Damage to the rental property and the helper risk
Personal liability: your protective shield for the stairwell
You carry the heavy sofa through the hallway, stumble and ram the wooden edge deep into the plaster of the newly renovated rented flat. This is exactly where your personal liability insurance steps in. It covers damage that you cause to other people's property. This also includes scratches in the parquet flooring of the old flat that you leave behind when moving furniture.
But watch out for the classic helper trap! Your mate Tom slips and drops your brand new TV. Does his liability pay? Usually not. Lawyers call this scenario „damage caused by courtesy“. Anyone who helps with a private project free of charge is not legally liable for mishaps. Tom looks guiltily at the wreckage, you are stuck with the costs. Therefore, check your team of helpers in advance. Ask your friends to take a quick look at their policies. Good, modern tariffs automatically include acts of kindness up to a certain amount. If Tom doesn't have this module, you'd better not carry the TV together.
Protection for the inventory in both flats
Household contents insurance: your belongings while travelling
Your household contents insurance will move with you seamlessly. All you have to do is inform your provider of the change of address in good time. State the new address, the changed number of square metres and the exact date.
During the hot phase, an extremely practical double insurance policy often comes into effect. Your policy protects both flats at the same time for around one to two months. This will save you a lot if you move bit by bit and valuable boxes are already stored in the new home while you are still sleeping in the old one.
Be sure to adjust the sum insured to your new home. If you expand your home and buy an expensive fitted kitchen or new furniture, the total value of your household contents will increase rapidly. A quick call to your insurer will prevent dangerous underinsurance. If the full van burns down on the motorway, you'll end up claiming back the full value of your belongings and don't want to accept any painful deductions.
Protection of valuable individual items by professionals
Statutory basic liability vs. transport insurance: insuring professionals correctly
Bow We are off to the commercial haulage companies. If you commission an official company, the statutory basic liability automatically applies. This covers your removal goods at 620 euros per cubic metre. This sounds reassuring at first glance, but quickly turns out to be a drop in the ocean when it comes to expensive items.
A concrete example: one cubic metre is roughly the size of a large, expansive armchair. Imagine this armchair is a designer piece and costs 3,000 euros. The basic liability only covers 620 euros in the event of damage. What's more, this basic construct often only reimburses the current value. Your three-year-old computer will then only earn you a fraction of its original purchase price.
Are you planning to transport valuable art, high-end electronics or irreplaceable heirlooms? Then make sure you take out additional transport insurance. Such special policies cover the replacement value. Reputable and regionally anchored partners such as Maier removals will actively draw your attention to precisely this gap in cover during the consultation. They will put together a customised insurance package for your valuables so that you can sleep soundly at night.
The danger of clearance height and large vehicles
Car hire insurance: fully comprehensive insurance saves you when driving yourself
You hire the 3.5-tonne truck yourself and get behind the wheel. A solid idea to save money. But never skimp on the vehicle insurance! You normally drive a compact van and can see round every corner. Now you're suddenly behind the wheel of a huge, confusing box with no rear-view mirror. You misjudge when parking sideways, hit a massive bollard or take out the petrol station canopy when reversing.
Book the van with fully comprehensive insurance without excess, without exception. Yes, this will significantly increase the daily hire price. Otherwise, a scratched mudguard or a battered tail lift on a commercial commercial vehicle will immediately cost you hundreds or thousands of euros out of your own pocket.
If in doubt, it is better to check twice before driving under a bridge. Many insurance companies refuse to pay out completely if you ignore warning signs regarding the clearance height and literally slash the roof structure of the lorry on a subway.
Prevention through correct packaging
Glass insurance and supplementary letters of cover: necessary or rubbish?
Insurance agents often sense a good deal when there are major life changes. They offer you special glass insurance or separate electronics cover for day X. Do you really need all this?
In the vast majority of cases, you are burning your money here. Normal drinking glasses, the bathroom mirror or the glass pane of the display cabinet do not justify an expensive individual policy. However, if you own a huge, customised marine aquarium or are planning to move an entire conservatory, it's best to do the maths.
For the average household, another rule applies: invest this money in excellent, professional packing materials. A thick, multi-layer bubble wrap and sturdy cardboard boxes will protect your wine glasses much more effectively than a printed sheet of paper with insurance conditions. Alternatively, you can delegate the delicate packing directly to the professionals. The experienced experts from Maier removals know exactly how to stow fragile goods in a break-proof manner for bumpy roads. When they pack and transport your jars, in the unlikely event of breakage, their comprehensive company liability insurance comes into play again. This service gives you double the peace of mind.
A quick check: Who pays for what damage?
So that you don't lose track in the chaos, this table shows you exactly who to contact in an emergency:
| What happens | Who opens the wallet? | Your most important to-do |
|---|---|---|
| You damage the stairwell | Your personal liability | Document the damage immediately (photos) and report it to the landlord |
| A mate drops the TV | Liability of the mate (only if „courtesy damage“ is included) | Please ask all helpers to check their policy carefully in advance |
| Your belongings burn down in the lorry | Your household contents insurance | Report new address & increased household contents value in good time |
| Professionals scratch the cupboard | Basic liability of the forwarding agent (up to 620 €/m³) | Book an additional policy in advance for extremely expensive individual items |
| You drive the hire lorry into a wall | Fully comprehensive cover for car hire | Mandatory tariff without Select deductible |
Always act quickly in the event of real damage. Report the incident immediately, take high-resolution photos from different angles and make a note of witnesses. Haulage companies often require damage reports within extremely tight deadlines of 14 days. If you take too long, your claim will be forfeited completely. Take a structured approach to the issue, clarify the policies a few weeks in advance and then enjoy the reassuring feeling of being prepared for all eventualities.