Number of burglaries has risen sharply – what you need to consider

Since the end of the pandemic, thefts have increased again. When your home contents insurance pays out and which crimes are excluded from the protection.

A third more thefts since 2021, 43 percent more burglaries, 9 percent more robberies in apartments – with the lifting of the Corona restrictions, the number of crimes has risen again. If objects or cash are stolen from your house, your insurance will usually cover it. But there are exceptions. An overview.

Home contents insurance covers items stolen after burglaries. It covers furniture, electronics, personal items and valuables, among other things. It also applies when the residents are away from home for several weeks, giving burglars more opportunities to strike.

“An absence of up to 60 consecutive days is always covered by household contents insurance,” says Wolfgang Schütz, Managing Director of Verivox Versicherungsvergleich GmbH. “For longer absences, insured persons should check their cover and adjust it if necessary.”

By the way, the insurance coverage does not only extend to the apartment itself. The belongings in the attic, basement or laundry room are also insured.

While burglaries are always included in home contents insurance, insurers differentiate when it comes to other property crimes. “The home contents insurance conditions are based on the definitions in the criminal code, but do not define their benefits strictly according to the crimes,” explains Schütz.

For example, the insurance also pays for certain types of serious theft without a break-in into the home; for example, if a locked container – such as a safe or a document box – was opened by force.

And even if thieves were able to get into the apartment easily because a window was tilted, the home contents insurance can still cover it. “If the window was left tilted when leaving the apartment or the apartment door was not locked, this is considered gross negligence,” says Schütz. “However, policyholders can cover gross negligence in their home contents insurance. Then the insurer will also pay.”

Home contents insurance is not only valid within your own four walls. Through the external insurance clause, it also covers property damage that occurs outside the home after robberies and purse snatchings – i.e. when a cell phone, wallet or handbag is stolen by force or under threat. The number of robberies on streets, paths or squares was around 19,074 cases in 2023 – an increase of 55 percent compared to 2021.

However, insurance coverage does not usually apply to pickpocketing, where the victim steals a cell phone or wallet from a handbag or trouser pocket without noticing.

Consumers don’t have to spend huge sums of money to optimally insure their own belongings. “Our regular tests show that high-performance household contents insurance rates can also be found in the low price segment,” says Schütz.

The cost of home contents insurance varies depending on where you live. For example, a Berliner with an 80 square meter apartment can find offers with important service modules for around 40 euros a year. The important services include protection against gross negligence, scorching and smoldering damage, and damage caused by overvoltage.