When buying a house in Germany you will find an older buildings insurance policy in the property folder. You want to know whether it continues, whether you can change it and who informs the insurer. The correct procedure starts with the existing contract and the actual acquisition dates. A newly signed purchase contract and a handover of the keys do not automatically answer every insurance law question.
Examine the existing cover in full
Our practical recommendation is not to simply adopt the last premium invoice. Ask for the policy, terms and conditions, endorsements, current payment status and known open claims. Precisely assign the insured object and the scope: which building, which outbuildings and which specifically agreed perils are covered? A product name is not a complete description of cover.
Compare the recorded condition with your actual plans. Will the house remain occupied, will it initially stand empty or do you plan major works? Such questions are discussed specifically with the insurer or qualified advice. This article does not confirm the cover of an individual contract nor a safe technical procedure for construction work.
Statutory entry is not a new product choice
§ 95 paragraph 1 VVG governs, on sale of the insured item, the entry of the purchaser into the rights and obligations of the insurance that arise during his ownership. Paragraph 2 concerns joint liability for the premium for the insurance period running at the time of entry; under paragraph 3 the insurer must only recognise the entry against himself once he has knowledge of it. [EINTRITT]
Therefore clarify which date in your acquisition process is decisive for which step. Do not simply equate contract signature, economic transfer and change of ownership. The contracting body and the insurer may require different evidence for this. Your own timeline should make these differences visible, instead of letting them disappear into a single handover day.
Who actually notifies the disposal?
Under § 97 VVG the disposal must be notified without delay by the disposing or acquiring party. The provision contains possible consequences for benefits and exceptions in the event of failure to notify. [ANZEIGE] From this it does not follow that every forgotten message immediately terminates any cover nor that there is an all-clear that the notification is unimportant.
Agree who will take it on, which documents go with it and how receipt will be evidenced. A planned task is not yet a sent notification. Have the processed status and remaining queries confirmed in a traceable way. Mention changes in actual use separately so that they do not disappear behind a mere change of name.
Plan special cancellation rights correctly
§ 96 VVG gives the purchaser a right of cancellation with immediate effect or at the end of the current insurance period. The provision specifies a one-month exercise period after acquisition or, if there was no knowledge of the contract, from the time knowledge is obtained. The insurer also has a special right of cancellation with its own deadlines. [KUENDIGUNG]
Do not initiate a cancellation merely because a special right exists. First check the desired new cover, actual acceptance, commencement and any outstanding conditions. A non-binding tariff indication is not the same as an effectively arranged successor contract. If the time window is tight you need rapid clarification; an unsecured personal deadline calculation is not a reliable basis for this.
§ 96 paragraph 3 contains for the cancellation there a special premium consequence: the disposing party remains liable to pay the premium while the purchaser’s liability for it ceases. [KUENDIGUNG] A private contractual provision in the purchase contract on cost allocation is read alongside this on its own basis. Do not equate an internally agreed reimbursement with the insurer’s statutory claim.
A hypothetical transition without premature cancellation
A family buys a previously occupied house but only wants to move in after extensive works. They receive a current policy and do not cancel immediately. They first clarify the decisive acquisition status, the disposal notification and the planned period of use. For an alternative offer they have the commencement, scope and acceptance conditions set out in a traceable way.
Only with this status do they decide whether to keep or change. An appointment is not marked as completed as long as there is only an enquiry instead of a confirmed arrangement. The example does not guarantee an insurance solution for a particular house. It shows the sensible procedure: understand the existing contract, handle statutory transition and notification, check desired cover and only then make a deliberate contractual decision.