Court ruling: This is how you endanger your insurance coverage when parking!

Court ruling: This is how you endanger your insurance coverage when parking!

A recent court ruling by the Magdeburg Regional Court has far-reaching effects on drivers who park their vehicles contrary to contractual agreements. The ruling, which deals with the risk of theft when parking a vehicle in front of the garage, is of particular interest to policyholders. In the specific case under discussion, a car owner parked his vehicle in front of the garage, even though he had told his insurance company that the car was in the garage at night. This misrepresentation resulted in financial losses when the vehicle was ultimately stolen.

In this case, the insurance company reduced the damage payout by 40 percent, which meant a reduction from 20,000 euros to 14,000 euros. The regional court decided that the risk of theft in front of the garage is greater than in a closed room, whereupon the payout was reduced by a maximum of 30 percent. This shows how important accurate information is when choosing an insurance tariff. Drivers should therefore check their contracts carefully and ensure that all information corresponds to reality, as deviations can result in significant financial losses in the event of damage.

Obligations of drivers

The court also made it clear that drivers must strictly adhere to the agreements in the insurance contract. If the contract specifies that the car should be parked in the garage, then this is also binding. Another case made this clear: a driver parked her BMW 5 Series in front of her garage contrary to the contractual agreement, and when her vehicle was stolen, the insurance company refused to pay the full damage. The court only awarded the woman 70 percent of the damages, which left her with a deductible of almost 6,000 euros.

The ruling emphasizes the special responsibility of policyholders, who are required to leave the parked vehicle in the locations defined in the contract. The reason for the reduced payment is the driver's breach of duty, who disregarded the risk of theft in her contract.

Recommendations for drivers

In view of these rulings, experts advise always parking vehicles in the locations required by the insurance company in order not to jeopardize insurance coverage. The regional court also assessed positively that the car was parked on private property and not in a public parking lot. However, the clear recommendation remains to park the vehicle in the garage in order to significantly minimize the risk of theft. The perpetrators in these cases had also confirmed that they had read the car key data, which made the theft much easier.

Overall, case law shows that drivers must assume a high degree of responsibility for protecting their vehicles. The regulations for parking in front of the garage are not just regulations, but rather decisive factors that can decide on the payout in the event of damage. Drivers should therefore always be aware that failure to comply with contractual agreements can have significant financial consequences.