Holiday Home Insurance France

You may find that policies offered by French insurers are cheaper. However, it is a false economy to choose the cheapest policy at the expense of comprehensive cover. French home insurance is often less comprehensive than what we are used to here in the UK. Strict claims deadlines, limited storm, theft and liability cover, unoccupancy restrictions, language barriers and no cover when holiday letting are all common shortfalls with foreign insurers.

Choosing a comprehensive French house insurance policy from a UK-based insurer, that's written in plain English and specifically designed for French holiday homes can offer valuable peace of mind that your property is protected.

Most people think they should insure for the current market value of their house - this is not the case. The buildings sum insured needs to cover the cost of rebuilding the property. The rebuild value is the full cost of reconstruction of the building(s) in their present form, including any associated costs, such as removal of debris, architectural and other professional services. This amount must include all outbuildings, barns, domestic oil & gas pipes, domestic oil fuel tanks, swimming pools, tennis courts, drives, patios, terraces, walls, gates and fences. The price of the land should be excluded.

To calculate the contents sum insured you should work out how much it would cost to replace your contents on a new for old basis at today's prices. As a rule of thumb when deciding what are contents, include everything you would take with you if you moved home.

Calculating the rebuilding cost of a French house can be difficult, especially if you have bought and renovated an old cottage or farmhouse. To get an accurate figure a qualified surveyor should be appointed to assess the amount that a property should be insured for. Your lawyer, vendor or builder may also advise on the rebuild cost, but a surveyor is the most accurate. Alternatively, if you’ve had a recent survey on the property there may be a rebuild figure listed for insurance purposes.

You are covered whether you use your holiday home yourself, let to friends and family or rent it as a commercial holiday let. The specialist cover for holiday letting includes employers and public liability insurance, damage by guests or pets, theft by guests, loss of rent and alternative accommodation costs.

There are many questions to ask your insurer with regards to making a claim. Will your insurer be capable of sorting out a claim quickly and efficiently when something goes wrong, given that you are in the UK and hundreds of miles from your property in France? Will they appoint English speaking loss adjusters?

Be aware that some French house insurers require criminal claims to be reported to the police within 24 hours. A five-day limit may also apply to general storm damage claims. If like many owners you only visit your property every couple of months, you are likely to only discover damage weeks or even months after it occurred. If this is the case, you could have a problem claiming due to the delay in reporting the claim to your French insurer.

France has seen an alarming number of natural catastrophes in recent years, particularly flooding and storms causing significant damage to properties. Pay attention to the small print concerning storm and flood cover. Some French insurers require minimum wind speeds or rainfall levels to be recorded for a storm claim to be valid.

Understanding exactly what a policy covers in the event of a claim can be a challenge, even when it's written in English. If you choose a French insurer, are you capable of filling out claims forms and discussing your claim in French?

When you insure with Schofields everything is dealt with in English and an International team of loss adjustors help deal with claims.

No, you must reside in the UK permanently and your French property must be a second home.