Household contents and private liability insurance when you move

What the two policies cover

• Household contents insurance covers your movable property against fire, water, theft and natural hazards
• Private liability insurance covers damage you cause to others, including damage to the flat you rent
• Both apply to the insured address; during a move, cover for the two flats usually overlaps for a limited period
• The sum insured follows the value of your contents and not the rent

In some cantons building insurance is compulsory

Cantonal building insurers cover whoever owns the building, not the tenant’s contents; the two are often confused. For tenants, contents remain a matter for their own policy. When you move, check three things: the new address, the floor area and the sum insured. Setting the sum too low leaves you under-insured, and a claim is then cut back proportionally.

Report the move before the day rather than after it. Damage during transport is often covered by contents insurance only where a removal firm was engaged, and conditions vary a good deal from policy to policy.