Schadenswert

Schadenswert is a valuation concept used in German-speaking jurisdictions to describe the monetary value assigned to damage resulting from an event. It is used in insurance claims, liability settlements, and asset accounting to quantify the financial remedy needed to compensate for or repair the loss. The Schadenswert can refer to the cost of restoring an item to its pre‑loss condition or to the financial equivalent of its loss, depending on policy terms and legal rules.

Calculation methods commonly employed to determine Schadenswert include replacement cost, known in insurance as the Wiederbeschaffungswert, which estimates the expense to replace the damaged item with a functionally equivalent new one; and actual cash value (Zeitwert or ACV), which subtracts depreciation for age and wear from the replacement cost. Some agreements also consider salvage value or recovery value of the damaged item.

Applications encompass motor vehicle claims for total losses or repair assessments, property damage claims, and certain accounting or impairment calculations. In insurance practice, the chosen method affects the size of the payout and may be defined by contract, statute, or insurer guidelines.

Factors influencing Schadenswert include the asset’s age, condition, market prices, availability of parts, technical obsolescence, and inflation. Disputes may arise over depreciation rates, the estimation of replacement costs, or the applicability of salvage values, often resolved through appraisal or expert determination.

See also: Schadenersatz, Versicherung, Wiederbeschaffungswert, Zeitwert, Wertminderung.