Dave&Olive Posted March 6, 2005 Author Share Posted March 6, 2005 we have just bought in 79 and like you could not work out the differences untill i read the small print .... so this is what i think is right with my very limited French. If you insure your French property with a British firm they expect it to be left empty for X nos of weeks ie you will only use it for hols ect.so expensive !!! A french firm think you are living there full time so a lot cheaper buuuuuut read the small print if it is left un ocupied for x nos of weeks if you do not have bars on the windows if ......if .... any excuse not to pay out up to you dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 "A french firm think you are living there full time so a lot cheaper buuuuuut read the small print if it is left un ocupied for x nos of weeks if you do not have bars on the windows if ......if ...."I am not at all sure that this is true. Surely you tell your french insurance company that it is a Residence Secondaire? There probably will be conditions about shutters having to be closed, possibly bars to certain windows as well but these apply equally to a permanent residence. If the British firm is not laying down conditions like these then this is probably the reason they are marking up their prices and it suggests to me that they do not know the French market very well. Who in France ever went out and did not close their shutters? If you are doubtful about on line quotes I would check out the local insurance market, they know the risks in your particular location, probably have many holiday properties on the books already, and if you are in a rural area insurance will not be that expensive. If you need to make a claim you will, at least, have a local agent to deal with.Liz (29) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC<P><IMG src="http:forums.livingfrance.comimagesline.gif"><BR>Paul, Debbie and Josh, <BR>London & Dept 24<BR><a target=_blank href="http:www.les-brandes.net" target=_blank>http:www.les-brandes.net<A><BR><P> Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 We were in the same position and what the others say is exactly what we found, if your living there you can get a bargain but if the house is empty for x weeks a year you can get in trouble.For this year we opted for one of the UK ones as they know it's a holiday place, next year we'll have another look at the local market !The big thing we found that you have to watch out for is that French Law states you have to have cover for personal liability (?€2m?) and there's a gag about it being French registered or the like, some holiday insurance is not good enough for French compliance - ask the agent about this and make sure it's in the contract.Our cover included this and also the ability to have the place unoccupied for extended periods without all of the extras some companies put in like the need for unfed Dobermans in the grounds as well as full alarms etc . the house does have to be furnished though.We paid ~£400 for a detached house in Dept 24, semi-rural location but not isolated, 4 bed house with about 160m2 living area set on 1600m2 plot.Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylottJohn Posted March 10, 2005 Share Posted March 10, 2005 Hi,I take delivery of my Chalet next Wednesday and need to sort out insurance. Has anyone got any good suggestions of who to use. Doing it with a French company would seem more sense, are there any companies with websites for those of no linguisic ability though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hagar Posted March 10, 2005 Share Posted March 10, 2005 CA Britline offer french holiday home insurance - very competitive compared to Uk based firms - and you can deal with them in english (might need an account with them though).http://www.britline.com/g1/insurance.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC<P><IMG src="http:forums.livingfrance.comimagesline.gif"><BR>Paul, Debbie and Josh, <BR>London & Dept 24<BR><a target=_blank href="http:www.les-brandes.net" target=_blank>http:www.les-brandes.net<A><BR><P> Posted March 10, 2005 Share Posted March 10, 2005 Just an Idea - Put a call into your Immobilier or Notaire (or even the previous owner if you have contact details), they will know the local market and should be able to offer advice on local agents.Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetpea Posted March 10, 2005 Share Posted March 10, 2005 Nick Chubb (English but living in France) will be happy to find you the best price (via a French insurance company) I and many others have used him and he is brilliant![email protected] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now