How to Cancel or Switch Your Hausratversicherung in Germany

The letter arrives a few weeks before your Hausratversicherung renews, and the premium line is higher than last year. Most people either shrug and pay it, or fire off a cancellation email that same afternoon — and both reactions can cost money. Pay without checking and you may be overpaying for years on a policy that auto-renews every twelve months by default. Cancel the old policy before the new one is confirmed, and you can end up with a gap where a burst pipe or a break-in is entirely uninsured. Germany's insurance contract law, the Versicherungsvertragsgesetz (VVG), sets out exactly when you're allowed to leave a Hausratversicherung contract early and when you're stuck waiting for the ordinary notice window — and getting the sequence right is what keeps you covered the entire time.

Two ways out: the annual deadline, and the special rights that skip it

There are only two legal routes out of a running Hausratversicherung contract. The first is ordentliche Kündigung — ordinary cancellation on the annual deadline that's written into your policy. The second is a Sonderkündigungsrecht — a special cancellation right that the VVG grants for specific triggers, and which lets you leave outside the normal window entirely. Almost every mistake people make with Hausrat cancellation comes from not knowing which route applies to their situation, so it's worth walking through both before you write a single cancellation letter.

The ordinary route: three months' notice to the end of your insurance year

§ 11 Abs. 3 VVG sets the legal boundaries for the notice period on an ordinary cancellation: it has to be identical for both the insurer and the policyholder, and it can't be shorter than one month or longer than three months. In practice, almost every Hausrat provider's AVB (general policy terms) sets it at the maximum — three months, running to the end of the Versicherungsjahr. That insurance year is not necessarily the calendar year; if your policy started on 1 September, its "year end" is 31 August, and your cancellation has to arrive with the insurer by 31 May to take effect on time, per Verbraucherzentrale's guidance on insurance cancellation. Miss that window by even a day, and the contract doesn't lapse — it renews.

The 1-year contract: auto-renewal is the default, not a trap you fell into

§ 11 Abs. 1 VVG caps any pre-agreed automatic extension at one year at a time. That's exactly how most Hausrat policies are written: a one-year term that quietly rolls into another one-year term every time the deadline passes uncancelled. This isn't a hidden trick — it's the standard structure of German insurance contracts — but it does mean that "I forgot to cancel" locks you in for a full additional year, not a rolling month-to-month arrangement you can walk away from whenever you like.

The 3-year contract: a lower premium in exchange for less flexibility

Some insurers offer a discount — commonly a few percent off the annual premium — for signing a three-year (or longer) initial term instead of one year. § 11 Abs. 4 VVG governs how you get out of these: the policyholder may cancel at the end of the third year, or at the end of any year after that, with the same three-month notice period. The trade-off is straightforward — a modest discount for locking in longer, and no way to leave early on price alone if a cheaper tariff appears in year two. If you expect to move, change household size, or simply want the freedom to shop around annually, that flexibility is often worth more than the discount.

Special cancellation rights that don't wait for the annual deadline

Three situations let you leave a Hausratversicherung contract without waiting for the ordinary notice window, and each one has its own trigger and clock.

After a premium increase without more cover

If your insurer raises the premium on renewal without expanding what's covered, § 40 VVG gives you a Sonderkündigungsrecht. The insurer has to tell you about the increase — and about your right to cancel because of it — at least one month before the higher premium takes effect. From the moment that notice reaches you, you have one month to cancel; the cancellation can take effect immediately, but no earlier than the date the increase itself would have started. This is the right that applies to the renewal-letter scenario at the top of this article: a straightforward premium hike, unrelated to any claim or move, is enough on its own to unlock an early exit.

After a claim, win or lose

§ 92 VVG gives either party — you or the insurer — the right to cancel after a Versicherungsfall (insured event), and this applies whether the claim was paid out or rejected. The window is one month from the conclusion of the settlement decision (Entschädigungsverhandlungen), and if the insurer is the one cancelling, its notice takes effect one month after you receive it. This right exists mainly so a policyholder isn't stuck with an insurer who's about to raise the premium after a payout — but it's a genuine two-way exit, not just leverage against a difficult claims process.

After moving house — narrower than most expats assume

This is the one that trips people up most, because the Umzug rule for Hausratversicherung works differently from Wohngebäudeversicherung, where a change of building ownership triggers an automatic cancellation right. A Hausrat policy doesn't need to be cancelled when you move within Germany at all — it simply transfers with you to the new address, and you're expected to notify the insurer by the day of the move, per Verivox's guidance on relocating with contents cover. There is no blanket Sonderkündigungsrecht just because you changed address. What actually opens a special right is if the new address sits in a higher-risk Tarifzone and the insurer raises your premium as a result — at that point, you're back in § 40 territory, with one month to cancel from when you're notified of the new premium. If your belongings have grown since you last set the coverage sum (bigger flat, more furniture), you also typically have two months after the move to update it before an underinsurance gap opens up. The full context on separating Hausrat from your building insurance and other renter-vs-owner obligations is covered in Wohngebäude vs. Hausrat, explained.

Cancellation grounds at a glance

Cancellation ground	Notice period	When it applies
Ordentliche Kündigung (ordinary, annual)	3 months to end of insurance year	Any time, no reason needed, if you hit the deadline
Premium increase without more cover (§ 40 VVG)	1 month from receiving notice	Renewal premium rises but coverage doesn't improve
After a claim (§ 92 VVG)	1 month from settlement decision	Either party, after any Versicherungsfall — paid or denied
Moving house (Umzug)	1 month from premium-increase notice	Only if the new address raises your premium — otherwise the policy just transfers, no cancellation needed
3-year contract, early years	Not cancellable early on price alone	Locked until end of year 3, then annual with 3 months' notice

The no-gap switch: sequence it in this order

The single biggest risk in switching Hausratversicherung isn't the paperwork — it's the order you do it in. Cancel the old policy first, on the assumption that the new one will come through, and a delayed application or a declined offer can leave you with zero contents cover for weeks.

1. Compare tariffs and get a written offer first. Sort by coverage sum, deductible, and whether Elementarschäden and grobe Fahrlässigkeit are included, not premium alone — a licensed intermediary such as Tarifcheck can pull several offers at once.
2. Wait for the new insurer's confirmation (Versicherungsschein) showing the exact policy start date, before you touch the old contract.
3. Set the new policy's start date to the day immediately after the old one ends — not the same day, not a week later. Most insurers will backdate or align this for you if you ask.
4. Only then send the cancellation to the old insurer, quoting the correct notice period or Sonderkündigungsrecht, in writing (email or post, with proof of sending), and keep the confirmation of receipt.
5. Get the old insurer's written Kündigungsbestätigung stating the exact end date, and check it lines up with the new policy's start date — no overlap needed, but definitely no gap.

After the move: use the paperwork moment to actually compare

Once you've notified your existing insurer of a change of address, you're already handling Hausrat admin — which makes it a reasonable point to check whether the policy is still the best fit, rather than letting it auto-renew untouched for years. This is especially worth doing if your household has grown since you first set up cover: someone arriving in Germany for the first time typically buys a starter Hausrat policy alongside Privathaftpflicht and health insurance in the first few weeks, often before they've accumulated much to insure — the broader context on what gets set up first and why is covered in the insurances nobody explains when you arrive in Germany. If your coverage sum was set for a small first apartment and you've since moved somewhere larger, updating it — or switching to a policy that better matches your current belongings — is generally a more useful use of the admin moment than simply confirming the address and moving on. It's also worth remembering that Hausratversicherung and Privathaftpflicht are separate contracts covering separate risks, so a move is a reasonable moment to check both rather than assuming one policy quietly covers the other — the distinction is explained in what Haftpflicht actually covers.

Frequently asked questions

Can I cancel my Hausratversicherung at any time?

No. Outside of the special cancellation rights (a premium increase, a claim, or a premium-raising move), you're bound by the ordinary notice period in your contract — typically three months to the end of the insurance year, per § 11 Abs. 3 VVG. There is no general right to cancel whenever you like.

What happens if I miss the ordinary cancellation deadline?

The contract renews automatically for another year. § 11 Abs. 1 VVG caps that renewal at one year at a time, so missing the deadline doesn't lock you in permanently — but it does mean waiting for the next annual window unless a special cancellation right applies in the meantime.

Do I have to cancel my Hausratversicherung when I move house?

No, and this is a common misconception. The policy transfers automatically to your new address; you notify the insurer by the day of the move. A special cancellation right only opens if the move causes your premium to rise, per § 40 VVG.

Does a claim give me the right to leave my insurer?

Yes. Under § 92 VVG, either you or the insurer can cancel within one month of the claim's settlement decision, regardless of whether the claim was paid or denied.

How do I avoid a coverage gap when switching insurers?

Get written confirmation of the new policy's start date before cancelling the old one, and set the new policy to begin the day the old one ends. Cancelling the old policy first, before the new one is confirmed, is the most common cause of an uninsured gap.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial, insurance, or legal advice. Notice periods, exact statutory wording, and individual policy terms vary by insurer and by contract; the figures above reflect § 11, § 40, and § 92 VVG and guidance from Verbraucherzentrale and Finanztip current as of mid-2026, and are not a personalized recommendation. Compare current Hausratversicherung options via a licensed intermediary such as Tarifcheck before making a decision. Alle Angaben ohne Gewähr.