Liability and household insurance as a subtenant in Switzerland – what you actually need

As a subtenant in Switzerland, you are responsible for damage you cause to the rental property or third-party property. This follows from Art. 259a OR (Swiss Code of Obligations) and is explicitly regulated in most sublease contracts.

What the Bovita sublease contract specifically requires (Section 16):

• Personal liability insurance is mandatory – you must take it out at your own expense
• Minimum coverage: CHF 1,000,000 (1 million francs)
• Rental property damage must be included – meaning damage to furniture, glass breakage, windows, doors, ceramics and building fixtures
• Third-party claims (neighbours, visitors) must also be covered
• Proof before move-in – without written insurance proof you cannot occupy the room
• Consequence without proof: The main tenant can refuse access or terminate the contract immediately

This isn't arbitrary – there's a logical reason: The main tenant (Bovita) is jointly and severally liable to the property owner for all damage caused by subtenants. Without your insurance, Bovita bears the cost – and they won't take that risk.

Practical tip: Take out the insurance as soon as you've signed the sublease contract. Most providers issue the confirmation digitally straight away – you can forward it directly by email to Bovita.

The biggest pitfall: Not every liability insurance automatically covers rental property damage. Many standard policies exclude damage to the rented property or offer only limited additional coverage.

What exactly is rental property damage?

• Glass breakage (broken window, shower cabin, ceramic hob) – typical costs: CHF 300–2,000
• Sanitary damage (damaged ceramics, blocked drain with consequential damage) – typical costs: CHF 500–3,000
• Floor damage (scratches on parquet, burn marks, water damage to laminate) – typical costs: CHF 1,000–5,000
• Doors and locks (damaged room door, defective lock) – typical costs: CHF 200–1,500
• Furniture (damaged desk, broken bed, stains on mattress) – typical costs: CHF 100–2,000
• Walls (excessive drill holes, paint damage, moisture damage) – typical costs: CHF 500–3,000

In a furnished shared flat like Bovita, this is particularly relevant: You're not just using the building fabric but also the bed, desk, wardrobe, kitchen appliances and communal facilities. All of this falls under rental property damage.

What to look for when taking out insurance:

• Rental property damage explicitly included – not just as an option but firmly in the policy
• Coverage for rental property damage: At least CHF 50,000, better CHF 100,000 (standard with most Swiss providers)
• Glass breakage add-on: Separate with some providers – contractually required by Bovita
• No excessive deductible: CHF 0–200 is common, more than CHF 500 is disadvantageous

The Bovita sublease contract states it clearly (Section 16): The main tenant assumes no liability for the subtenant's personal belongings. You are responsible for insuring or protecting your property against theft, fire, water damage and similar risks yourself.

This means: If your laptop is stolen, your clothes destroyed in a water damage incident or your room damaged by fire – you bear 100% of the loss yourself. Neither Bovita nor the property owner will replace anything.

What household insurance covers:

• Fire: Fire, explosion, lightning strike
• Water: Plumbing water, flooding, backflow
• Burglary: Breaking locks, climbing through windows
• Simple theft: Depending on the policy, also theft without break-in (e.g. from communal areas)
• Natural hazards: Storm, hail, landslide

Typical value of household contents in a shared room:

Many subtenants underestimate the value of their belongings. Add it up: laptop (CHF 1,000–2,000), smartphone (CHF 500–1,200), clothing (CHF 2,000–5,000), shoes, books, headphones, sports equipment, personal documents. A realistic total value is CHF 10,000 to 30,000 – even in a furnished room.

Sum insured: For a shared room, CHF 15,000–30,000 is usually sufficient. That's the cheapest category with all Swiss providers.

Important for shared flats: In a shared flat, each resident has their own household insurance. Your flatmates' policies don't cover your belongings – and vice versa.

Switzerland has numerous insurance providers. For subtenants and young professionals, these are the most relevant:

Combined policies (liability + household) – price comparison for single person:

• Smile (Helvetia subsidiary) – from approx. CHF 120/year, rental damage included, fully digital, cheapest online provider
• Dextra – from approx. CHF 130/year, rental damage included, fully digital, easy sign-up via app
• Baloise – from approx. CHF 150/year, rental damage included, online sign-up possible, good customer service
• Helvetia – from approx. CHF 160/year, rental damage included, online and personal advice, Bovita's deposit partner
• AXA – from approx. CHF 170/year, rental damage included, online sign-up possible, broad coverage
• Zurich – from approx. CHF 175/year, rental damage included, online sign-up possible, internationally recognised
• Mobiliar – from approx. CHF 180/year, rental damage included, partly online, Swiss traditional insurer

Prices are guide values for single persons (as of 2025). Actual premiums depend on location, sum insured and deductible. Always compare on comparis.ch or moneyland.ch.

Pure liability only (without household):

If you only want to meet the contractual requirement, you can get pure personal liability from about CHF 60–100 per year. But: the difference to a combined policy is so small (CHF 30–50 surcharge) that a pure liability policy barely makes sense.

Recommendation: Take out a combined policy straight away. The additional cost for household insurance is often only CHF 3–4 per month – and you're fully protected.

Step 1: Check requirements

• Read your sublease contract – what exactly is required?
• At Bovita: Personal liability with min. CHF 1M coverage, rental property damage included
• Note the deadline: Proof must be submitted BEFORE move-in

Step 2: Compare providers

• Use comparis.ch or moneyland.ch for price comparison
• Pay attention to: Coverage amount, rental property damage, glass breakage, deductible
• Online sign-up is possible with almost all providers

Step 3: Take out the policy

• Choose a combined policy (liability + household) – best value for money
• Liability coverage: CHF 5 million (standard with most providers, more than enough)
• Household coverage: CHF 15,000–30,000 (sufficient for a shared room)
• Deductible: CHF 0–200 (higher deductible saves very little premium)

Step 4: Send proof to landlord

• Download insurance confirmation as PDF
• Send by email to the main tenant (at Bovita: info@bovita.ch)
• Storage: Save the policy digitally and in paper form

Step 5: Review annually

• Check once a year whether your household value is still accurate
• Compare prices – switching is possible annually
• Cancel old policies on time (usually 3 months before expiry)

Important for expats: Your liability insurance from Germany, Austria or another country usually does not apply permanently in Switzerland. Most EU liability policies only cover temporary stays abroad – not a permanent residence. Take out a Swiss policy.

In a shared flat there are special liability situations you should know about:

Situation 1: You damage something in the communal area

Example: You drop a pan on the kitchen floor and the ceramic hob shatters. Your liability insurance pays. It's rental property damage that you caused.

Situation 2: Your visitor damages something

Example: Your friend trips and tears the curtain including the bracket off the wall. Your liability insurance pays. According to the Bovita contract (Sections 9 and 16), you are liable for damage caused by your guests.

Situation 3: Nobody knows who caused the damage

Example: The washbasin in the communal bathroom has suddenly cracked. Proportional cost sharing among all subtenants (Section 18 of the Bovita contract). If no insurance applies, costs are shared equally.

Situation 4: A flatmate damages your belongings

Example: A flatmate spills coffee over your laptop in the living room. The flatmate's liability insurance pays (if they have one). If not, you must claim the damage through your household insurance or directly from the flatmate.

Situation 5: Water damage from above

Example: The apartment above has a burst pipe, your clothes in the wardrobe get wet. Your household insurance pays for your damaged belongings. The owner's building insurance only covers the building fabric.

In a shared flat, the insurance question is more complex than in a single apartment. That's exactly why Bovita requires proof before move-in – so it's clear who pays in the event of damage.

Here again all contractual requirements from the Bovita sublease contract (Section 16) at a glance:

Mandatory: Personal liability insurance

• Minimum coverage: CHF 1,000,000
• Rental property damage included (furniture, glass breakage, windows, doors, ceramics, building fixtures)
• Liability towards third parties (neighbours, visitors)
• Written proof before move-in
• Without proof: Access refusal or immediate termination possible

Recommended: Household insurance

• Not contractually required but strongly recommended
• Bovita is not liable for personal belongings
• Protection against theft, fire, water, natural hazards
• Sum insured: CHF 15,000–30,000 (depending on personal possessions)

How to send proof to Bovita:

1. Take out the insurance (online in about 10 minutes)
2. Download the insurance confirmation as PDF
3. Send it by email to info@bovita.ch
4. Keep a copy for your records

If you have questions about insurance, the Bovita team is happy to help. If you also want to arrange your deposit via deposit insurance, we recommend our partner ProCare (Helvetia Insurance) – so you can take care of both at once.