Cancel insurance in Germany: notice, email and examples
Cancel German contents or liability insurance: the insurance year, notice period, email in Textform and special cancellation after a premium rise or claim.
Quick answer
You can usually cancel German household contents (Hausrat) or personal liability (Privathaftpflicht) insurance at the end of the insurance year, with the notice period in your policy, often three months. Email or the customer portal is usually enough: in consumer contracts concluded from 1 October 2016, standard terms cannot require more than text form (Textform). A premium increase without better cover, or a claim, can give you a special right to cancel within one month. Your cancellation must reach the insurer in time. Arrange new cover before the old policy ends.
| Who it’s for | Policyholders cancelling contents or personal liability insurance in Germany |
| Ordinary notice | At the end of the insurance year, as set in the policy (one to three months; often three) |
| Contracts over 3 years | Can be cancelled at the end of year three or later, with three months’ notice (§ 11 VVG) |
| Form | Text form is usually enough: email, customer portal or letter |
| Special rights | Within one month of a premium increase notice (§ 40 VVG) or after a claim (§ 92 or § 111 VVG) |
| Common mistakes | Assuming the calendar year, monthly instalments mistaken for monthly notice, a gap in cover |
This guide is for policyholders cancelling household contents insurance (Hausratversicherung) or personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflichtversicherung) in Germany. Cancelling (Kündigung) ends your cover; withdrawing from a new contract (Widerruf) and revoking a payment mandate are different steps. Health, life, pension and compulsory motor insurance have their own rules, so do not use these examples unchanged for them. For phone, internet and gym contracts, see our guide to cancelling a contract in Germany.
Check the insurance year and notice period
Find your policy (Versicherungsschein), the terms, the expiry date and the renewal clause. The insurance year often starts on the date you took out the policy, not on 1 January. § 11 VVG sets the framework: for a contract that renews automatically, the notice period must be between one and three months, and three months is common for these products. A contract with a term of more than three years can be cancelled at the end of the third or any later year with three months’ notice (§ 11(4) VVG). Paying the premium monthly does not mean you can cancel monthly. Arrange replacement cover before the old policy ends, especially for liability insurance.
Email, customer portal or letter?
Text form allows an email without a handwritten signature. In consumer contracts concluded from 1 October 2016, standard terms generally cannot require a stricter form (§ 309 No. 13 BGB); for older contracts, check the terms. Use the address or portal the insurer specifies, and save both your cancellation and the confirmation. Insurance is a financial service, so the mandatory online cancellation button under § 312k BGB does not apply, and a missing button does not give you a right to cancel without notice. If the insurer offers an online cancellation anyway, you can use it.
Ordinary cancellation: German example
Include the policyholder’s name and address and the policy number (Versicherungsscheinnummer). Replace every placeholder and check the end date you name. The fallback wording “hilfsweise zum nächstmöglichen zulässigen Termin” makes the cancellation effective at the next permitted date if your date is wrong; it does not create a right to leave immediately. Add the insurer’s address and the date if you send a letter.
Ordentliche Kündigung meiner Versicherung — [Versicherungsscheinnummer]
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
hiermit kündige ich meine [Versicherungsart], Versicherungsscheinnummer [Nummer], ordentlich zum [geprüftes Vertragsende], hilfsweise zum nächstmöglichen zulässigen Termin.
Bitte bestätigen Sie mir den Eingang dieser Kündigung und das genaue Vertragsende in Textform.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen [Name und Anschrift]
Special cancellation after a premium increase
If the insurer raises the premium under an adjustment clause without a matching change in cover, § 40(1) VVG lets you cancel within one month of receiving its notice. The cancellation takes effect immediately, but no earlier than the date the increase would apply. § 40(2) VVG gives the same right if the insurer reduces cover without reducing the premium accordingly. Not every higher bill qualifies, so check the clause, the notice and the date you received it. This example deliberately contains no fallback ordinary cancellation.
Sonderkündigung wegen Beitragserhöhung — [Versicherungsscheinnummer]
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
Ihre Mitteilung vom [Datum] über die Beitragserhöhung ab [Datum] ist mir am [Zugangsdatum] zugegangen. Die Erhöhung erfolgt aufgrund einer Anpassungsklausel, ohne dass sich der Umfang des Versicherungsschutzes entsprechend ändert.
Deshalb kündige ich den oben genannten Vertrag gemäß § 40 Abs. 1 VVG mit sofortiger Wirkung, frühestens jedoch zum Zeitpunkt des Wirksamwerdens der Erhöhung.
Bitte bestätigen Sie mir den Eingang und das genaue Vertragsende in Textform.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen [Name und Anschrift]
Cancellation after a claim
For property insurance such as contents cover, § 92 VVG lets either side cancel within one month after the negotiations on compensation have ended, not from the date of the damage. Liability insurance has its own triggers in § 111 VVG: the insurer accepting or wrongly refusing your claim to cover, or a final judgment in a lawsuit it told you to let proceed. Do not apply § 92 VVG to personal liability insurance, and do not assume that any refusal is enough. Keep the claim correspondence and get advice if the trigger or deadline is disputed.
Send the cancellation and confirm the end date
Your cancellation must reach the insurer before the deadline; posting it in time is not enough. If you use MaisonMail, upload your final PDF or write the letter, check the insurer’s cancellation address and allow time for printing and delivery. Available services and the price appear before payment. Keep the exact letter and any delivery evidence; tracking shows that an item arrived, not what it contained. Ask for confirmation of the end date and check the final premium statement. Stopping SEPA payments does not cancel the policy or remove amounts still due.
Official sources
References used and links to the rules currently in force.
- § 11 VVG — Verlängerung, KündigungGesetze im Internet
- § 40 VVG — Kündigung bei PrämienerhöhungGesetze im Internet
- § 92 VVG — Kündigung nach Versicherungsfall (Sachversicherung)Gesetze im Internet
- § 111 VVG — Kündigung nach Versicherungsfall (Haftpflicht)Gesetze im Internet
- § 312k BGB — Ausnahme für FinanzdienstleistungenGesetze im Internet
- § 309 Nr. 13 BGB — Form von Anzeigen und ErklärungenGesetze im Internet
- Versicherungsvertrag kündigen: Wann das klappt und wie Sie vorgehenVerbraucherzentrale
- Kündigung per E-Mail: Darauf sollten Sie achtenVerbraucherzentrale
Information current as of the last verification date. This guide is informational and is not legal advice — for a complex situation, consult a qualified professional.
Frequently asked questions
When can I cancel contents or liability insurance?
Usually at the end of the insurance year, with the notice period set in your policy, often three months. The insurance year does not have to match the calendar year. A contract with a term of more than three years can be cancelled at the end of the third or any later year with three months’ notice (§ 11(4) VVG).
Can I cancel insurance by email?
Usually yes. In consumer contracts concluded from 1 October 2016, standard terms cannot require more than text form (Textform), so an email or the insurer’s customer portal is enough. Keep the message you sent and ask for confirmation of the end date.
Can I cancel after a premium increase?
If the insurer raises the premium under an adjustment clause without a matching change in cover, you can cancel within one month of receiving the notice. The cancellation takes effect immediately, but no earlier than the increase (§ 40 VVG). Not every higher bill qualifies, so check the insurer’s letter.
Can I cancel after a claim?
Often yes. For contents insurance, either side can cancel within one month after the negotiations on compensation have ended (§ 92 VVG). For liability insurance, the month runs from the insurer accepting or wrongly refusing cover, or from a final judgment in a lawsuit it told you to let proceed (§ 111 VVG).
Related guides
- Cancel a contract in Germany: phone, internet and gymCancel a phone, internet or gym contract in Germany: notice after the minimum term, the online cancellation button, email in Textform and German examples.
- Resign from a job in Germany: notice and signed letterResign from a job in Germany: the four-week notice period, probation, fixed-term contracts, the hand-signed original and the Sperrzeit risk. German example.
- Object to a German Bescheid: Widerspruch deadline and formObject to a decision from a German Jobcenter, health insurer or other authority: one-month deadline, the four-day rule, accepted channels and German examples.
Ready to send your letter?
Upload your completed letter or write it online. Check available services and the final price before payment.