Cost of Mandatory House Insurance in Switzerland

Hi Moneyland team. From what I understand, homeowners insurance against fires and similar hazards is mandatory in Switzerland. How much could I expect to pay for this insurance if I were to buy my own house?

Hi there,

Each canton has its own laws governing buildings insurance. Whether or not buildings insurance is mandatory depends on which canton your home is located in. The moneyland.ch guide to compulsory buildings insurance explains which cantons require buildings to be insured and which ones do not.

Buildings insurance is compulsory in 22 cantons. 19 cantons operate cantonal buildings insurance monopolies. In these cantons, all buildings must be insured by the cantonal buildings insurance provider. The premiums vary between cantons. We have listed the current annual premiums charged by a number of cantonal buildings insurance monopolies to give you an idea of what you can expect to pay:

Canton of Lucerne. Concrete/brick structure: 40 centimes insurance premium plus 15 centimes hazard prevention contribution per CHF 1000 of property value. Non-concrete/brick structure (i.e. wooden structure): 55 centimes insurance premium plus 15 centimes hazard prevention contribution per CHF 1000 of property value.

Canton of Zug. 60 centimes per CHF 1000 of property value.

Canton of Glarus. Concrete/brick structure: 35 centimes insurance premium per CHF 1000 of property value. Non-concrete/brick structure (i.e. wooden structure): 45 centimes insurance premium per CHF 1000 of property value.

Canton of Thurgau. 22 centimes insurance premium plus 12 centimes hazard prevention contribution per CHF 1000 of property value.

Canton of Zurich: 32 centimes insurance premium per CHF 1000 of property value.

Canton of Nidwalden: 45 centimes insurance premium plus 20 centimes hazard prevention contribution per CHF 1000 of property value. Minimum CHF 20 per annum.

Canton of Solothurn: 27 centimes insurance premium plus 18 centimes hazard prevention contribution per CHF 1000 of property value.

This is not a complete list. Other cantons which have compulsory cantonal buildings insurance monopolies include Schaffhausen, Bern, Grisons, St.Gallen, Basel Stadt, Basel Landschaft, Jura, Neuchâtel, Vaud, Appenzell Auserrhoden, Aargau and Fribourg.

Premiums are subject to change on an annual basis.