Theft after break-ins: When does household contents insurance pay?

Only then will the insurance pay

The number of break-ins is high – what you should pay attention to

Thefts have increased since the end of the corona pandemic. When household contents insurance pays and which crimes are excluded from protection.

A third more thefts since 2021, 43 percent more burglaries, nine percent more robberies in apartments – the number of crimes has remained consistently high since the Corona restrictions were lifted. In 2024, insurers counted around 90,000 residential burglaries and reported 350 million euros in damage.

If items or cash are stolen from the house, the insurance will usually cover it. But there are exceptions. An overview.

Household contents insurance covers items stolen after break-ins. It covers, among other things, furniture, electronics, personal items and valuables. And it also works if the residents are not at home for several weeks, giving burglars more opportunity 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. “In the event of longer absences, insured people should check their protection and adjust it if necessary.”

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

While residential burglaries are always included in household contents insurance, insurers differentiate for other property crimes. “The household contents conditions are based on the definitions of the criminal code, but do not define their services strictly according to the offenses,” explains Schütz.

For example, the insurance also pays for certain types of serious theft without breaking into the home; For example, if a locked container – for example a safe or a document cassette – was opened by force.

And even if thieves could easily get into the apartment because a window was tilted, household contents insurance can still apply. “If the window was left tilted when leaving the apartment or the apartment door was not locked, this is considered grossly negligent,” says Schütz. “However, policyholders can cover gross negligence in their household contents tariff. Then the insurer also pays.”

Household contents insurance doesn’t just apply to your own four walls. Through the outside insurance clause, it also covers property damage that occurs after robberies and handbag snatches outside the home – i.e. if a cell phone, wallet or handbag was stolen by force or under threats. The number of robberies on streets, paths or squares was around 19,074 cases in 2023 – an increase of 55 percent compared to 2021.