Fire insurance
Individual insurance policy
When you rent a property, you are responsible for damage caused by fire, water or explosion, except in circumstances beyond one’s control. You should take out insurance to cover these risks. Tenants may take out individual insurance policies.
Landlord's insurance policy
Since landlords have to insure the building, they can have the “renunciation of redress” clause taken up in their own fire insurance policy, by means of which the risks of the tenant are also covered. The landlord then pays a higher premium, which the tenants will reimburse. The tenant’s share of the landlord’s policy depends on the value of the house and the type of coverage. The sum usually varies between 20 and 25 EUR per tenant per year.
Insurance of your personal belongings
The tenant’s personal belongings, however, are never covered by the landlord’s insurance policy. If you want to insure damage to your own property, you need to take out separate insurance coverage.
Tenants of apartments and houses
Tenants of apartments and houses normally cannot insure themselves through the landlord’s policy. They need to take out individual insurance to cover the risks of damage both to the landlord’s property and to their personal belongings. An individual policy is obviously more expensive, and may amount to 75 euro or more per year, depending on the coverage and the value of the property and furnishings insured.
Fire risk
A deliciously prepared meal, some candles and a cigarette are the perfect ingredients for a pleasant evening. However, they can simultaneously cause an inferno when you don’t treat them with the necessary caution. Do always keep an eye on your pots and pans and never light a candle when nobody is around.
Electricity failures are borne by the landlord. Report any difficulty as soon as possible and never try to fix the problem yourself. If you don’t trust the situation, we advise you to turn off the main power switch and wait till professional help arrives.
Always check if there is a smoke detector system, make sure you know how the fire extinguishers work and where to find the nearest possible emergency exit.
