How To Guide: Liability Insurance

How To Liability Insurance

Private liability insurance makes sense for everyone. We will explain to you why this insurance is necessary and what you should consider.

Overview

Is liability insurance compulsory?

Private liability insurance is not compulsory in Germany, but it is practically indispensable. One single careless moment can lead to a huge bill, which by law you are required to pay. An example: Imagine you’re in a hurry and cross the road running. You totally overlook a cyclist who is unable to avoid you and collides with you, breaking his arm. Because of the injury, he can’t carry out his job as a self-employed technician for several weeks. He therefore suffers a financial loss that you have to compensate out of your own pocket. Liability insurance saves your back (and your bacon) in the event of such damage by paying for these costs..

Liability insurance does not only protect you from damage you cause yourself. If someone else causes damage to you or your property and cannot pay for it themselves – because they are lacking the financial means, private liability insurance, or both – your private liability insurance will pay instead. This benefit is called bad debt coverage and is included in all Getsafe liability tariffs. The condition is that you claim compensation from the other party in court.

Why do I need liability insurance?

It’s very simple: if you damage something or injure someone, you are liable and have to pay for it. So if, for example, you unintentionally cause an accident that injures someone and prevents them from working, it could cost you dearly. If you don’t have liability insurance, you will have to pay for the damages out of your own pocket. You are legally liable with all of your assets.

If you have liability insurance, it protects you from the financial consequences of personal injury or property damage by covering the costs – saving you from financial loss. And that’s not all: it also defends you against unjustified claims – even if it comes to a legal dispute.

What damage does liability insurance cover?

Liability claims come in all shapes and sizes. Imagine you accidentally knock your friend’s laptop off the table and break it. Or if you spill hot tea on your friend and scald them. Either way, they’re unlikely to be happy and might claim damages from you. The same applies if you accidentally block your neighbour’s driveway, requiring them to take a taxi to work the next day. In these cases, liability insurance protects you from financial losses by covering the bill.

But what if it was your own laptop that you swept off the table? Too bad. Unfortunately, liability insurance does not cover damage to your own property. It also doesn’t cover any damage that is related to business or work activities – these risks instead need to be covered by professional liability insurance. An exception to this rule is if you are doing volunteer work or earning a little money on the side as a babysitter. These activities can be covered by personal liability insurance.

How much money can I get from personal liability insurance in individual cases?

Your insurer will usually pay for the current value of the damaged item in the event of a claim. For example, if you bumped into your in-laws’ flat screen TV and it broke, you will be reimbursed the value of the TV at the time of the damage.

In some cases, you can receive a replacement value compensation of up to 3,000 euros. You accidentally spilled half a bottle of wine over your girlfriend’s new designer carpet during a cosy evening and now it can’t be cleaned? Then your liability insurance will reimburse you the replacement value (i.e. the purchase price according to the invoice) of the carpet. The only condition is that the date of purchase was within the past year and you have proof of purchase (such as a receipt or invoice). Some electronic devices, such as mobile phones and laptops, are not included; glasses are also not covered.

When do I need my own liability insurance?

You are usually insured with your parents until you reach the age of 18. If any of the following apply to you, you can also stay insured within your family’s policy after turning 18:

You are still at school.
You are doing an apprenticeship or undergraduate studies.
You are waiting for a placement at university.

Depending on the insurance tariff, you can also remain insured with your parents past 18 if you:

are unemployed after graduation,
go on a semester abroad or a long trip,
do an internship.

Sooner or later, there will come a time when you will need your own liability insurance policy. This might happen when you:

get married,
turn 25 or 30 (depending on the contract),
start a job after graduation,
start a postgraduate degree.

Can I also insure my family or my partner?

You can choose to get liability insurance just for yourself or select the family tariff. With the family tariff, you can also insure anyone who shares a household with you – even if they only live with you temporarily, such as a refugee or an au pair. In addition to your partner or your parents (or in-laws), roommates are also insured, provided they are officially registered at your address. With Getsafe you can simply add and remove family members or roommates within our app, or write a quick email to our customer service to have them make the changes to your tariff for you.

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Can I take out Getsafe liability insurance if I’m not a German citizen?

Yes. As long as your main residence is in Germany, you can get our personal liability insurance even if you don’t have German citizenship.

What should I look for in liability insurance?

Here are the most important factors in choosing the correct liability coverage at a glance:

Sum insured:

Make sure that the sum insured in your tariff is as high as possible. This is important because legal liability is unlimited – especially in the case of personal injury, claims for compensation can quickly run into the millions. The Consumer Advice Centre recommends a sum of at least 10 million euros. With Getsafe liability insurance, you can choose between 20 million euros in our Comfort tariff and 50 million euros in our Premium tariff.

Bad debt coverage:

Just as important is the cover for loss of receivables. If you have suffered a loss and the person at fault can’t pay for it, this cover ensures that you won’t go away empty-handed: In this case, your own liability insurance will close the gap and cover the costs – provided that your policy includes bad debt coverage. This applies to all Getsafe liability tariffs.

Key loss:

Losing your keys is annoying enough – but it gets really frustrating when it costs a lot. Losing the key to your apartment building could easily run up a bill in the thousands, as you are responsible to pay for everyone’s new keys. This is why a tariff covering key and lock loss is highly recommended. Getsafe liability tariffs all contain coverage for the loss of keys, including those for your home, your job and your volunteer activities.

Accidental damage:

If you help friends and accidentally break something in the process you have caused what is known as accidental damage. This type of damage is not always part of liability insurance. With Getsafe, accidental damage is covered, so there is no need for your friendship to suffer.

Excess:

If you are prepared to pay part of the costs yourself in the event of a claim, you can decide how much this should be when you take out your liability insurance. This way you can save a little on the insurance premium. With Getsafe, you can choose between 150 and 300 euros – or you can decide against an excess completely.

Flexibility:

Things change – that’s why it’s important that your insurance easily adapts to your life. Your liability insurance should also give you the flexibility to make adjustments as your situation changes. With Getsafe it is easy to add people to your coverage or even get additional coverage (like for your drone) at any time.. You even have the right to cancel your contract on a daily basis!

When do I have to pay an excess?

You decide on your excess amount when getting liability insurance. With an excess (at Getsafe either 150 or 300 euros) the monthly premium is somewhat cheaper. However, this means you will have to pay the excess amount for each claim. For tariffs without an excess, you do not have to pay anything out of your own pocket and the damage will be paid to you in full by the insurer, provided that it falls within the cover you have taken out.

Is my liability insurance cover also valid when I am abroad?

Yes, with Getsafe you have worldwide protection. Outside of Europe, you are covered for up to five years. Within Europe, it is unlimited. The prerequisite is that you have a permanent residence in Germany.

Does liability insurance protect me if the damage is caused by an animal?

Personal liability insurance covers damage caused by domestic animals, such as your cat or rabbit. It even covers bees! So if your cat scratches the new garden furniture in your neighbour’s garden, your liability insurance pays for the damage. Even small exotic animals such as spiders or snakes are covered by liability insurance.

What if you have a dog? These four-legged friends need their own extra insurance called dog liability insurance. If you own a horse, it is not covered by personal liability insurance. However, if you are taking care of a friend’s dog or if somebody has lent you their horse, personal liability insurance will cover you in the event of damage – unless you are a commercial dog sitter or professional horse rider.

Does liability insurance pay if I lose my keys?

Losing the key to an apartment building can get really expensive: replacing multiple locks can cost 20,000 euros or more. This problem disappears with Getsafe liability insurance, which covers costs in the case of lost keys. If you lose an office key and the locks in your company have to be changed, your liability insurance will also cover this damage. Depending on the tariff, there may be a limit to the amount of damage.

Does liability insurance cover me when I’m doing a favour for someone?

Not all insurers will cover you if you accidentally cause damage while helping someone. With Getsafe it’s different, with this type of damage covered up to 50 million euros. So if you drop your mate’s plasma TV while helping them move house, it’s covered by your liability insurance.

Does liability insurance pay out for damages caused by car accidents?

If you have a car accident and damage is caused to other people or their vehicles, your motor vehicle liability insurance will pay, not your private liability insurance. There is also a special motor vehicle liability insurance for damage you cause with a rental car. This is already included in the price of most car rentals. An additional comprehensive coverage with the respective provider will also protect you in case you break something while using your rental car, which is not covered by private liability either.

How can I insure against damage caused by my drone?

Drone insurance has been mandatory in Germany since 2005. Getsafe drone liability insurance covers all drones up to 5 kilograms.. So if, for example, the wind causes your drone to collide with a car, your insurance will cover damages of up to 50 million euros worldwide. If you have a drone and want to find out more, check out our How-to Guide for Drone Insurance.

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What does liability insurance cost?

The monthly premium for your liability insurance is based on four factors.

One is the number of people insured. The family tariff will cost a little more than a tariff for singles.

The second factor is excess. Your monthly premium will be cheaper if you are prepared to pay a higher excess in the event of a claim.

Third: if you have filed liability claims with an insurance company in the past, this could also affect your premium.

Finally, your place of residence also plays a role. This is why we ask you for your postcode.

Here’s an example: You live in Cologne and are getting liability insurance for the first time. You don’t need to insure a drone or extend your cover to other family members, and you choose not to pay an excess. In this case, you would pay 3.75 euros per month for your liability insurance. If you chose an excess of 150 euros, this would decrease your monthly premium to 3.00 euros. If you later need to insure a drone, you could simply add our drone extension in a few clicks and your premium would rise to 3.17 euros.

Why should I take out Getsafe liability insurance?

Simple: because with Getsafe liability insurance you don’t have to make any compromises. Not only do you save up to 60 percent compared to other insurers (full coverage starts at just 2.94 euros per month), but you also benefit from the best services on the market. Our Premium tariff offers a sum insured of 50 million euros and a Best Performance Guarantee, ensuring that any and all damage you might cause to other people, their property or assets will be covered. And best of all – with the Getsafe app you enjoy maximum flexibility. You can conveniently check your insurance information anytime and anywhere, change data or insure your family or your drone with just one click. You can also report damage quickly and easily via the app. Flexibility also means that you are not bound to long terms and can cancel your insurance on a daily basis.

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Do you have any other questions about liability insurance? Just contact our Customer Service Team. We are always happy to advise you.