A burglary or break-in is a theft in which a criminal forcibly enters a building or room, or breaks into a safe or other repository. This differentiates a burglary from simple theft, in which theft is carried out without the use of force.
The basic coverage you get with a household insurance policy covers losses resulting from burglary up to the insured sum. Acts of vandalism relating to burglary are also covered.
Cash, jewelry and valuables are only partially covered by basic Swiss household insurance. If you own particularly valuable jewelry, you may want to consider getting supplementary valuables insurance.
If burglary occurs outside of your primary residence – at a hotel or holiday home, for example – most insurance policies provide benefits of up to 10,000 or even 20,000 francs, depending on the insurance company.
If your car is broken into, losses will not be covered by a standard household insurance policy, but you can take out supplementary simple theft away from home insurance which covers auto break-ins.
More on this topic:
Swiss household insurance policies compared
Simple theft away from home
Robbery: When is theft a robbery?
