ROUTE
Contents Insurance
An honest do-I-need-it check, the β¬650/mΒ² rule against underinsurance, and the two riders that matter: bicycle and natural hazards.
β Checked: 15/08/2026
Contents insurance covers what is inside your flat β furniture, electronics, clothes β against fire, escaping water and burglary. Unlike liability cover, which almost everyone needs, the honest answer here is more nuanced: a student with a laptop and a suitcase usually does not need it, while a fully furnished family flat almost always does. The route therefore starts with that check rather than with a sales pitch.
COSTS AND DEADLINES
What you pay for on this route
- Contents insurance~β¬3β7 per month for 60β80 mΒ²
Amounts follow official fees as of each stepβs verification date. Your city may charge a different rate β check the step itself.
βΊ More about this route
The check comes down to a single number: what would it cost to buy everything you own again at today's prices? Insurers' quick formula is β¬650 per square metre β for 60 mΒ² that is β¬39,000, as a rule more than people estimate. Below roughly β¬10,000β15,000 of possessions the policy is debatable; above that it starts to make sense. It costs around β¬3β7 a month for 60β80 mΒ².
Two things decide the tariff. First, the sum insured based on the β¬650 per square metre flat rate with a waiver of underinsurance: without it, an understated sum lets the insurer cut EVERY payout proportionally, including small ones. Second, the add-ons matching your risk: a bicycle outdoors, natural hazards on the ground floor or near a river, glass, and gross negligence.
WHERE PEOPLE MOST OFTEN LOSE MONEY AND TIME
- Understating the sum insured to lower the premium. Insured for β¬20,000 while owning β¬40,000 means every payout is halved, however small the claim. The β¬650 per square metre flat rate written into the contract simply switches that argument off.
- Assuming the basic tariff covers your bicycle. The basic cover is theft from locked premises; outdoors requires the bicycle clause, with its own limit and usually a night-time restriction.
- Living on the ground floor or near a river without natural-hazard cover. Flooding and sewer backflow are not in the basic tariff β and they are exactly what the policy is bought for.
- Not gathering evidence in advance. Reconstructing a list of stolen items from memory after a fire is nearly impossible, and every unsupported item simply drops out of the settlement.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ROUTE
How do I tell in five minutes whether I need this at all?βΎ
Add up, at today's replacement prices, everything in the flat: furniture, electronics, clothes, bike. If the total stays below roughly β¬10,000β15,000, the policy is questionable and savings serve you better. For a furnished flat or a family it almost always exceeds β¬30,000 β and then β¬3β7 a month settles the question.
What should I do right after signing up so the policy actually pays?βΎ
Two things, both in one evening. Walk through the flat with your phone and record two minutes of video of every room, then put it in the cloud. And start a folder with receipts for expensive items. That evidence is what turns a reported loss into a paid one.
What makes a policy worthless at the moment of payout?βΎ
Two things. First, underinsurance: an understated sum cuts the payment proportionally regardless of the size of the claim. Second, missing evidence: without photos, receipts and a police report after a burglary there is nothing to build on. Both are fixed in advance, and for free.
Contents or liability insurance first?βΎ
Liability. It covers harm to other people, which has no upper limit, and costs almost nothing. Contents cover protects your own belongings and is therefore capped by their value β it earns its keep once you have accumulated some. They are two different policies and do not substitute for each other.