Contents Insurance

What is contents insurance, and what is considered as contents?

Contents insurance protects your belongings in the event of incidents such as house fires, burglaries and water damage. Imagine that your house or apartment is a doll's house and you turn it upside down. Everything that has now fallen out of it definitely  comes under contents - including the bike in the basement, the ski equipment in the garage and the luggage set in the attic. The sum insured that you choose should enable you to purchase the entire contents of the moving truck brand new.

What is the value of my contents?

Is your furniture brand-new or has it been through the wars? This is of no importance for the sum insured for contents insurance. The decisive factor is not the current value, but the replacement value. To determine the sum insured, you should consider the price at which you could purchase the contents brand new.

How do I calculate the sum insured?

The sum insured corresponds to the total value of your home contents. But can anybody tell you the value you of their home contents at the drop of a hat? This is why you shouldn't just blindly rely on the standard values given by the online calculator. Because the tool doesn't know that you have a valuable mountain bike, 2,000 books or an expensive sound system. 

But be careful. If you set the sum too low, you run the risk that the insurance will only cover part of the damage if worst comes to worst. If you are unsure, we recommend that you go through the apartment with a notepad and compile all the values.

I live with roommates. Do we need one insurance policy or several?

In principle, all roommates can be covered by a joint contents insurance policy. This also applies to personal liability insurance. However, we recommend an individual insurance policy for each person. This will prevent someone from suddenly being left without insurance coverage after moving out. 

What deductible do I have to pay in the event of a loss?

The deductible for an event is usually CHF 200. But Zurich rewards cautious customers: Your deductible is automatically and completely waived after just three claims-free years. You might be glad of that someday. Should you suffer a mishap, at least it will cost you nothing.

Is my bike insured against theft?

Yes, if theft insurance was selected as part of contents insurance, the claim will be covered. For theft outside, e.g. during the holidays, the additional cover "simple theft outside" or "super theft" is required.

Is cash insured as part of contents insurance?

Yes, cash is insured up to a maximum of CHF 5,000, in the event of a fire or break-in, for example. However, in the case of a confidence trick, such as theft of your wallet in a restaurant for example, the cash is not insured.

Can I get better protection for my cellphone?

You can take out additional insurance coverage for "Simple theft outside the home." Because not only can your cellphone be stolen; it could be dropped, hit, drowned in coffee or left out in the rain. The additional module "Accidental damage to electrical equipment" is there for just such damage, whether it was inflicted by you or someone else. In contrast to basic cellphone insurance, your tablet, TV and gaming PC are also protected – in each case with a deductible of at least CHF 200.

How can I protect my luggage?

At Zurich, you can protect your luggage with additional "Super theft" coverage, the improved version of "Simple theft outside the home." Alongside loss or damage resulting from theft outside of the home (e.g. theft of a bicycle), "super theft" provides cover for damage to or loss of luggage for distances of more than 50 km away from your fixed residence or in the event of at least one overnight stay away from home. In addition, the agreed upon sum insured is automatically doubled in such cases.

Do I need ski insurance in addition to contents insurance?

No, it is far more advantageous, and as a rule cheaper, to add the additional cover "simple theft outside" and "accidental damage to sports equipment" or "accidental damage to contents" to your contents insurance With the latter additional cover option, it is not only your skis that are insured against breakage, but damage to all your sports equipment and household objects too.

Are the costs of a locksmith included in contents insurance?

With the additional cover option "home care", Zurich will pay the costs of a locksmith in the event of you losing or damaging your keys or if an insured person has locked themselves out of the home.