French Home Insurance
In France the building insurance isn’t really a thing. It’s almost always home & contents insurance and includes all the “basic” cover such as:
- Public liability
- Natural & technological disasters / acts of god / Storms
- Terror attacks
- Fire
- Flooding
Main buildings are always insured up to the reconstruction value except for big properties (castles, manors, mansions, etc.).
A discount may apply only if in poor maintenance status or if an “arrêté de péril” has been issued (official warning from the city hall that your property is considered hazardous and need immediate attention).
Outbuildings need to be declared to avoid an insurance gap as you need to have at least the public liability on it.
One of the main variables on a French policy is how you insure your belongings. Valuables are always differentiated from the general content, and you’re always offered the choice between insuring your contents new for old or at a discounted value.
Top Tips:
Declaring something as a valuable would automatically cover it “new for old” (the valuable, not the general content).
If you’re a French resident, you should also make sure you have your property insurance set up a “Résidence Principale” and not “Résidence Secondaire” (or anything else) – unless it’s a place you rent, of course. Also Make sure all your utility bills only carry your French address as this can help for all administrative tasks.
Content provided by: Healey Fox Ltd partner insurance broker, licensed and registered in France.
