Renovation advice: cover the works and the new building equipment

An owner is modernising their house and asks whether their building insurance will still fit afterwards. Your advice benefits from looking at two different situations: the building during the works and the completed house. New equipment may change the eventual cover needed, while an opened roof already affects the construction phase. Discussing these situations separately gives the owner practical answers for their schedule and lets them clarify the necessary agreements before each relevant step.

Turn the project into assessable changes

Start with a description of the project. “We are renovating” might mean repainting or a substantial loft conversion. Ask which parts are affected, whether rooms remain in use and when their condition changes. A traceable change is more useful for insurance assessment than a general project label. Have the owner explain which works are definitely commissioned and which are still being considered. This separates confirmed information from open alternatives that you can examine specifically.

For a roof project, for example, establish whether the roof covering will temporarily be removed. For a conversion, ask whether most of the building will become unusable. The GDV model conditions VGB 2022, value 1914, June 2026 list such circumstances in A21 as possible increases in risk. This is a non-binding example of conditions. Find the relevant rule in the actual policy and clarify the particular project with the insurer. The word modernisation alone does not determine the outcome.

Coordinate before the relevant stage begins

Section 23 VVG provides the statutory framework for increases in risk. Among other things, it distinguishes changes made or permitted by the policyholder from increases recognised later or occurring independently. Section 27 VVG contains exceptions for insignificant increases or those regarded as included in the cover. Assess the actual circumstances instead of treating every minor task as the same insurance issue. For a planned relevant intervention, coordinate before the owner creates or permits the affected situation.

Provide the required description to the insurer through the agreed procedure with the appropriate authority. Record which works and period the response covers. Confirmation for a loft conversion with rooms still occupied does not necessarily answer a later proposal to strip out the entire building. If scope or sequence changes, examine that specific change. The owner can then see which part of the plan is already covered by the response and where to seek clarification before expanding it.

A response may include particular prerequisites for the construction phase. Discuss which affect the project and whether the responsible parties have clarified how they will be met. If the insurer confirms an agreement only for a particular sequence, that qualification belongs in the outcome. An unresolved prerequisite remains a visible open decision. The owner obtains implementation planning for practical protective measures from the responsible specialist contractor.

Possible contractual consequences also belong in the assessment. Sections 24 to 26 VVG address cancellation, premium changes and consequences for benefits following an increase in risk, each subject to its own requirements. Discuss the continuation actually offered and its scope. If a required change does not fit the owner’s wishes, compare a binding alternative offer. Explain a concrete choice between confirmed options instead of assuming that notification itself preserves unchanged cover.

Distinguish existing perils from additional construction cover

Review the existing policy against the planned building conditions. Which agreed perils remain relevant for the building? Are there particular requirements for parts not ready for occupancy? Which items belong to the insured property at all? A4 and A5 of the GDV example contain exclusions for buildings or parts not ready for occupancy. Avoid suggesting that all benefits continue through every renovation. The confirmed contractual rule for the particular phase matters. Describe the situation precisely enough for the insurer to provide a relevant answer.

If additional cover is needed, formulate a specific task: which available solution can address the outstanding construction phase, and which perils or property remain outside it? Examine its conditions and acceptance separately before recommending it. A participating company’s insurance certificate initially describes that company’s own contractual cover. The owner needs to understand whose interest each agreement is intended to protect. This helps distinguish apparently overlapping solutions from questions that remain unanswered.

Match the completed changes to the insured building

After renovation, the house may have different floor areas, equipment or additional structures. Ask which information underlies the existing valuation and what actually changes. An unchanged owner does not necessarily mean an unchanged building. Use reliable information about the completed project for the new assessment. Mark undecided items as planned. The insurer can then explain which documents it requires for a binding adjustment and the condition of the building used in its calculation.

A13 and A14 of the GDV model address value-enhancing building work and the waiver of underinsurance deductions, among other matters. This reveals an important distinction: adjustment for construction cost trends and recording changed size or specification answer different questions. Obtain confirmation of how the actual policy accounts for the change. Do not simply adopt the old sum insured as the new valuation basis. Equally, the invoice for the works alone is not a fully checked new sum insured for the whole building.

Discuss new equipment as specific property and risks

For photovoltaic equipment, describe the offered protection fully. Which components belong to the installation, how is any battery treated, and which contract is intended to include them? The GDV example generally excludes photovoltaic systems and specified components in A7.6; A7.3 expressly treats plug-in balcony systems differently. This version illustrates why “permanently attached to the house” is insufficient. Examine inclusion or a separate policy against its actual conditions and the installation chosen by the owner.

Next clarify the events the owner wants covered. They may expect protection against a particular building peril while also asking about other equipment damage or loss of generation income. Keep these wishes separate and compare each with the relevant offer. Agreement on one peril does not establish agreement on every other issue. If the installation is rented or owned by a third party, establish responsibilities and agreed risk allocation from the documents. This identifies whose interest you should advise on and which existing agreement belongs in the comparison.

Describe a new heat pump equally specifically. Where are the components under consideration, and which losses does the owner want to discuss? Ask whether the existing building insurance includes those items and desired perils. A general promotional statement about modern heating does not replace checking the contract. If an additional benefit is offered, show its actual difference. Technical design, siting and equipment safety remain matters for the responsible specialist contractors; your advice identifies the requested insurance protection.

Separate benefits under different agreements

The owner may already have documents for the same new equipment from a supplier, financier or existing insurer. Request the benefit descriptions relevant to the comparison. Identify whether a document describes insurance, a contractual service or another undertaking. Where unclear, ask the relevant contracting party about the precise scope. This helps the owner understand which question is answered and which event still needs an insurance decision. Explain any third-party guarantee only from its conditions actually examined.

Compare the beginning and end of the respective undertakings as well. A solution starting only at a stated completion stage does not automatically answer questions about earlier works. Conversely, an agreement expressly limited to construction may require another decision for the completed house. Put confirmed transitions beside the relevant benefits. If a date or acceptance is missing, identify that exact open item. The owner can then assess construction protection and subsequent building cover together.

Illustrate the distinction with a fictional roof project

The following example is entirely fictional. An owner plans a loft conversion and photovoltaic installation. Part of the roof covering will be removed during the works; a battery will be added later. First examine the affected construction phase with the existing insurer. Its response should expressly address the planned roof condition and period. In parallel, establish which solution is offered for the desired installation and the components discussed. The two answers serve different purposes and are not combined into a blanket promise of cover.

Later in the fictional case, the battery installation is postponed. That changes the description of the completed property during the intervening period. Ask whether the confirmed equipment agreement already accounts for this sequence and when the additional components will be included. Revisit the answered roof-conversion question only if the postponement affects its conditions or period too. Follow-up work stays focused on the actual planning change, and the owner understands which answer is still needed.

Create an assessable outcome for the altered house

After completion, compare the confirmed contractual position with the project actually carried out. Do the identified items, building condition and agreed inception dates match? Have special construction agreements ended, or are they still relevant? Discuss discrepancies before treating the matter as complete. An internal overview is an organisational aid for your office. It supports the necessary needs-based advice and documentation under section 61 VVG without replacing their individual execution.

Give the owner a clear explanation: what was resolved for the works, what applies to the finished house, and what remains open? If binding confirmation of an additional desired peril is missing, give precisely that item a next action. You can support the renovation professionally without approving technical execution. Your value comes from matching each change to its period and actual agreement. The owner can make focused decisions on that foundation and understand later changes more easily.

Reach owners planning changes

Register your business on the residential building insurance enquiry page. Access leads to webRichtung Customer; you see the current price before placing a binding order. The enquiry opens a conversation. You personally clarify works, equipment and existing policies afterwards. Present the advisory service your business can actually provide.

Sources and context

Germany; complete originals accessed on 18 October 2026. Sources are the linked sections 23, 27 and 61 VVG and the fully read GDV model VGB 2022, value 1914, June 2026, particularly A4/A5/A7/A13/A14/A21. Sections 24–26 VVG also inform the discussion of contractual consequences. The model is non-binding and permits different agreements. Actual acceptance, risk allocation and benefits require examination of the individual contracts. The proposed overviews are your own organisational aids, not a platform feature or technical construction instructions.