French Property Insurance

In France, French property insurance is a legal requirement.

Under French law a Notaire must always require the production of a current certificate of property insurance before registering the sale of any French property.

What typically happens is this. Your French property insurance, which is always renewed on the basis of Tacite Reconduction, is simply passed on from the vendor to the buyer of the property. It’s quite possible that the policy may even pre-date the vendor, who may have also taken over the policy on the basis of tacite reconduction when they brought the property.

The benefit of this is that you stay legal.

The downside is that you can get stuck with an overly expensive French property insurance policy providing the wrong cover for you. With the wrong cover, your French property insurance may not provide the cover you need.

Worse still your French property insurance may not pay out should you ever need to make a claim – a nightmare scenario.

What’s more the policy will be likely to be written in French and you may not even understand the fine detail of what you are signing up to!

It’s understandable if, in the excitement of completing on the purchase of your new property, a review of the details of your French property insurance was overlooked. It’s not too late.

French property insurance, like all French insurance contracts, can be remarkably difficult to change and the contracts are structured to make it very difficult to change once you have signed up for a policy. This is because under French law French insurers can insist on very lengthy cancellation notice periods and minimum insurance terms.

However, French law does give a new owner the right to choose their own insurer at the time the purchase is completed.

It’s wise to get a new quotation for property insurance that matches your needs and circumstances before you complete the purchase transaction. Then, if a new insurer will provide more appropriate or cheaper insurance cover, you can start with the right property insurance from day one.

Property Insurance Checklist

Before you opt for the default of just taking over an old, possibly out of date, French property insurance policy you should check that the old policy really will suit your needs.

Examples of things you may need to check are:

Property Insurance In English

If you’re searching for French property insurance Best French Mortgage can offer you the best cover at the best price, just as you would expect.

Policies are provided through one of the UK’s leading specialists in holiday home insurance: The policies are underwritten by Lloyd’s of London and other international insurers.

The policy documents will be in English and the insurance company’s claims department will speak English.

The property insurance policy can cover:

Get A Property Insurance Quote

Complete this form to request your free property insurance quotation. If not all information requested is available at the time you submit the form, don't worry. Just enter your contact details and tick the "Contact Me" box and we will contact you directly.

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If you would like us to contact you please remember to give us a telephone number to call you on.
If you would like us to contact you please remember to give us a telephone number to call you on.
If you would like us to contact you please remember to give us a telephone number to call you on.
If you tick this box please make sure you have given us a contact telephone number.

If you are not sure of the property details tick this option and make sure you have given us a contact telephone number. We will contact you directly to discuss your needs.

Main Applicant

The first line of your home address
The second line of your home address if needed
Town or City of your home address
Postal Code or ZIP of your home address
If relevant
If relevant

Second Applicant

Giving us your email address will enable us to send you your property insurancequote. We guarantee we will not share you email address with anyone else unless you give us permission to do so. Please see our Privacy Statement for full details
The first line of your home address
The second line of your home address
The town or city of your home address
Postal Code or ZIP
Mobile or Cell phone
If relevant
If relevant

Occupants

Give an estimate for a typical year
If relevant

Property Details

Tell us about the property to be insured

Address for the property you are insuring
Address for the property you are insuring
Address for the property you are insuring
Address for the property you are insuring
Address for the property you are insuring
Please give us the best estimate you can if the actual number is unknown
Please give us the best estimate you can if the actual date is unknown

Please try and be as accurate as possible on the year built as insurers often use this to calculate the re-building cost of the property.

You are occupying the property if you are living in the property as your main home with enough furniture and facilities for daily normal living purposes. Regular visits or occasional overnight stays do not constitute occupancy

Please select the nearest equivalent

These are the UK categories. Please select the equavalent for the country in which the property is located

The count of the number of rooms excludes bathrooms halls or landings and rooms that can only be used for storage. All other rooms (for example kitchens living rooms bedrooms utility rooms integral garages and studies) are counted. If two rooms have been converted into one they are counted as one room. Shared rooms (e.g. shared kitchens with another flat) are not included

You should count rooms that have been originally designed as a bedroom even if the room is not currently used as a bedroom.

Please state how many bathrooms are in your property

Cover Required

Buildings insurance is designed to re-imburse you for the cost of rebuilding or repairing your property in the event of damage. Cover normally includes the structure of the home and in general this will include walls, roof, floor, foundations, plumbing, wiring, windows and doors. Within the home Buildings Insurance will also normally include permanent fixtures such as fitted kitchens and fitted bedrooms. Outside the home (but within the property as a whole) Buildings Insurance also usually extends to Outbuildings, garages, sheds, greenhouses, paths drives and walls. The building should be insured for its full rebuilding cost, not the market value of the property. Wear and tear is not covered. Many people insure their home for the market price, but this may well be too high (in which case they will be paying too much), or too low (in which case they will be Underinsured). Listed Buildings, or Buildings made with particularly expensive materials, may well cost more to rebuild than their current market value.

Contents usually includes everything in the home belonging to you, your family and other residents of the home. It also includes other property for which you may be responsible (for example a rented television). Generally everything which is not permanently fixed within the building is covered. Furniture, furnishings, carpets (including fitted carpets), curtains, electrical goods, household goods and clothes.

Claim History

If Relevant

Security

Please tell us what security measures have been installed at the property

These should conform to the local equivalent of British Standard (BS) 3621

Are all external doors fitted with key operated security locks which confirm to the local equivalent of British Standard (BS) 3621 and are all windows fitted with integral key operated window locks?:

Are your ground floor windows fitted with any of the following - Key operated lock, Metal Grilles or Shutters

This should conform to the local equivalent of NACOSS approval

Is the property protected by an operative burglar alarm equivalent to a NACOSS approved and maintained burgler alarm

If yes, please supply details in the Additional Information box at the foot of this form

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