One policy,
different coverage.
There is no law requiring you to insure your home. There is a contract with the bank, and the bank sizes the sum for its own sake.
"A 20,000 claim, a 20,000 payout."
That is how it is usually worked out, when the insured sum is below the real value of the home. The law only allows a full payout while the contract has no explicit underinsurance (proportional) clause.
If there is a proportional clause, the payout is reduced against the ratio between the insured sum and the actual value of the property, not against the size of the claim itself.
Over 30 days unsupervised.
Under the general terms of DZI, in force from January 1, 2026, events in an unoccupied, unsupervised home for over 30 days are not covered.
Example: a home left empty for 45 days over winter, a burst pipe, and a claim of 10,000 EUR. With a condition of over 30 days unsupervised, the payout is 0 EUR, whatever the size of the damage.
A 20,000 claim, two different contracts.
Example: a home worth 120,000 EUR, insured for 60,000 EUR, that is 50% of its value. On a claim of 20,000 EUR.
With no proportional clause in the contract, the insurer pays the full 20,000 EUR. With such a clause, the payout is calculated by the formula 20,000 x 60,000 / 120,000, that is 10,000 EUR.
Formula: claim x insured sum / actual value.
A clause outside the package.
Earthquake and landslide are usually not part of the standard "Property" package but a separate add on clause that has to be chosen and paid for explicitly.
For a home worth 120,000 EUR: an earthquake loss with no clause is 12,000 EUR, payout 0 EUR; a landslide loss in a landslide prone area with no clause is 30,000 EUR, payout also 0 EUR.
In both cases the payout is 0 EUR without an explicitly purchased add on clause.
Three years from the day of the event.
The limitation period on claims against the insurer is 3 years, and it runs from the day of the insured event, not from the day of the refusal to pay.
For notifying the insurer the law allows 7 working days, but DZI's general terms ask for a shorter window: up to 3 working days for most events, and just 24 hours for theft.
Open your policy in three places.
Find the insured sum, the proportional clause, and the earthquake clause. We tell you exactly what is covered, and up to what amount.
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