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It really doesn't take much – your child may break the window of the neighbour's house while playing football, or you may pour red wine on the snow-white carpet in a luxury hotel during a romantic weekend. Of course, these are not intentional actions, but someone has to pay for the damage. And in this case, you are the "perpetrator" or their legal guardian.
The costs can turn out to be unexpectedly high, as they do not only apply to damaged or dirty items. If sharp broken glass injures someone, you are responsible for it, and you have to pay for their medical expenses and possible loss of earnings. In such cases, you usually have to act immediately. If you have previously taken care of the proper liability insurance, you can rest easy – you will not have to pay for the damage out of our own pocket, and you will get extra protection against unjustified claims.
The sums in civil liability insurance in private life amount to many millions of francs – it is necessary because health impairment is counted in millions. This is why having this type of insurance is recommended to all people living in Switzerland, even if there is no statutory obligation to have it.
Public liability insurance for individuals covers any damage costs inflicted during trips abroad – the protection covers damages caused all over the world.
Essentially, the insurance for private individuals covers damage arising from everyday risks. This means that the insurance covers the costs of unintentional health impairment as well as destruction, damage or loss of belongings. People who live with you in the same household are also insured – regardless of their age and degree of kinship. If you have pets, the risks associated with their possession are also covered.
Any reckless movement can be painful for other people and expensive for us – treatment, compensation, loss of earnings can cost millions. You cannot turn back the time, but the public liability insurance for individuals ensures at least the availability of funds needed to cover the damage.
The above-mentioned broken glass in your neighbour’s house is the best example of property damage – public liability insurance for individuals covers damages caused by your unintentional actions or unintentional actions of people with whom you share a household.
Another case: you borrow your neighbour’s drill, and it stops working - it is usually impossible to determine whether you are responsible for this failure or the device has already been damaged. The fact is that the tool was quite expensive, and you don't want to spoil the relationship with our neighbour by discussing who should repair or replace the drill. The liability insurance will cover the costs of a new drill so that you don’t have to buy it with your own money.
Each of us play multiple roles – and there are many unpleasant situations that you will have to face when performing them. They may be associated with high costs and public liability insurance for individuals works in the following cases:
We have already mentioned the example of broken glass several times – but the protection is not limited to underage children. As long as the child lives with you, they are insured. It does not matter if we personally looked after the child – the insurance is valid even if they are temporarily under the care of their grandparents or your friends.
Advice for couples living in one flat: when you live together at one address, consider terminating one of your liability insurance contracts and extending the other.
No matter if you live in a rented flat or booked a hotel room for a summer holiday – if, for example, you damage the sink in the bathroom or scratch the parquet in the room, you have to pay for the repair or replacement. If you are insured, your liability insurance will cover these costs.
Imagine the following situation. It snowed in the morning, and you did not clear the pavement in front of your house. A few minutes after seven o’clock, someone fell right over there. If this person is injured, you are responsible for this, as you are the owner of the property in front of which the accident occurred. It is also an incident that is covered by primary coverage.
Your cat liked the wallpaper in the living room of the rented flat so much that they decided to use it as a scratching post, although they got one for Christmas? Regardless of the nature of the damage your pet causes, you do not have to pay for damages if you have your public liability insurance.
When you ride a bicycle (conventional or electric), scooter or motor bicycle, there is always a possibility that you can harm other people or damage their property. However, it is an everyday risk which is included in your primarily coverage.
As long as the annual income of your company does not exceed certain limits, the public liability insurance in private life is sufficient to cover the damage caused by an entrepreneur. If your income is higher than several hundred thousand or several million francs, additional professional insurance is required.
If you devote your free time to unpaid work for charity organisations or sports clubs, you are also subject to primary coverage.
Primary coverage offers a wide range of benefits, which can be extended with extra insurance.
Imagine that you borrow a car from a friend and scratch its door while parking. If your friend has not a full-coverage car insurance, all the costs may be covered by your non-owner car insurance. Importantly, this kind of insurance can be used even if your friend has a full-coverage car insurance –the damage will not affect their insurance discounts.
Careless handling of fire is gross negligence – if a candle lit during a romantic evening becomes the cause of a fire, you can sleep peacefully, only if you have purchased extra insurance. The same applies to the situation in which you cause an accident after you have forced the right-of-way on a bicycle.
The insurance can also cover damages caused by a rented horse or the risks of participating in hunting.
Public liability insurance for individuals covers various types of damage, however, some of them are excluded from coverage. This applies primarily to deliberate action – whoever destroys or damages property intentionally pays out of their own pocket. Another important case is the damage caused to your property or to people who are insured with you – no matter if they are your family members or other people living with you. Favours between friends are also not covered by the insurance.
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