Are homes in Switzerland insured against floods and landslides?
Switzerland’s recent flooding and landslides have many international residents questioning if their home insurance covers them against such damage. Here's how that works.
The good news is that yes, thanks to Switzerland's federal law on the supervision of insurance companies, landslides and flooding damage are covered under the category of Elementarschäden or ‘elemental damage”.
Who pays for the damage is determined by what is damaged.
The two types of home insurance
Damage to the contents of your home, such as appliances, furniture and decor is covered by home contents insurance - in Hausratversicherung in German and Assurance de contenu in French.
Home contents insurance is not mandatory in Switzerland apart from in four cantons.
Nidwalden, Vaud, Freiburg and Jura require homeowners to take out home contents insurance.
READ MORE: Should you insure your Swiss home against earthquakes?
A brief survey of the country's largest providers reveals that you can expect to pay 150 to 300 Swiss francs a year, depending on the kinds of premiums you choose.
Damage to your home itself, such as walls, ceilings and windows is covered by building insurance - Gebäudeversicherung in German or Assurance bâtiment in French.
Unlike home contents insurance, building insurance is mandatory across most of Switzerland for those who own their own home.
In most cantons, homeowners need to take out building insurance with the cantonal building insurer - you can find a list here.
Uri, Schwyz and Obwalden also require owners to insure buildings, but they are free to choose their provider.
Only Geneva, Ticino, Appenzell Inner Rhodes and Valais do not require building insurance.
It must also be noted, however, that every canton has a property value under which insurance is not mandatory and it’s worth checking with your local authorities.
You can expect to pay 300 to 1000 Swiss francs a year for building insurance, based on a quick sample of the largest providers, but again, this will vary considerably depending on the size of your home and any premiums you choose.
Big risks, big business
Insurance is big business in Switzerland - projected to reach 26 billion Swiss francs in gross held premiums this year, according to Statista.
That’s fair enough, considering the Alpine nation’s vulnerability to such events as flooding, landslides, avalanches and other natural disasters.
The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) estimates that natural disasters have cost 306 million francs per year since 1972 and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research put the damage caused in 2023 by storms - including landslides and flooding - at 75 million francs.
With these figures in mind, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Have you got advice for other readers when it comes to home insurance in Switzerland? Let us know in the comments section below.
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The good news is that yes, thanks to Switzerland's federal law on the supervision of insurance companies, landslides and flooding damage are covered under the category of Elementarschäden or ‘elemental damage”.
Who pays for the damage is determined by what is damaged.
The two types of home insurance
Damage to the contents of your home, such as appliances, furniture and decor is covered by home contents insurance - in Hausratversicherung in German and Assurance de contenu in French.
Home contents insurance is not mandatory in Switzerland apart from in four cantons.
Nidwalden, Vaud, Freiburg and Jura require homeowners to take out home contents insurance.
READ MORE: Should you insure your Swiss home against earthquakes?
A brief survey of the country's largest providers reveals that you can expect to pay 150 to 300 Swiss francs a year, depending on the kinds of premiums you choose.
Damage to your home itself, such as walls, ceilings and windows is covered by building insurance - Gebäudeversicherung in German or Assurance bâtiment in French.
Unlike home contents insurance, building insurance is mandatory across most of Switzerland for those who own their own home.
In most cantons, homeowners need to take out building insurance with the cantonal building insurer - you can find a list here.
Uri, Schwyz and Obwalden also require owners to insure buildings, but they are free to choose their provider.
Only Geneva, Ticino, Appenzell Inner Rhodes and Valais do not require building insurance.
It must also be noted, however, that every canton has a property value under which insurance is not mandatory and it’s worth checking with your local authorities.
You can expect to pay 300 to 1000 Swiss francs a year for building insurance, based on a quick sample of the largest providers, but again, this will vary considerably depending on the size of your home and any premiums you choose.
Big risks, big business
Insurance is big business in Switzerland - projected to reach 26 billion Swiss francs in gross held premiums this year, according to Statista.
That’s fair enough, considering the Alpine nation’s vulnerability to such events as flooding, landslides, avalanches and other natural disasters.
The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) estimates that natural disasters have cost 306 million francs per year since 1972 and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research put the damage caused in 2023 by storms - including landslides and flooding - at 75 million francs.
With these figures in mind, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Have you got advice for other readers when it comes to home insurance in Switzerland? Let us know in the comments section below.
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