Benefit from a CHF 30 discount from now until August 31, 2023

Key points at a glance
  • Covers all important risks: Third-party liability insurance covers the costs of damage that you cause to other people or their property – for example, damage you are responsible for as a tenant or mishaps caused by your child.
  • Care free in the event of a claim: While third-party liability insurance is not mandatory, without it you may be deemed liable in the event of a claim with your current and future assets until the claim has been paid.
  • Protection for everyone under one roof: Third-party liability insurance protects everyone who lives with you in a single household.

Purchase advice: 052 244 86 00

Worthwhile insurance protection 

Personal liability insurance is the most important type of insurance in the life of every Swiss person. It protects you and your loved ones against high costs if you accidentally cause damage to third parties or their possessions, either because your dog leaves a memento on a hotel carpet or your perfume bottle falls into the washbasin in your rental apartment.

In these types of situation, you are legally obliged to pay for the damaged items and injured persons. At best, the clean-up only costs a few francs, but at worst, replacing the items could cost several thousand francs.

And it's much more expensive if you're liable for personal injury: this could be because you accidentally cause someone serious injury while skiing and now have to meet medical and therapy costs as well as loss of income. Personal liability offers insurance cover for all these eventualities and also protects you against unauthorized claims.

Benefit from attractive discounts of up to CHF 90

If customers take out personal liability insurance, they benefit from a one-time discount of CHF 30. The same applies to household contents and cyber insurance. Take out personal liability, household contents and cyber insurance with AXA now and save yourself up to CHF 90.

Calculate premium for combined insurance (household and personal liability)

Calculate premium for cyber insurance

These risks are always insured by personal liability insurance

The statutory liability of private persons arising from everyday risks is covered. If the policyholder accidentally injures a third party, damages, destroys or loses that party's possessions, personal liability insurance covers the cost of either repairing or replacing items or for medical treatment following personal injury and resultant financial losses.

Here's how our personal liability insurance works

Basic cover – automatically insured

AXA's personal liability insurance is constructed as a modular system. You decide yourself whether basic cover is sufficient for you or whether you would like to have better protection for yourself financially with our robust supplementary coverage and services - this makes sense, for example, if you like going hunting in your spare time or often go horse riding. The following benefits are automatically included in basic cover:

  • Personal injury: If you seriously injure another person either by accident or error, your personal liability insurance will cover the costs incurred.
  • Property damage: You accidentally scratch your neighbor’s car or your child’s ball crashes into a school window.
  • Damage to property in care, custody and control: If anything borrowed or being looked after in your household is broken, this is generally covered by personal liability insurance.
  • Damage caused by renter: If the washbasin is cracked when you move out or the parquet floor has deep scratch marks, you personally would have to pay for repairs or replacement if you didn't have insurance. With personal liability insurance from AXA, you're spared this.
  • Owner damage: If a visitor slips on your icy stairway and you can be made liable as the owner.
  • Animal and dog owner damage: If your dog, cat, or other pet causes damage to third parties, you are responsible for this. With personal liability insurance, you're covered by AXA.
  • Damage as bicycle, electric bike or moped rider: If you damage someone else's property or injure someone on your two-wheeler, personal liability insurance protects you against claims.
  • Damage from self-employment: If damage is caused during your work as a self-employed person, our personal liability insurance covers you up to an annual turnover of CHF 20,000. If you earn more, you need separate professional liability insurance.
  • Damage from part-time or voluntary activities: If you carry out a part-time or voluntary activity in a cultural organization or at your local tennis club, we also cover your liability in this role.
  • Defense against unjustified claims: Passive legal protection is also automatically included in personal liability insurance from AXA.

Liability insurance add-ons

Do you sometimes drive other people's cars, have a pet or like to light candles at home (please note: gross negligence)? You can also have these and other risks insured, in line with your individual needs:

  • Third-party driver insurance: If, as the driver, you damage a friend's car while parking it, we cover the damage if the third-party vehicle is not already fully covered against accidental damage or the owner would lose their bonus under vehicle insurance as a result of your maneuver. 
  • Car sharing and rental vehicles: With supplementary coverage, expensive supplementary insurance of hire cars would not be required, as the former covers any damage when car sharing or using rental vehicles.
  • Pet damage to rental apartments: This insurance module makes sense if there are pets in your household and you would also like to be covered against any damage they may cause in your rental apartment, such as cats scratching doors. Other liability cases by pets are already included in basic cover.
  • Leasing a horse: If horses panic, this can quickly cause serious damage. This supplementary insurance covers the costs of accident-related injuries to horses that are borrowed, rented, being kept temporarily or ridden on behalf of another party. 
  • Liability as a hunter: If required, we also provide protection for liability risks arising from hunting.
  • Gross negligence: If you would also like to be on the safe side for any damage you yourself cause, such as a fire in your apartment due to unattended candles, the benefits under AXA supplementary coverage itself are not affected by gross negligence.
  • Loss of keys and key service: It's always expensive to have locks opened and replaced. If, for example, you lose your key to your rental or holiday home, we organize a key service and also pay to have the locks changed.
  • Emergency home services: To prevent small claims getting unnecessarily larger, such as blocked drain pipes when quick support is required, we arrange the services of a tradesman and cover the cost.
  • Data recovery and virus removal: If, for example, all the family photos on your PC disappear due to a virus, we organize experts to help recover the data.

Insureds

Regardless of whether you live in a partnership, shared apartment or large family, anyone who lives permanently in the same household as the policyholder and forms part of a joint household is also included in the liability insurance. You must make sure that everyone is listed on the policy.

Children

Parents are of course liable for any underage children. If the little ones "improve" the staircase with wall paintings or accidentally knock over a product presentation in a shop, this is unpleasant, but it's usually covered by the parents' liability insurance. This also applies to situations where godparents or grandparents look after the children.

Sum insured

If you cause personal injury, property damage or financial loss, this can quickly become expensive. If it's higher than your sum insured, this means that at worst, you'll have to cover the rest yourself under statutory personal liability. To avoid this, the minimum coverage from AXA is CHF 5 million, but if you want to be even safer, you can increase this to CHF 10 or CHF 20 million. 

Examples of damage/loss

Collision with a pedestrian

Collision with a pedestrian

Pascal is in a hurry and collides with a pedestrian while riding his bicycle. She falls and injures her leg.

  1. Statement of costs
  2. Recourse of the accident insurer for medical expenses CHF 2,500
  3. Replacement clothing / handbag of pedestrian CHF 700
  4. Grand total damage/loss CHF 3,200
  5. Pascal's deductible CHF 200
  6. Compensation by AXA CHF 3,000
Parquet floor ruined

Parquet floor ruined

Just a moment of absentmindedness, and Anja knocks a vase of flowers and its contents onto the floor of her rented apartment. A major portion of the parquet floor (solid wood) needs replacing.

  1. Statement of costs
  2. Value of the parquet floor (40 m2) CHF 9,800
  3. Repairs to the wall due to splashes CHF 500
  4. Grand total damage/loss CHF 10,300
  5. Anja's deductible CHF 200
  6. Compensation by AXA CHF 10,100
Skiing accident with severely injured child

Skiing accident with severely injured child

The skiing trip at the weekend ends in tragedy. On his last downhill ride, Marc is exuberant and skis over a ledge even though he can't see what's on the other side. He crashes into a child who sustains severe injuries.

  1. Statement of costs
  2. Loss of earnings compensation CHF 1.5 million
  3. Household damage/loss CHF 90,000
  4. Medical expenses CHF 80,000
  5. Satisfaction CHF 70,000
  6. Pre-litigation lawyer fees CHF 40,000
  7. Grand total damage/loss CHF 1.78 million
  8. Marc's deductible CHF 200
  9. Compensation by AXA CHF 1,779,800

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Support and frequently asked questions

  • Which costs are covered by personal liability insurance?

    Basic coverage:

    • Deductible: CHF 200, 300, 400, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 
    • Amount of insurance: CHF 5 / 10 / 20 million

    Additional modules

    • Use of private third-party vehicles CHF 5 million
    • Use of car-sharing and rental vehicles: CHF 5 million / CHF 3,000 for damage to the vehicle itself
    • Pet damage to rental apartments: As for basic coverage
    • Horse lessees: As for basic coverage
    • Hunter liability: As for basic coverage
    • Gross negligence: As for basic coverage
    • Loss of keys and key service: Up to CHF 10,000
    • Emergency home services: Max. twice annually, up to CHF 3,000 per event
    • Bike and e-bike assistance: Max. twice annually, up to CHF 5,000 per event
  • My house keys were stolen. Is the replacement lock covered?

    In rental relationships, the landlord often requires replacement of the lock if the house keys are lost. If this is justified, the change of lock is insured under supplementary coverage for "loss of keys and key service".

  • Is my e-bike covered under my personal liability policy?

    Yes, provided its pedal assistance does not exceed 25 kph and its motor has no more than 500 watts in output. It then counts as a normal bicycle.
    E-bikes with more powerful motors fall under motor-assisted bikes and must have a license plate. AXA's personal liability insurance covers  damage over and above statutory insurance up to the selected amount of insurance.

  • Does personal liability insurance cover my whole family?

    Yes. Everyone listed in the policy who lives permanently in the same household is covered. 

  • I dropped my roommate's laptop on the floor. Is this damage covered?

    No, as you live in the same household, this damage is not covered. If your roommate has household contents insurance from AXA with all-round protection for smartphones, tablets and consumer electronics, the damage is covered by that policy.

  • What tenant damage is insured?

    Tenant damage is generally covered under personal liability. The following are exceptions:

    • Wear and tear, especially in rented accommodation. This relates to damage caused by wear and tear or excessive use.
    • Damage due to deliberate changes to rented property (dowel holes, nail holes and similar), or restoration of the rented property to its original state.
    • The corresponding supplementary coverage insures pet damage to the rented apartment (including wear and tear).
    • The loss of keys is insured with the corresponding supplementary coverage.

    We will be happy to support you during the handover of your rented apartment provided you inform us in advance. 

  • Why are the amounts of insurance for personal liability policies so high?

    The financial consequences of damage to third parties can quickly reach the millions,  e.g. you injure a top manager and have to pay their loss of earnings until the end of their working life.  Or you are accidentally responsible when a house burns down. 

  • Is liability insurance compulsory?
    No, liability insurance is not compulsory, but strongly encouraged. If, for example, you cause an accident involving another family's breadwinner, you will be held liable for that person's loss of earnings plus the cost of the medical treatment. This could ruin you financially unless you have insurance.

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