Hausratversicherung Vergleich: HUK, HUK24 & Allianz Compared

Without an add-on module, the typical default payout cap on a stolen bicycle under a German Hausratversicherung is only around 1% of the total sum insured — so on a €50,000 policy, that is roughly €500, regardless of what the bike actually cost (Verbraucherzentrale). That single clause is a good example of why comparing Hausrat tariffs on price alone misses almost everything that matters. Five structural terms — the waiver of under-insurance, how claims are valued, whether natural-hazard cover exists, how bicycle theft is capped, and how gross negligence is treated — differ far more between insurers and tariff tiers than the headline premium does. This guide lines up three well-known names in the German market — HUK-COBURG (the classic agent-sold brand), HUK24 (its direct-online sibling), and Allianz — on exactly those five points, using only what each insurer publishes about its own tariffs.

Why comparing premiums alone misses the real differences

A Hausratversicherung insures the contents of a home — furniture, electronics, clothing, and (depending on the add-ons chosen) bikes and valuables — against theft, fire, and water damage. It is a close cousin of, but structurally distinct from, buildings cover: if you own the property itself, the separate Wohngebäudeversicherung protects the structure, and the two are easy to confuse when reading quotes; see Wohngebäude vs Hausrat compared for where that line sits. Two Hausrat quotes can list an identical sum insured and an identical monthly price and still pay out completely differently after a burglary, because the clauses that decide how much you actually get paid rarely show up in a price table. That is the gap this comparison closes — not “which insurer is cheapest,” but “which clauses does each tariff tier actually include.”

Unterversicherungsverzicht: the clause that decides if you’re paid in full

Without a waiver of under-insurance, an insurer can reduce any payout proportionally if it decides your declared sum insured was too low for the actual value of your contents — even on a partial loss. With the waiver in place, the insurer pays the damage in full up to the agreed sum insured, without auditing whether you under-declared.

Both HUK24 and Allianz grant this waiver conditionally rather than as an unconditional blanket promise. HUK24 includes it automatically once the sum insured is at least €700 per square metre of living space and the total does not exceed €250,000 — and only if the living space itself was stated correctly (HUK24). Allianz ties the waiver to its own recommended benchmark: €650 per m² for its Basis, Smart, and Komfort tiers, rising to €1,300 per m² on Premium (Allianz). In practice this means the waiver is not really a tariff feature you either have or don’t — it is a condition you have to actively meet by insuring at or above the insurer’s benchmark and declaring your square metres accurately.

Neuwert vs Zeitwert: replacement value is the market default

Neuwertentschädigung means the insurer pays what it costs to replace an item new, regardless of its age; Zeitwert means the payout is reduced for wear and depreciation. Across the tariffs checked for this comparison — HUK-COBURG, HUK24, and Allianz — Neuwertentschädigung is stated as the standard settlement basis, including on HUK-COBURG’s dedicated bicycle module, which pays new-for-old even for a used bike (huk.de). None of the three publicly describes Zeitwert as its default for standard household contents; that tends to appear only in narrower exceptions, not as the headline promise of a mainstream tariff — but always confirm the exact wording in the policy conditions (VHB) of the quote you’re holding.

Elementarschäden: still an add-on everywhere, not a default

Elementarschäden cover — damage from flooding, heavy rain backup, landslide, snow pressure, or earthquake — is not bundled into any base Hausrat tariff among the three insurers compared here. HUK24 sells it as an explicit add-on with a 14-day waiting period after the policy is added and a €500 deductible per claim (HUK24). Allianz packages the equivalent cover as “Extremwetterschutz,” also sold as an add-on rather than built into Basis, Smart, Komfort, or Premium (Allianz). If you live on a ground floor, in a basement, or in a region with known flood or heavy-rain risk, this is a line item to check explicitly on every quote rather than assume is already included.

Fahrraddiebstahl: the sublimit most people never check

Bicycle theft is the dimension where “same sum insured, same price” hides the most. Two structural facts hold across the market: first, a standard Hausratversicherung without any bicycle-specific add-on typically caps bike-theft payouts at a small fraction of the total sum insured — commonly around 1%, which is a few hundred euros on a typical policy (Verbraucherzentrale). Second, all three insurers compared here treat meaningful bicycle cover as a separate module rather than a default inclusion: HUK-COBURG offers a dedicated “Diebstahl-Schutz” add-on or a standalone Fahrradversicherung, explicitly with no night-time clause (your bike doesn’t have to be indoors overnight) and only a standard, traffic-compliant lock required (huk.de). HUK24 sells its own separate “Fahrrad-Schutz” module bundling theft and repair protection (HUK24). Allianz likewise treats bicycle cover as an optional add-on rather than a tier feature (Allianz). None of the three publishes a specific default percentage for bike cover without the add-on in the pages checked for this comparison — which is itself the point: if you own a bike worth more than a few hundred euros, do not assume your base Hausrat sum insured covers it meaningfully until you’ve checked the actual module terms.

Grobe Fahrlässigkeit: the tier that actually changes payout behavior

Grobe Fahrlässigkeit (gross negligence) covers situations like leaving a stove on unattended or a candle burning while out of the room — carelessness, but not intent. Whether an insurer pays the full sum insured or reduces the payout for this kind of damage is one of the clearest tier splits found in this research. Allianz documents it explicitly: Basis reviews these claims case by case and can cut the payout, while Smart, Komfort, and Premium all pay up to the full sum insured with no reduction — though even at those tiers, Allianz excludes damage from breaching a policy duty outright, such as failing to heat the home in winter or drain water pipes before an extended absence (Allianz). HUK, across the pages checked, states a blanket “no reduction” position rather than describing a Basis-tier carve-out the way Allianz does — worth confirming directly with either brand, since public tariff pages are not always as granular as the underlying policy wording (VHB).

The structural comparison: HUK, HUK24 & Allianz side by side

No English-language comparison currently lines up these three well-known German Hausrat brands on structure rather than price. Here is the matrix, built only from what each insurer publishes about its own tariffs:

Insurer / tier	Unterversicherungsverzicht	Neuwert vs Zeitwert	Elementarschäden add-on	Fahrraddiebstahl	Grobe Fahrlässigkeit
HUK-COBURG Basis	Offered subject to matching the flat-rate benchmark and correct living-space declaration; per-tier detail not itemized in public pages	Neuwert (replacement value) is the stated standard	Optional module, sold separately	Optional “Diebstahl-Schutz” add-on or standalone policy; no night-time clause; standard lock required	HUK states a blanket no-reduction position; not tier-differentiated in public materials
HUK-COBURG Classic	Same as Basis; Classic additionally extends “away from home” cover to 12 months at the full sum insured, vs Basis’s 6 months capped at 20%	Neuwert as standard	Optional module, sold separately	Same optional module as Basis	Same as Basis
HUK24 (core tariff)	Automatic once the sum insured is ≥ €700/m² of living space and the total is ≤ €250,000	Neuwert as standard	Optional add-on; 14-day waiting period; €500 deductible per claim	Separate “Fahrrad-Schutz” module (theft + repair cover); no public default % found	Full sum insured, no reduction, per HUK24’s own tariff description
Allianz Basis	Included when the recommended €650/m² sum is chosen	Neuwert as standard	Optional “Extremwetterschutz” add-on	Optional add-on module; no public default % found	Reviewed case by case — can be reduced
Allianz Smart	Included at €650/m²	Neuwert as standard	Optional add-on	Optional add-on module	Full sum insured, no reduction (excludes duty breaches like failing to heat/drain pipes)
Allianz Komfort	Included at €650/m²	Neuwert as standard	Optional add-on	Optional add-on module	Full sum insured, no reduction (same duty-breach exclusion)
Allianz Premium	Included at €1,300/m²	Neuwert as standard	Optional add-on	Optional add-on module	Full sum insured, no reduction (same duty-breach exclusion)

How to use this matrix when comparing your own quotes

None of this is a ranking, and the widest default cover on paper is not automatically the right structural fit for every household — a renter with no bike and no basement has very different priorities from a homeowner with a garden shed and an e-bike. Treat this matrix as a checklist: for any quote you’re holding, confirm (1) whether the under-insurance waiver actually applies at your chosen sum insured, (2) whether settlement is Neuwert or Zeitwert for your specific contents category, (3) whether Elementarschäden is included or needs adding, (4) what the real bicycle-theft cap is with and without the add-on, and (5) whether gross negligence is covered at your tier or only from a higher one. Because exact premiums depend on your address, sum insured, and household risk profile, comparing live quotes through a licensed intermediary such as Tarifcheck is the practical way to see current pricing for the clauses you actually need — the same dependency that makes it worth reading what Haftpflicht liability cover actually protects alongside Hausrat, since the two are commonly bought together. If you are still working through which policies matter at all as a newcomer, the insurances nobody explains in your first month in Germany is a useful starting point, and the GKV vs PKV decision framework uses a similar side-by-side approach for another structured German decision.

Frequently asked questions

Is HUK24 the same as HUK-COBURG?

They are part of the same corporate group but are distinct entities with separate tariffs: HUK-COBURG is the traditional, agent-sold brand, while HUK24 is the direct-to-consumer online arm. Their tariff names and specific terms are not identical, which is why this comparison treats them as separate rows rather than assuming shared conditions.

Does every Hausratversicherung include natural-hazard cover?

No. Among HUK-COBURG, HUK24, and Allianz, Elementarschäden cover (flooding, heavy-rain backup, landslide, and similar) is sold as an optional add-on in every case checked for this comparison — it is never bundled into the base tariff. If you want this protection, you need to confirm it is explicitly added to the quote.

How much does a Hausratversicherung typically pay out if my bike is stolen?

Without a dedicated bicycle add-on, the typical default cap is a small share of the total sum insured — commonly cited around 1%, which can be only a few hundred euros (Verbraucherzentrale). Insurers generally offer a separate bicycle module to raise this cap meaningfully, so it is worth checking the exact terms rather than assuming your base policy covers a bike at its full value.

Does gross negligence always void my claim in Germany?

No — but coverage for grobe Fahrlässigkeit (gross negligence) varies by tariff tier. In this comparison, Allianz’s Basis tier reviews such claims case by case and can reduce the payout, while its Smart tier and above pay the full sum insured for gross negligence, short of an outright breach of a policy duty like failing to heat the home. Confirming which side of that line your specific tier sits on is one of the more consequential checks in this whole comparison.

Is a higher sum insured always better for the under-insurance waiver?

Not necessarily higher for its own sake, but it does need to clear the insurer’s benchmark. HUK24 requires at least €700/m² of living space (and a total sum ≤ €250,000) for the waiver to apply automatically, while Allianz uses €650/m² for most tiers and €1,300/m² on Premium. Insuring below the relevant benchmark, or misstating your living space, can mean the waiver simply doesn’t apply even if you believe you have it.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial, insurance, or legal advice. Tariff names, thresholds, and clause conditions are based on information published by each insurer and consumer-protection sources current as of mid-2026; insurers update tariffs and terms over time, and exact figures for your household depend on your address, sum insured, and individual policy wording (VHB). This is an informational structural comparison, not a personal recommendation — compare current live quotes via a licensed intermediary such as Tarifcheck before deciding. Alle Angaben ohne Gewähr.