1. Which insurance pays for what?

There are three typical candidates in water damage cases:

1. Home insurance

2. Home contents insurance

3. Personal liability insurance

And they all cover different things:

Home insurance

It covers damage to the building itself , i.e., everything that is permanently installed:

• Floor coverings (laminate, parquet)

• walls

• Cover

• Pipes & conduits

• Doors & Windows

👉 Addressee: Landlord or owner

Home contents insurance

It pays for damage to movable property , i.e., your own property:

• Furniture

• Clothing

• Carpets

• electronics

• household appliances

👉 Addressee: You as the tenant (if applicable)

Personal liability insurance

Pays if you or someone else caused the water damage .

Typical example:

You connect the washing machine incorrectly → kitchen floods → residential building + household contents are damaged.

Then the liability insurance applies within the framework of its terms and conditions.

2. Who pays in which scenario? – the most important cases

Case A: Pipe burst in the wall

Cause: Pipe/installation → Building damage

• Building → Landlord's residential building insurance

• Furniture/Electronics → Tenant's household insurance

In short: landlord + you = separate issues

Case B: Tenant's washing machine leaks

This is where it gets interesting, because:

• Your washing machine → your fault?

  • Then your liability insurance (if the damage is caused to a third party).

  • Your own household contents → Home contents insurance

• Defective device through no fault of the user

  • Building: Residential building insurance

  • Household contents: Household insurance

Warning:
If you don't have liability insurance and are at fault, it can get really expensive – especially if you cause damage to neighbors.

Case C: Neighbor floods the apartment from above

Classic.

• Building: Residential building insurance Landlord

• Your household contents: your household insurance

• Perpetrator: possible liability recourse

Important:
You don't have to wait for your neighbor's insurance to respond. That can take months. Your own home contents insurance will pay out faster and then recoup the money.

Case D: Inflow or outflow of rainwater

Roof damaged? Balcony leaking?

• Not always automatically insured.

• Often only covered with elemental expansion

Many tenants don't even know if their landlord has basic insurance → A WhatsApp photo and policy check saves arguments .

3. What landlords have to pay – and what they don't

Landlords are required building damage , for example:

✔ Insulation
✔ Screed
✔ Floor coverings
✔ Walls & pipes

But:
Your sofa, your PS5, your clothes – that's not the landlord's business.

4. Typical mistakes that cost money

Things are about to get uncomfortable, so let's be honest and direct:

❌ Mistake 1: Swiping before taking photos

Hyper-popular – and bad.

Why?
Without photos, the opposing insurance company later says: "No damage can be proven."

❌ Mistake 2: Waiting for the landlord

Many people think:

"Ask the landlord first, then report."

Wrong → loss of time + risk.

❌ Error 3: Repair without release

If you repair without authorization, the insurance company may reduce or deny coverage .

❌ Mistake 4: Focusing solely on the cause

Responsible party + liability insurance = can take months.
Your own household insurance will report the damage and claim the money back .

5. Checklist: What you should do in the first 10 minutes

Here are the specific instructions so you don't mess anything up:

1. Stop the water supply (main valve / appliance off)

2. Take photos and videos
   → damage, cause, affected furniture, dampness, ceiling/wall

3. Inform affected parties
   → landlord + possibly neighbors

4. Document
   → Time, cause, witnesses

5. WhatsApp message with photos to Risk-BOT
   → "We sort insurance policies & responsibilities"

6. When do I have to report the damage?

Quite simply: immediately .

Insurance companies often argue with:

"Reported too late"
"Not clarified"
"Not documented"

We completely avoid that via WhatsApp.

7. When is it worth filing an objection?

If you read any of these statements in the rejection letter:

❗ “Not an insured event”
❗ “Contributory negligence”
❗ “Exclusion according to §…”
❗ “No signs of forced entry”
❗ “Damage was present beforehand”

…then in many cases it's worth getting a second opinion before you give up.

We review rejections without any fuss , without a hotline , without a form .

8. Conclusion – short & painless

The most common mistake in water damage cases is not the water itself – it is the incorrect expectation of responsibilities .

Note:

• Building = Landlord

• Household goods = you

• Liability = Guilt

• Elementary = optional

If you 're unsure , send photos → we'll sort it out.

➡️ Immediate help via WhatsApp

Water damage has occurred and your head is burning?

📸 Send us a photo – we'll tell you who pays , what you need to report, and what the deadlines are.

No hotline. No paperwork. No insurance jargon.