Personal liability insurance generally covers accidental damage to apartment walls, such as spills or scratches caused unintentionally. It does not cover normal wear and tear or cosmetic repairs like repainting or filling nail holes, which are usually the tenant's responsibility if specified in the lease. Tenants may be obligated to repaint only if their rental contract includes a valid cosmetic repair clause and the apartment was received freshly renovated. Landlords can charge for actual damage beyond normal wear and tear by deducting costs from deposits or invoicing tenants.
When does personal liability insurance cover wall damage when moving out?
Personal liability insurance covers accidental damage caused unintentionally to apartment walls, such as spills or damage from moving furniture requiring repairs.
What types of wall damage are not covered by personal liability insurance?
Personal liability insurance does not cover:
Normal wear and tear, including everyday marks like food stains or scuffs from furniture.
Cosmetic repairs such as repainting walls, touching up chipped paint, or filling screw and nail holes.
When am I required to repaint or make cosmetic repairs on my rental apartment walls?
You may be required to repaint or make cosmetic repairs if your lease contains a valid cosmetic repair (Schönheitsreparatur) clause and you received the apartment in a freshly renovated condition. Many older or overly broad clauses may be invalid under German tenancy law.
When am I not obligated to repaint or repair walls?
If your lease does not include a valid cosmetic repair clause, you are generally not required to repaint or repair walls showing normal wear and tear.
How can landlords charge for wall damage when I move out?
Landlords can charge tenants for actual accidental damage beyond normal wear and tear. They can:
Deduct repair costs from the tenant's security deposit, or
Send an invoice requesting reimbursement for repairs.
Tenants should request detailed invoices for repair costs and consider making insurance claims promptly if damage occurs.
Can you provide examples of when insurance applies to wall damage?
If accidental damage such as a deep scratch occurs, insurance can cover repair costs and assist with the landlord.
Normal scuff marks or cosmetic issues without a valid lease clause are tenant responsibilities and not covered by insurance.
Damage like drilled holes without a valid cosmetic repair clause generally cannot be charged to the tenant.
How can I clarify my repainting obligations or dispute landlord charges?
You can consult a Mieterverein (tenant advocacy group) or tenancy lawyers to check the validity of cosmetic repair clauses in your lease and dispute unjustified repair charges.
You can contact our support team for more assistance or additional resources.
Examples:
Max is moving out of his rental apartment and notices dark scuff marks on the wall from where his furniture had been placed. His rental contract has a valid Schönheitsreparatur clause.
In this case, he's obliged to repaint the apartment by his lease; however, his insurance won't cover the costs as the marks are normal wear and tear.
Leila drilled holes in the wall in her room to put up shelves. Her rental contract doesn't have a Schönheitsreparatur clause but her landlord wants to charge her for the repair.
In this case, the holes are considered normal wear and tear and not covered by insurance. As there is no obligation in her contract to repair these, her landlord shouldn't charge her for this. She can dispute these charges with her local Mieterverein (tenants advocacy group) or legal insurance.
Andrey carried his bike into his apartment and unintentionally made a deep scratch in the wall.
In this case, the damage goes beyond normal wear and tear. He can make a claim with his insurance and they can get in touch with his landlord to settle the claim on his behalf.