Property & Liability Insurance

Personal liability insurance is the most important everyday insurance. It pays out when you unintentionally cause damage to third parties or their property. Examples: you bump into someone and they break their leg. You cause water damage in your apartment. Your child scratches the neighbour's car.

The sum insured should be at least CHF 5-10 million – the premium differences between 2 and 10 million are minimal, but the risk is significant. Serious personal injury claims can quickly run into the millions.

Pay attention to additional coverage: tenant damage (important for renters), acts of kindness (if you help a friend move), damage caused by pets, and damage during sports activities. Premium: about CHF 100-200 annually for a good policy.

Household contents insurance covers everything you own and keep in your home: furniture, electronics, clothing, jewellery, sports equipment, etc. It covers damage from fire, water (burst pipes, flooding), burglary, and, depending on the policy, also glass and natural hazards.

The sum insured should correspond to the replacement value of all your household contents. Rule of thumb: CHF 500-1'000 per square metre of living space. An 80m² apartment would therefore have household contents worth CHF 40'000-80'000.

Important: valuables (jewellery, art, expensive electronics) are often only covered up to a limit (e.g. CHF 10'000 for jewellery). For valuable items, you need explicit additional coverage. Bicycles outside the home are usually also only covered to a limited extent.

Legal protection insurance covers lawyer and court costs in legal disputes. Typical areas: traffic legal protection (accidents, fines), private legal protection (disputes with neighbours, sellers, tradespeople), employment legal protection (dismissal, wage claims), and tenancy legal protection.

The sum insured should be at least CHF 250'000. In complex cases, costs can quickly reach CHF 50'000-100'000. Unlimited coverage (if available) is ideal.

Warning: many areas are excluded: family law (divorce), inheritance disputes, construction law, and tax law. For property owners, there are special construction legal protection policies. Premium: about CHF 200-400 annually.

Building insurance is mandatory in most cantons and is often handled through cantonal institutions. It covers damage to the building from fire and natural events (storm, hail, flooding, avalanches, etc.).

In cantons with monopoly institutions (e.g. Zurich, Bern, Aargau), you have no choice of provider. In cantons with a free market (e.g. Geneva, Ticino, Valais), you should compare offers.

In addition to basic coverage, there are extensions: water damage (burst pipes), glass breakage, photovoltaic systems, and technical systems (heating, lift). These vary by canton and policy – a comparison is worthwhile.

Motor vehicle liability insurance is mandatory and pays for damage you cause to others with your car. Comprehensive insurance (voluntary) covers damage to your own vehicle.

Partial comprehensive: damage from theft, hail, glass breakage, fire, collision with animals. Full comprehensive: additionally covers damage caused by your own fault (parking scrapes, accidents caused by yourself).

Rule of thumb: full comprehensive for vehicles under 5 years old, partial comprehensive for older vehicles, no comprehensive coverage for cars worth under CHF 10'000. Premiums vary greatly between providers – an annual comparison is worthwhile. Savings potential: CHF 300-800 per year.