Get 4 months free if you’re under 30

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.

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Insurance protection for any emergency

Personal liability insurance is the most important type of insurance in the life of every Swiss person. Personal liability insurance is recommended for protecting yourself against the financial consequences of claims for damages. Damages may arise due to negligence or illicit acts. AXA personal liability insurance 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.

It becomes much more expensive if you're responsible for personal injury: for instance, if you inadvertently injure someone badly while skiing and now have to pay for treatment, therapy and also loss of income costs. Personal liability insurance covers you for all these eventualities and also protects you against unauthorized claims.

These risks are always insured through personal private liability insurance

The statutory liability of private persons arising from everyday risksis 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 of medical treatment following personal injury and resultant financial losses.

Get 4 months free if you’re under 30

If you are under 30 years old and you buy a personal liability and/or household contents policy, we’ll give you the first 4 months of your annual premium for free. The discount applies to annual premiums starting at CHF 60. 

Here's how our personal liability insurance works:

Basic cover – automatically insured

AXA's personal liability insurance is structured 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: Have you accidentally scratched your neighbor’s car or has your child’s ball crashed into a school window? Personal liability insurance covers the cost.
  • Damage to property in care, custody and control: If anything in your care (anything borrowed, kept in leasehold, rented, leased) is damaged, this is basically covered through 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. If you have personal liability insurance, you're spared this.
  • Owner damage: If a guest slips on your icy stairway, you can be made liable as the owner. Personal liability insurance covers any costs that arise.
  • 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 you have pets and 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 all the family photos on your PC disappear due to a virus, for example, we organize experts to help recover the data.

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

Parquet floor ruined

Just a moment of absentmindedness, and Anja knocks over 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. Breakdown of costs
  2. Value of the parquet floor (40 m2) CHF 9 800
  3. Repairs to the wall due to splashes CHF 500
  4. Total damage CHF 10 300
  5. Anja's deductible CHF 200
  6. Compensation paid 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. Breakdown of costs
  2. Loss of earnings compensation CHF 1.5 million
  3. Household damage/loss CHF 90,000
  4. Medical costs CHF 80,000
  5. Satisfaction CHF 70,000
  6. Pre-litigation lawyer fees CHF 40,000
  7. Total damages CHF 1.78 million
  8. Marc's deductible CHF 200
  9. Compensation paid by AXA CHF 1 779 800

FAQ on liability insurance

  • Which costs are covered by personal liability insurance?

    Basic coverage:

    • Deductible: CHF 200, 300, 400, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 
    • Sum insured: CHF 5 / 10 / 20 million

    Additional modules

    • Using third-party private vehicles: CHF 5 million.
    • Using car-sharing and hire vehicles: CHF 5 million / CHF 3,000 for damage to the vehicle itself
    • Pet damage to rental apartments: as per basic coverage
    • Horse lessee:  as per basic coverage
    • Hunter liability:  as per basic coverage
    • Gross negligence:  as per 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
  • What is the coverage amount?

    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 amount from AXA liability insurance is CHF 5 million , but if you want to be even safer, you can increase this to CHF  10 or CHF 20 million.

  • Is damage caused by children covered?

    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.

  • 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

  • Who is included in personal liability insurance?

    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.

  • What types of damage caused by renter are insured?

    Damage caused by renter is generally covered under personal liability. The following are exceptions:

    • damage caused by wear and tear or excessive use in rental apartments
    • damage due to deliberate changes to rented property (dowel holes, nail holes etc.), or restoration of the rented property to its original state
    • damage caused by pets to the rental apartment are covered by the relevant supplementary coverage (including wear and tear)
    • loss of keys is insured with the relevant supplementary coverage

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

  • 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. Then it's treated 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 sum insured.

  • I dropped my roommate's laptop on the floor. Is this loss event covered by the insurance?

    No, as you live in the same household, this damage is not covered. However, 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.

  • Does liability insurance have to pay for damage that arises through neighborly help?

    Damage caused through neighborly help has been covered by liability insurance since 2016. Provided this was not caused intentionally, the following scenarios are covered:

    • Helping a friend if they're moving house, for example
    • Helping a neighbor, such as watering flowers
    • Doing someone a favor
  • Is liability insurance compulsory?
    No, personal 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 liability insurance.

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