insurance terms

[mint]

I am going to change our insurance provider for the cars and the house.

A couple of days ago, the new insurance company sent me a list of the paperwork they need.  There are 2 bits of paper that confound me so can someone please help me with those?

déclaration d'antécédents:  is that the bonus entitled statement from the previous company?

déclaration de situation:  is that the marriage cert?

I am only guessing of course as I haven't the foggiest what these things are.  I could ring them bien entendu but I have already been well and truly stretched to the limit with the previous phone call[:-))]

After having to provide our dates of birth, the registration of the cars, the amount we want to insure the house and contents for, the proportion of the insurance for "valuables" (what might they be?[8-)]), our bank details, I felt I never wanted to get my tongue round strings of numbers in French on the phone ever again![:)]

[Val_2]

Antécédents means previous history, so probably claims made and for vehicles, your bonus/malus certificate.

Situation could mean either your personal circumstances i.e. married/veuve etc, your financial position like working or retired or even whether you rent or are the owner.

In 25years of insuring a French property and vehicles I have never ever had to supply a copy of the marriage certificate! What are the phrases that include those two queries on the forms?

[mint]

Thanks, Val, must be for us to say we are retraités then.

The words preceeding are:

Nos guaranties vous seront définitivement acquises à réception de l'ensemble des documents complétés suivants:

then the list: permis de conduire, carte grise, etc;

Also relevé d'informations datant de moins de deux mois à compter de la date d'effet de votre contract: would that be the renewal notice, amenities bill, or what?

I am only changing as our present insurer is in Beaune which is rather a long way from us and, while we have managed to conduct everything by email and telephone so far, I dread the day when we do have a biggish claim and I have to deal with things at a distance.

I do believe that old age makes one more accident prone and also that stress makes one a gibbering wreck!

[parsnips]

[quote user="mint"]Thanks, Val, must be for us to say we are retraités then.

The words preceeding are:

Nos guaranties vous seront définitivement acquises à réception de l'ensemble des documents complétés suivants:

then the list: permis de conduire, carte grise, etc;

Also relevé d'informations datant de moins de deux mois à compter de la date d'effet de votre contract: would that be the renewal notice, amenities bill, or what?

I am only changing as our present insurer is in Beaune which is rather a long way from us and, while we have managed to conduct everything by email and telephone so far, I dread the day when we do have a biggish claim and I have to deal with things at a distance.

I do believe that old age makes one more accident prone and also that stress makes one a gibbering wreck!

[/quote]

Hi,

    I assume that your new insurer is closer to you:  so why not go to their office and ask them to explain?

[mint]

Yes, Parsnips, you assume right.  Still, I'd probably ring them...........OH is not so good driving around busy big towns these days and he does nearly always insist on driving when we go anywhere together.

[Chancer]

Relevé d'informations is a standard form you rold insurer will spit out from his computer, shows when your Policy expires, any claims and your bonus, that is standard terminology that all insurers use.

Which begs the question what is a déclaration de situation? Never been asked for one, maybe they just like making people jump through hoops.

Antécédents should be covered in your relevé so maybe that will cover everything.   

[idun]

Have things changed since we were in France and one has to declare points on the licence to the insurer, because let us face it, IF one has to show the insurer the licence then they can see if there are points on it. AND would that, in France affect the insurance.

We never changed insurers in our 27 years. I suppose that it was always so complicated in the past and ours seemed OK and certainly no dearer than anyone else when I asked friends what they paid.

[Chancer]

You were here 27 years [:-))]

I joke that I would have been given less réclusion totale if I had been a murderer or a kiddy fiddler  but 27 years [blink]

Whatever terrible things you may have done in a past life you must surely now have paid your debt to society!

I'm not sure that points (or deduction thereof) actually are written on a french license but held electronically, I have a few already deducted in cyberspace for the day I ever swop to a French license.

[mint]

Thanks, guys, for trying to help.

I will let you all know what déclaration de situation is when I have spoken to them.

As I have explained, this isn't so much about cost as the ability to speak to someone if the need arises.  They have an office just under an hour away so is OK for driving to.

We have a 15 year old and a 10 year old car and the cost of insurance, while not exactly modest, is not too bad.  Houses, OTOH, seem to be really cheap to insure...........but there again, we live in an area of little crime and we get a bit complacent and careless with security.

And, id, I don't think you need to say how many points you have acquired.  OH had 2 lots of points for speeding a few years ago but the insurance people did not show the slight bit of interest in them............unless things have changed these days, of course!

 

[idun]

[quote user="Chancer"]

You were here 27 years [:-))]

I joke that I would have been given less réclusion totale if I had been a murderer or a kiddy fiddler  but 27 years [blink]

Whatever terrible things you may have done in a past life you must surely now have paid your debt to society!

I'm not sure that points (or deduction thereof) actually are written on a french license but held electronically, I have a few already deducted in cyberspace for the day I ever swop to a French license.

[/quote]

I was a young slender lass when I arrived in France and basically no french...... I could say five words, but only knew what three of them meant!!!! Moved to an expensive country, and it was considered a very odd move then, even several years later, how things ............changed.....eventually!!   Heck, I'd been in France for about 19 years when I found this very strange board, extolling France and it's wonders, and little sense of the reality of every day living. 

Came for an adventure, and it was that. We tried to move on after about 10 years but that sort of fell through. Yes, thinking about it, I must have done something terrible in a past life and I'm not sure how this one'll be judged, IF that is how it works. [Www]

[idun]

Re if they see a driving licence, then the insurance company will see if the licence has had points on it. So why do they want to see it, if not for that?

[Val_2]

It is standard practice for every insurer of vehicles to have a photocopy of the insured's driving licence on file for reference. We have done this so often I started to make a few spare copies in case we changed insurers or changed a vehicle and yes, each time we either insured a second hand vehicle or a brand new one, they would ask for a copy of the permis to go on the dossier for that particular vehicle! Points are not marked on permis unless it has been confiscated and after three years you get an official letter anyway from the government to say the point(s) have been reinstated.

[Val_2]

regarding the "situation" demand. Looking through some recent paperwork for other things I see it referred to my status as being veuve and also not working, so yes perhaps as retirees if you state that, you might get a different type of policy or premium or be offered a fixed kilometrage per year to help your pension go further which is a cheaper policy, my friends did that as they were well into their late 70's.

[mint]

Hi Val, thanks again.  Had my answer today:  "situation" is about the house; so a confirmation that we are owners and not tenants.