Home › Private insurance › Buildings insurance
Protect your biggest investment — comprehensive insurance for your house or owner-occupied flat in Austria.
Buildings insurance protects the building itself, i.e. the structure of your house or owner-occupied flat. It covers damage caused by fire, storm, escaping water and many other hazards. While home contents insurance protects movable property, buildings insurance protects the fixed parts such as walls, roof, floors and permanently installed fittings.
Your home is probably the biggest financial investment of your life. Damage to the building can quickly cause costs that threaten your livelihood:
Cover for fire, explosion and lightning strike — including clean-up and demolition costs.
Cover for burst pipes, frost damage and water escaping from pipes and fittings.
Cover for damage caused by storm and hail to the roof, façade and surroundings of the house.
Extended cover for flooding, inundation, landslides, rockfall and snow load.
Cover for permanently installed glazing such as windows, conservatories and balcony glazing.
Cover for damage to third parties caused by the building (e.g. falling roof tiles).
If the sum insured is lower than the actual rebuilding value of your house, the insurer will only pay a proportionate share even for partial damage (§ 56 VersVG).
Example: rebuilding your house would cost €400,000 today, but only €300,000 is insured — i.e. 75%. Storm damage to the roof of €20,000 will then only be covered up to €15,000; you pay €5,000 yourself.
A common cause: the sum was set when the house was built and has not been adjusted to rising construction costs since. Many tariffs offer ongoing indexation or a waiver of the underinsurance deduction (Unterversicherungsverzicht) if the sum was based on floor area and standard of finish. We will gladly check whether your sum insured is still up to date.
Simplified example calculation with sample values — not a substitute for an individual offer.
Switching pays off when your buildings insurance no longer reflects the current value of the building or comparable cover is available for considerably less. The following rules apply:
Before every cancellation we check that the new contract starts without a gap in cover and, if you wish, we handle the switch for you.
Legal basis: Austrian Insurance Contract Act (VersVG), as of October 2026.
Buildings insurance is essential for anyone who owns property:
No, it is not compulsory by law. If you take out a loan, however, the bank will usually require suitable buildings insurance as security.
Buildings insurance protects the building itself (walls, roof, permanently installed parts), while home contents insurance protects the movable contents inside. The two complement each other and are often combined.
Outbuildings such as a garage, carport or garden shed can usually be co-insured — what matters is that they are correctly declared when taking out the policy.
Escape-of-water damage, including the cost of opening up and restoring the wall, is usually part of buildings insurance — the exact scope depends on the tariff.
It is worth reporting major conversions or extensions, as they can affect the rebuilding value and therefore the sum insured.
Content reviewed by: Agnieszka Valenta, insurance broker · As of October 2026
New build, purchase or renovation: we check whether the sum insured matches today’s rebuilding value and whether natural hazards are sufficiently covered.
Personal advice in Breitenwaida – for clients from the Hollabrunn district, the whole Weinviertel region, as well as Vienna and Burgenland. We advise in English, German, Polish, Serbian and Bosnian.
