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Liability Insurance


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I know that some people register and some don't but if you don't, can you take out liability insurance to cover you in case of accidents?  Ultimately we will register but in the meantime we want to make sure we're covered.  Has anyone done this?
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I have no knowledge of this but how can you take out insurance cover for a business that officially doesn't exist?

You may get someone to sell you a policy but if you were to claim and then it came out that you were running an unregistered business then the insurance company would most likely walk away.

Sorry. [:D]

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The registering bit has always been a bone of contention. As you say , some do, some don't. The public liability insurance  isn't expensive. An agent visited us and went in all rooms and had a good look around. We have fire break doors on the bedrooms and secondary lighting + smoke alarms but it seems it is a fairly regular price of about 12 euros per room. Well worth it. Regarding the registering I presume you mean with the C. D. C.? There have been quite a few posts about this and it seems to differ from who you ask and what area you are in. We were told by the H.d.I. that if you provide ANY service,ie. laundry/cleaning/breakfast etc you HAVE to register. This apparently doesn't apply to all for some unknown reason. It may be that if you are in a busy tourist area where there are Hotels etc, they view it as unfair competition and that you are not paying your state dues. If you are in a quiet village/commune they may turn a blind eye to it as they presume it will bring in a few bob to the shops etc.

Regards.

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The answer is, no you don't need to be registered to make public liability insurance valid.  A lot of people don't need to register, especially if it is not their main source of income, but they should still have public liability.  It's not at all expensive, so best to get it.
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Chambres d'hôtes is traditionally something done by farmers' wives for a bit of extra money, and under similar circumstances is not regarded as a business (though income still has to be declared on your tax form). However many people, particularly non-French, rely on B&B and gites for their main source of income in France, and under those circumstances many French officials will treat these as businesses and expect their owners to register with the appropriate chambre and pay tax, social security etc. In order to discourage 'black market' B&Bs, several tourist offices will only take literature from, or recommend, registered accommodation. I think I am correct in saying that you can belong to gites de france and similar organisations whether registered or not. Whatever your business arrangements, you need insurance, which can often easily (and cheaply, as Coco says) be added to your household insurance. I think, too, you still need a licence from the local customs people, even if you do not serve alcohol or evening meals (again, cheap or even free).
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