Home insurance is the best way to cover yourself against theft, water damage or fire. Hoas recommends tenant to get a home insurance.
Hoas does not compensate for any property that is stolen or broken. For example, if your bike is stolen from the basement, Hoas will not compensate you for it.
Being properly prepared also helps to keep everything secure. You should, for example, put a decent lock on your storage space in the basement and not store anything particularly valuable there.
It is also good to have a liability insurance policy, in case of damage caused by you. However, even liability insurance will not pay out costs caused by negligence or wilful damage. For example, if you opt for not having a shower curtain and the water always ends up on the hallway floor causing water damage, you may have difficulty getting compensation from the insurance company.
Remember also that you cannot take out home insurance after an insurable event has occurred, to cover the damage.
Tenancy agreements signed after 1st June 2008 require you to have home insurance if you have a washing machine or a dishwasher in the apartment. The washing machine or dishwasher can only be installed in a space where proper connections exist. If the connection cannot be found in the apartment, using these appliances is not allowed.
You must use a professional service to install the machine and keep a receipt of the work done. If it later turns out, for example, that the installation of a washing machine or a dishwasher caused water damage, the receipt will prove that the cause of the problem was not your improper installation procedure and that the work was done by a professional. This may be important in order to be covered by your insurance policy. You should always check the details of your policy with your own insurance company.