Holiday home insurance in Switzerland – which policies do you really need?

A holiday property is a house or apartment that is only occupied occasionally or rented out for short periods of time, such as a chalet in the Alps, an apartment in Ticino or a lake house. Because no one lives there permanently, damage caused by things like by burst pipes, burglaries and storms can remain undetected for a long time, often leading to higher repair costs.

Holiday home insurance generally consists of household contents and liability cover, as an addition to cantonal or private buildings insurance. Which combination is appropriate depends on the type of use, the canton and the property’s location.

Cantonal buildings insurance covers fire and natural hazard damage in buildings and is mandatory in most cantons. It applies automatically from the date of purchase and covers the building materials against risks such as fire, storm, hail or flood damage.

However, cantonal buildings insurance does not cover items such as furniture, electrical appliances and fittings. It also does not include liability towards guests and third parties, damage caused by mains water to household contents or burglary.

Seven cantons do not have cantonal buildings insurance. Here, owners must insure their buildings with private insurers (such as Allianz). The rules differ, however:

• Voluntary: buildings insurance is voluntary in the cantons of Geneva, Valais, Ticino and Appenzell Innerrhoden (except in the Oberegg district).
• Compulsory (private market): in the cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Obwalden, insurance is mandatory by law, but you have to take it out via a private provider.

If your holiday property is located in one of these seven cantons, Allianz buildings insurance can provide the cover that your state insurance does not offer. Allianz household contents and liability insurance will cover fixtures and fittings and liability towards third parties. Art insurance is an ideal add-on for anyone who would like to insure particularly valuable fixtures and fittings.

Insurance for holiday properties consists of three components:

1. Household contents insurance for fixtures and fittings
2. Liability for losses caused to guests and third parties
3. Cover against natural hazards

The combination can be chosen freely, depending on the type of use, canton and location. Allianz home protection cover provides additional benefits, including practical assistance in emergencies, such as when a water pipe gets blocked or a security firm has to be called in after a burglary.

Household contents insurance covers your holiday property’s fixtures and fittings against the most common risks:

• Burglary of furniture, electrical appliances and clothing
• Mains water damage due to burst pipes or frost
• Damage caused by fire, smoke and soot
• Damage caused by natural hazards such as storms, hail, snow pressure or flooding

Important: the off-site insurance from your existing household contents policy at your main place of residence only covers items that you bring with you on a temporary basis. It does not cover things that you keep in your holiday property permanently, such as furniture, electrical appliances and tableware. To insure these, you need to add a second location to the policy. Household contents insurance from Allianz can be integrated into an existing policy or taken out separately.

As a property owner, you are personally liable under Swiss law (Art. 58 of the Swiss Code of Obligations) if third parties are injured on your property, for example because they slipped on some icy steps. Allianz’s personal liability cover explicitly includes property owner’s liability for single-family holiday homes and holiday condominiums. Separate buildings liability insurance is not necessary for these properties if you already have personal liability cover. The situation is different in the case of properties rented out commercially or those with more than three apartments. In these cases, it is worth arranging a separate consultation.

Natural hazard insurance covers your holiday home against damage caused by natural hazards:

• High water and flooding
• Storm and hail
• Avalanches and snow pressure
• Rockslide, rockfall and landslide

This cover is particularly relevant for holiday properties in Alpine or lakeside regions. At Allianz, natural hazards cover is automatically included in your household contents and buildings insurance; you do not have to add it separately. This integrated solution is especially valuable for Swiss holiday homes in high-risk locations.

Renting changes the way you use your property and this can have an impact on your insurance needs. Holiday homes have special requirements in terms of insurance cover, especially if they are vacant for long periods of time or rented out to guests.

If your holiday property is empty for long periods of time, this may affect your insurance cover. Many policies regard uninhabited properties as an increased risk after a certain period of time, as damage may go undetected and burglary becomes more likely. Anyone who fails to report this risks a reduction in benefits. In a worst-case scenario, your insurance might not pay out at all. For that reason, it is essential to enter the correct property type when taking out the policy. At Allianz, you simply need to select “holiday home/second home”.

The host guarantee on platforms like Airbnb is not an insurance policy and Airbnb does not describe it as a substitute for household contents or liability insurance. For that reason, anyone who regularly rents out their property via such platforms should check if their own policy actually includes commercial use or whether they need to change it. At Allianz, our advisors will clarify with you in person whether your existing policy covers the specific rental situation or not. There is no one-size-fits-all answer here; each situation is assessed individually.

If a guest damages your holiday apartment, for example by knocking a plant pot onto the parquet flooring, he or she is personally liable under Swiss law. Such damage is generally covered by the guest’s personal liability insurance. The owner does not have to pay for losses caused by guests. The situation becomes complicated if the guest does not have personal liability insurance or is insolvent. In this case, you will often end up having to foot the bill yourself. Your own buildings or household contents insurance generally excludes losses caused by tenants and third parties.

Allianz household contents insurance covers the fixtures and fittings in your holiday property against burglary, water and fire damage as well as natural hazards such as storm, hail and flooding. If you already have a household contents policy with Allianz, you can simply add your holiday home as a second property. Alternatively, it is also easy take out a separate policy with us.

The advantages of having Allianz as the insurance partner for your holiday property:

• Personalised advice from our general agency network throughout Switzerland
• Fast and straightforward claims handling
• Simple digital process for taking out the policy or extending existing policies
• Stability and reliability of the global Allianz Group

If you want to be sure that your property is in good hands, Allianz is the perfect provider for you – we will find a solution that fits both the use and location of your property and any existing policies that you have.