Home Insurance in Switzerland

🏠 Types of Home Insurance in Switzerland

1. Building Insurance (Gebäudeversicherung)

• For homeowners, most Swiss cantons mandate building insurance, typically covering damage from fire, storms, hail, water, and sometimes avalanches. It is often provided by public or state-affiliated insurers—especially in cantons like Vaud, Fribourg, Nidwalden—but some allow private providers
• Renters generally have no legal obligation to hold building insurance.

2. Household Contents Insurance (Hausratversicherung)

• Optional but highly recommended for both renters and homeowners.
• Covers belongings such as furniture, electronics, clothing, and valuables against fire, theft, water damage, vandalism, and sometimes natural hazards

3. Third-Party Liability Insurance (Haftpflichtversicherung)

• Often bundled with contents insurance.
• Covers personal liability (e.g. accidental damage to others’ property or injury claims), crucial given Swiss law’s strict liability rules.

4. Optional Add‑Ons

• Earthquake coverage (rare and needs to be added separately)
• Glass breakage
• Theft outside the house
• Temporary accommodation coverage, etc.

📄 Regulatory & Legal Details

• Cantonal rules: Insurance requirements differ by canton. For example, in seven cantons like Ticino, Uri, Schwyz, etc., building insurance is not mandated but uptake still exceeds 90%.
• Insurers cannot cancel mandatory building policies arbitrarily—even amid increasing claims due to climate change
• Earthquake insurance remains a coverage gap, with only around 15% of buildings insured across Switzerland.

💵 Market Size & Trends (2025)

• The Swiss property insurance market (non-life insurance for buildings, contents, liability, etc.) is projected to reach about US $5.27 billion in gross written premiums in 2025, representing ~US $592 per person. Growth is expected at approximately 4% annually from 2025 to 2029.()
• Consumers increasingly demand modular and digital insurance offerings, with flexibility and transparent coverage—driven by rising natural hazard awareness and technology adoption.

💰 Sample Premiums & Leading Providers (2025)

According to recent pricing guides, example annual premiums in Swiss francs:

• Providers: Key names include Helvetia, Zurich Insurance, AXA, Generali, Mobiliar, Bâloise, and CSS. These often offer combined household + liability packages.

⚖ Community Insights

• Some new homeowners report confusion when building insurance policies get automatically transferred without notification. This has led to premium charges if not rejected in time—and legal advice is often sought.(Reddit)
• For renters, community recommendations frequently favor major insurers like AXA and Helvetia, with comparisons via platforms like Comparis.ch helpful for price—but less so for service quality.

🔍 Summary

• ✅ Building insurance: Mandatory for homeowners in most cantons.
• 🛋️ Contents insurance: Optional but valuable for both renters and owners.
• 🛡️ Liability insurance: Strongly encouraged with many claims possible under Swiss law.
• 💳 Typical household premiums in Switzerland range roughly between CHF 150–250/year, with liability coverage adding CHF 200–400.
• 📈 The Swiss property insurance market (non‑life) is expected at US $5.27 billion in 2025, with ~4% growth ahead.
• ⚠️ Areas needing improvement include increased earthquake coverage and more transparent policy transfer practices.

✅ Practical Advice

1. Check your canton’s rules: Some make building insurance mandatory, others flexible.
2. Assess your needs: Fix an accurate inventory of contents to avoid underinsurance.
3. Compare providers: Use tools like Comparis.ch for price, but also seek reviews or broker feedback about service quality.
4. Read fine print: Especially about automatic policy transfers, cancellation window, and premium changes.
5. Bundle smartly: Household + liability packages often provide better value than separate policies.