French Home Insurance: The Myths That Could Cost You Thousands

<p>French home insurance is not quite as straightforward as you might expect, especially if you’re coming from the UK or another country with a different insurance system.</p><p>In this episode of France Made Simple, Cat is joined by Fabien from Fab French Insurance to debunk some of the biggest myths surrounding French home and contents insurance.</p><p>We look at what is legally required depending on whether you’re a tenant, homeowner, second-home owner or landlord, and why French insurance doesn’t work in quite the same way as UK buildings and contents insurance.</p><p>We also cover some of the areas that regularly catch people out, including:</p><p>• Why buildings-only and contents-only policies aren’t generally how French home insurance works<br>• What happens if you have a swimming pool, garage, shed or other outbuilding<br>• Why your valuable possessions in a shed may not be covered simply because you’ve declared the shed<br>• How the “new for old” principle actually works; and why it doesn’t necessarily mean getting back what you originally paid<br>• Why photographing your possessions and keeping receipts, valuations and certificates of authenticity can make a huge difference when making a claim<br>• Chimney sweeping, maintenance and what insurers may expect<br>• How “catastrophe naturelle” claims work in France<br>• Why natural-disaster cover is different from ordinary claims<br>• The surprising issue of underground water pipes and where responsibility for leaks begins and ends<br>• And perhaps the biggest culture shock of all: accidental damage to your own possessions is generally NOT included in a standard French home insurance policy.</p><p>As always, the aim isn’t to scare you into buying more insurance, it’s to understand what you actually have, what you don’t have, and where the potential gaps might be.</p><p>Because when it comes to French insurance, as Fabien puts it: you don’t know what you don’t know until you find out you don’t know it!</p><p><br></p>