsecured areas. Compliance with fire safety regulations, like ensuring functioning smoke detectors (at least one per floor), is legally required and checked by insurers. In many communities, there is a registration requirement for holiday guests. Failure to comply with the ban on misappropriation, which applies in many cities with tight housing markets, can lead to fines of up to 50,000 euros and endanger insurance cover. Check with your local authority for local statutes and building regulations. While building insurance is not legally mandatory everywhere, it is strongly recommended for every property owner. Knowledge and compliance with these conditions protect you from legal issues and secure your insurance cover.
Your next step to optimal protection: Individual risk analysis
Securing your holiday apartment is complex and requires a solution tailored to your individual situation. With a multitude of providers and tariffs, it is often difficult to keep track and find the right holiday apartment insurance as a landlord. Professional advice can help you avoid coverage gaps and optimise premiums, often by up to fifteen percent. At nextsure, we understand the specific needs of holiday rental landlords. Our mission is to offer you tailor-made and easy-to-understand insurance solutions. Use our expertise for your safety. Request an individual risk analysis now: Have your insurance situation checked free of charge and receive concrete optimisation suggestions.
More useful links
Deutscher Tourismusverband offers comprehensive information on the topic of holiday apartments.
IHK München provides important information on tenancy law for landlords.
Gesetze im Internet allows direct access to laws and regulations, such as the German Civil Code (BGB).
FAQ
Welche Versicherungen sind für Vermieter von Ferienwohnungen Pflicht?
Gesetzlich verpflichtend ist in Deutschland keine spezielle Versicherung für die Vermietung von Ferienwohnungen. Eine Wohngebäudeversicherung ist jedoch für jeden Immobilienbesitzer dringend empfohlen und oft Voraussetzung für eine Finanzierung. Eine Vermieterhaftpflicht ist ebenfalls unverzichtbar, um sich vor hohen Schadenersatzforderungen zu schützen.
Deckt meine private Haftpflichtversicherung die Vermietung meiner Ferienwohnung ab?
In der Regel nicht ausreichend. Private Haftpflichtversicherungen decken oft nur selbstgenutzte Immobilien oder schließen die Vermietung an Feriengäste aus oder nur sehr eingeschränkt ein. Eine separate Vermieterhaftpflicht (Haus- und Grundbesitzerhaftpflicht) ist notwendig. Diese kostet oft ab 50 Euro pro Jahr.
Was ist der Unterschied zwischen Hausrat- und Inventarversicherung für eine Ferienwohnung?
Die Hausratversicherung ist für privat genutzte (ggf. gelegentlich vermietete) Ferienwohnungen gedacht. Wird die Ferienwohnung primär gewerblich vermietet, ist eine Inventarversicherung (auch Inhaltsversicherung genannt) notwendig, die oft höhere Versicherungssummen und spezifische gewerbliche Risiken abdeckt.
Sind Schäden durch Vandalismus von Gästen versichert?
Schäden durch Vandalismus können über die Inventar- oder Hausratversicherung abgedeckt sein, sofern dieser Baustein enthalten ist. Es ist wichtig, die genauen Bedingungen Ihrer Police zu prüfen, da es hier Unterschiede zwischen den Anbietern gibt. Eine Kaution kann erste Schäden abdecken.
Was passiert, wenn meine Ferienwohnung längere Zeit leer steht?
Längerer Leerstand (oft definiert als mehr als 60 oder 90 Tage) kann als Gefahrerhöhung gelten und muss dem Versicherer gemeldet werden. Andernfalls kann der Versicherungsschutz gefährdet sein. Einige Versicherer bieten spezielle Tarife für Ferienimmobilien an, die Leerstandszeiten berücksichtigen.
Kann ich die Kosten für die Ferienwohnung Versicherung auf die Mieter umlegen?
Die Kosten für die Wohngebäudeversicherung und die Haus- und Grundbesitzerhaftpflicht können anteilig über die Nebenkosten auf Mieter umgelegt werden, wenn dies im Mietvertrag vereinbart ist. Bei Ferienwohnungen mit Kurzzeitvermietung ist dies jedoch unüblich und meist im Mietpreis einkalkuliert. Die Kosten für eine Rechtsschutz- oder Mietausfallversicherung sind in der Regel nicht auf Mieter umlegbar.
