Contents insurance protects the personal belongings in your home from damage caused by events such as fire, theft, water damage or natural disasters. It helps you cover the cost of repairs or replacing the items if they are damaged or stolen. In a nutshell, contents insurance provides financial security for the belongings in your home.

Contents insurance is not legally required in most cantons. However, it is advisable to take out contents insurance. It provides financial security when items become damaged or destroyed by certain events. In the cantons of Nidwalden and Vaud, cover for damage caused by fire and natural hazards is compulsory for residents. This insurance must be taken out with a specific body, the Cantonal Fire Insurance. In the cantons of Fribourg and Jura, this insurance is also compulsory, but the residents are free to choose their insurance provider.

If you were to move house tomorrow, what items would you hand over to the removal men? All of this counts as household contents and must be covered by the sum insured.

Our advice: when determining the sum insured, ensure that it would be enough to be able to buy the entire contents of your removal van again.

The sum insured is the maximum compensation that the insurer will pay out in the event of damage to or loss of your personal property.

Please note that the sum insured is a maximum limit. If the total loss exceeds the sum insured, you may have to bear any additional costs. When choosing the sum insured, therefore, it is advisable to make sure that your property is adequately covered should the worst happen.

The deductible is the amount that you would pay out of your own pocket in the event of a claim or that the insurer would deduct from the compensation.

Personal liability insurance covers bodily injury and property damage for which you are liable to third parties. Bodily injury means accidentally injuring or even killing a person. Property damage means accidentally destroying, damaging or losing someone else’s property. By law, by reason of strict liability, you can also be liable for damage caused by your children or pets, for example. Tenant damage, that is damage and destruction of the inhabited rental property, is also covered by personal liability insurance.

Personal liability insurance protects you if you harm someone or damage someone else’s property. The insurance covers the costs that could be incurred, for repairs or medical treatment, for instance.

No, personal liability insurance is voluntary. Nevertheless, it is one of the most important types of cover. If you harm someone, even if it is unintentional, you are liable for it. This can soon become very expensive. The insurance covers justified claims of the injured party up to the sum insured. If any unjustified claims are made against you, these will be rejected by the insurance (referred to as passive legal protection).

Personal liability not only pays out in the event of a claim, but it also checks whether you are in fact liable.

As residents of shared accommodation can frequently change (move in and out), we recommend that you always take out personal liability insurance per person. This prevents anyone suddenly have no insurance cover after moving out.

Yes, as an animal owner, you are covered, at no extra cost, for damage caused by your pets. However, in relation to damage caused by tenants, note that damage due to wear and tear (e.g. by a cat scratching doorposts) is not covered.

Yes. Personal liability insurance offers worldwide cover.

Yes, the liability insurance for private individuals applies worldwide. Note that this insurance only covers use of the vehicle for a maximum of 25 days per calendar year. Rental vehicles are not covered. Should you require this, we recommend that you take out ‘Rental and shared vehicles’ cover with our partner Zurich Insurance.