No one should break ground without building owner liability insurance. We’ve examined home builders’ insurers’ offerings and tell you where there’s powerful protection at great prices and which offerings have gaps in coverage. When building a solid house costing 400,000 euros, you can save up to 259 euros a year on the insurance premium alone. More importantly, gaps in protection can cost a fortune when push comes to shove. A good builders liability policy reduces this risk to virtually zero.
Test results for 31 building owner liability insurance policies
Why the builder liability comparison is worthwhile for you
- test results. We have compared building owner liability insurance that protects your liability risk as a private building owner up to at least 10 million euros. You should not feel satisfied by less.
- The best performing policies. We say which of the offers cover all the important risks and what they cost depending on the length of the construction period. We determined prices and insurance benefits for a construction sum of 250,000 and 400,000 euros and for a 100,000 euro conversion.
- tips and background. We show how much personal work on the construction site the various policies allow without you having to pay an additional contribution. We explain what you need to consider when taking out insurance and during construction work – and in which cases fire shell construction, residential building or landowner liability insurance makes sense or is even necessary. You will also find out how you can benefit from statutory accident insurance and what is compulsory.
What good builders liability insurance should offer
We have examined builder’s liability insurance, which covers at least ten million euros in the event of liability. We do not consider less insurance protection to be acceptable. In an emergency, three providers even pay up to 50 million euros. We tell you how much time the insurance company gives you to complete your home. Based on price and performance, you will quickly find your personal test winner.
Tip: Even before activation, you can take a look at the table and see which builder’s liability policies contain all the important services.
Client liability: why comparisons are so important
If visitors or passers-by injure themselves on a construction site, the customer is often responsible for the consequences – even if he did not make a mistake himself, but a helper, worker or the architect is responsible. If someone is seriously injured, the compensation payment due can ruin the builder – if he has the wrong policy. The right builder’s liability insurance offers comprehensive protection for almost all conceivable liability cases on construction sites.
Limited personal liability insurance protection
Some home builders are already covered by their personal liability insurance. At least for smaller construction sites, the protection is sufficient for a large number of policies. However, private liability protection is often only sufficient for projects costing up to EUR 100,000. All costs from setting up the construction site to completion of the building must be included in the construction sum, which is decisive for the insurance cover. However, the price of the property does not count.
Tip: Are you interested in good personal liability insurance? In the comparison of private liability insurance from Stiftung Warentest you will find cheap offers.
How homeowners can protect themselves
Aside from accidents, a lot can go wrong during construction. It can also be worthwhile to think about the time after moving in during the construction phase.
Although construction insurance is not as important as builder’s liability insurance, it is also useful. It pays if damage occurs on the construction site for unforeseeable reasons. In an emergency, this insurance saves your home.
After completing your home, homeowners insurance is highly recommended. It pays if the finished building is damaged or even destroyed. It is advisable to take out fire shell insurance right from the start of construction. It also pays if a fire damages the shell. This protection costs extra for construction insurance. You can often get fire shell insurance without paying a premium if you take out residential building insurance with the same insurer for the period after the building is completed.
