Insurance for a rented space in Switzerland: what covers what?

Good to know: this article is for information only. It is not legal, tax or insurance advice. What is covered depends on your policy, your insurer and your situation. Only your insurer can answer for your case. The sources are listed at the end of the article.

When a cellar, garage or workshop is rented out, two people ask themselves: “what if something happens?”. The owner thinks about their liability and their building. The renter thinks about their belongings and what they might damage. Each has their own insurance. None of it covers “the rental” as a whole.

We start with the two policies that come up all the time: personal liability and household contents insurance. Then we look at the question from the owner's side, and then from the renter's side.

Two policies not to mix up

Personal liability insurance (RC) and household contents insurance are often sold together. Yet they do very different jobs.

Does liability insurance cover someone else who gets hurt?

Yes. That is in fact its main purpose, and it often surprises people. If you cause damage to another person, you have to make it good. Liability insurance pays that cost for you.¹

So liability insurance does not protect you yourself. It pays what you owe someone else. That includes their injuries, damage to their belongings and the losses that follow. A typical example: a passer-by knocked over by your bike.¹

Two conditions apply, though:

• The damage affects someone else. Your own injuries and those of your household are not a matter for your liability insurance. Injuries are a matter for accident insurance.¹
• You are responsible. An accident on your premises is not enough. If your renter trips over their own boxes, nobody owes them compensation. Their medical care is a matter for their accident insurance: their employer's, or their health insurance fund (caisse-maladie / Krankenkasse) if they are not employed.² On the other hand, if they fall on a step you knew was broken, you may be held responsible. Your liability insurance is then involved.

Liability insurance also defends you against unjustified claims.¹ If someone claims damages from you for something you are not responsible for, your insurer deals with it.

Why renting out a space raises a question for your liability insurance

Personal liability insurance does not cover damage linked to a business activity.^{1, 4} Renting your garage to a neighbour is usually still a private matter. But it is your insurer who decides how to treat it. Some policies can, however, include a secondary business activity.⁴ So that is the first question to ask them.

Another important exclusion: foreseeable damage.¹ A loose step, a dead light bulb or a door that slams shut are known defects. Fix them before you hand over the keys.

Household contents insurance: everyone covers their own things

Household contents insurance covers your household's belongings: furniture, clothes, equipment. It pays out in particular for fire, natural hazards, water damage or theft by break-in.¹ It pays nothing to a third party.

In practice, the owner's household contents insurance is meant for the owner's belongings. The renter's is meant for theirs. So things stored in a rented cellar depend first on their owner's policy. You still need to check that this policy covers them away from home.

Where to start, depending on the situation

This table does not say who pays. That depends on the policies and the circumstances. It only shows which policy to ask first.

For owners: you are offering your space

Your goal: rent out without unpleasant surprises, and get the space back in good condition.

1. Check that you are allowed to rent it out

Are you a tenant of your flat yourself? Contact your property management company (régie / Verwaltung) first. Subletting must be reported to the landlord, who can refuse it in some cases. One example given: a room rented as a rehearsal room in a quiet house.³ In condominium ownership (PPE / StWE), ask the building's management about the building rules.

2. Ask your liability insurer two questions

• “I rent out [my garage / my cellar / my workshop] to a private individual for a monthly rent. Is this still covered by my personal liability insurance? Do I need to tell you about it?”
• “If the renter or someone close to them gets hurt and I may be responsible, what happens?”

3. Think about your belongings and the building

Are you leaving things in the space, like a bike or tools? Ask your household contents insurer whether access by a third party changes anything. For the building, contact your insurer or the condominium's management. In most cantons, building insurance is handled by a cantonal building insurer (ECA, ECAB, GVZ…).⁵

4. Fix what is foreseeable

Before you hand over the keys, fix known defects: lighting, steps, lock, damp. Anything you cannot fix, point out in writing. Take dated photos. They show the starting condition.

5. Ask the renter what cover they have

You can ask the renter whether they have personal liability insurance and household contents insurance. You can also make it a condition. Personal liability insurance is in fact often required to rent a flat.¹

For renters: you are renting someone's space

Your goal: protect your belongings, and be covered if you damage something.

1. Are your belongings insured away from home?

This is the main question. Your things will be at another address, in a space that is not yours. Other people sometimes have access to it. Ask your household contents insurer:

• “Are my belongings stored in a cellar or garage rented from a private individual covered? Up to what amount?”
• “Am I covered for theft if the space is shared, or if the owner has a key?”
• “Are water damage and damp covered in this type of space?”

Make a list of your important items, with photos and their value. It will help with your insurer and with the agreement with the owner.

2. If you cause damage

A leaking appliance, a piece of furniture that scratches a door, a botched manoeuvre: that is what your liability insurance is for. Ask whether it covers damage caused to a space rented from a private individual, and not just to your home. For a parking space, your vehicle has its own liability insurance, separate from personal liability insurance.¹

3. If you get hurt

Your medical care is a matter for your accident insurance. That is your employer's, or your health insurance fund if you are not employed.² The owner's liability insurance only comes in if they are responsible.

4. Stick to the intended use

Storing petrol, leaving a machine running or turning a storage unit into a workshop changes the risks. That is true for you as well as for the owner. Stick to the use stated in the listing. Ask before you change anything.

What you settle together: the written agreement

The insurers' answers are only useful if they appear in a written agreement. A simple document, signed by both parties, is enough. Putting it in writing is recommended even when it is not compulsory.³ The agreement should set out:

• the parties, the space, the price, the duration and the notice period;
• permitted and forbidden uses;
• the list of what is stored;
• access: how many keys, who has them, at what times;
• each person's insurance, if you made it a condition;
• the condition of the space, with dated photos at move-in and move-out;
• who tells whom if there is a problem, and how.

How it works on SpareSpot

SpareSpot is a Swiss platform for renting spaces between private individuals, available in four languages. It puts people in touch. It does not provide insurance. So the points above are settled between you, your insurers and the other party.

• Publishing a listing is free, with no commission.
• Conversations go through the built-in messaging. Each side can ask their questions before committing: use, contents, insurance.
• The exact address stays private until the owner accepts a request.
• Payment is arranged directly between the two parties.
• The message history keeps a record of what was agreed.

Do you have a space? Publish it from the owners' page. Looking for room? Browse the storage listings, for example in Zurich or Geneva. You can also read our guide to renting storage space from a private owner.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need special insurance to rent out my cellar or garage?

Not necessarily. It all depends on your current policies. The key question: does your personal liability insurance still treat the rental as part of your private life? Only your insurer can answer that.

Does my liability insurance pay if my renter gets hurt in my garage?

Only if you are responsible, for example because of a defect in the space. If nobody is responsible, their medical care is a matter for their own accident insurance.

Does my household contents insurance cover my renter's belongings?

Household contents insurance is meant for your household's belongings. The renter's things depend on their own policy. It is up to them to check that they are covered away from home.

I am a tenant of my flat myself. Can I rent out the cellar?

First ask your property management company whether your lease allows it, and on what terms. Then put your liability and household contents questions to your insurer.

Does SpareSpot insure rentals?

No. SpareSpot puts owners and renters in touch. The platform does not provide insurance and does not get involved in the relationship between the two parties.

Sources

Pages consulted in September 2026. They give general information. They do not replace your own general terms and conditions.

1. ch.ch, the official portal of the Confederation, cantons and communes: Personal liability insurance. What liability insurance covers, its exclusions, the difference from household contents insurance.
2. ch.ch: Accident insurance. Who is insured against accidents, through the employer or the health insurance fund.
3. ch.ch: Rental and leasing agreements. The rental contract and subletting.
4. Swiss Insurance Association (SIA): Model conditions, liability insurance. What personal liability insurance covers, and the case of business activity.
5. Association of Cantonal Building Insurers (VKG): List of cantonal building insurers (in German). The cantons where building insurance is handled by a public body.