House Insurance - French or UK company

[Oboulez]

We live in what was our previous holiday home - having a UK 'holiday home' insurance policy. On moving pernamently, the company were happy to enhance this cover to full time occupancy - including accidental damage cover. We have had quotes from French insurance companies for the house, and although the premiums are not too dissimilar, none of them include accidental damage. Our question is - has anybody had any experience of making claims on UK insurances for French properties? We are wondering if it might be a case of them being happy to take our money, however we might experience problems in the event of a claim?

[Beckett]

No answer - sorry - but it's a question which has occurred to me too.

I imagine that you'd be at the mercy of a French loss adjuster.

[Val_2]

From professional experience of my husband. Over the years we were called out many times to give devis for repair works on properties that were making insurance claims (usually after winter storms, burst pipes,falling masonry and leaking roofs etc). The french insured ones always replied direct to us  and the householder mostly got the payout and we often got the job BUT I have to say that all the properties that were UK insured and these were normally just holiday homes never full time residences, never contacted us re our devis to them to say whether it was a job or even to acknowledge receipt of said devis and two actually rang us to say they could not possibly send a loss adjuster all the way to France and therefore the insurance would only be partially paid to the householder because they could not proove it. With french insurers you get a result very quick and I would have thought the premiums were far cheaper here than the expensive UK.

[Sprogster]

I agree with Val that it makes more sense to insure in France, although from my experience it is more expensive in France.

Probably, because the French insurance market is less competitive with using commission renumerated insurance brokers still the normal route, whereas in the UK price comparison websites dominate.

Most insurance gets underwritten back to Lloyds of London anyway!

[Oboulez]

This is exactly my thought & concern Val - short of the house burning down, would they be bothered to send an assessor in the event of paint on a sofa? - I probably know the answer.....

[Chancer]

Probably not, after all in the aftermath of a storm/hurricane or whatever they just take a view and accept all claims under a certain plafond without query.

If they dont send a loss adjuster/expert then they have no grounds to reduce the claim or refuse it, perhaps what happened in Val's experiences were that the policyholders were paid out without quibble and pocketed the money to spend on other things without so much as a thankyou for your time and trouble for the devi, French insurers are far more likely only to pay out after the work has been dome and often paid for by the insured, another reason why (in my case) I just cant see the point in having any insurance here other than that legally required.

I also believe that insurance companies here are happy to pay X thousands of Euros to experts, lawyers etc to refuse or minimise a claim only worth hundreds, not that UK companies are immune to this either but it is not sytematic and they do know when to draw the line and pay up, usually in full on the eve of the court appearance and including all the claimants legal expenses.