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Cost of Buildings and Contents Insurance - Maison Secondaire


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We have owned our house since 2005 and have insured it since then through a broker (recommended by an immobillier). We've noticed that the "broker" now appears to be an agent for AGF/Allianz. Is he still a "broker" looking for the best deal?

The premium for our 180 sq m two storey house with outbuildings is now close to €500 per annum and we wonder how this compares with others.

Some details:

2005 €367,67

2006 + €19,26 to €386,93 (+5.2%)

2007 + €18,42 to €405,35 (+4.8%)

2008 + €19,76 to €425,11 (+4.9%)

2009 + €28,53 to €453,64 (+6.7%)

2010 + €36,13 to €489,77 (+8.0%)

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A maison secondaire will, due to the perceived additional risk on the part of the insurer, enjoy a substantially higher premium than for a permanently occupied residence.

An additional factor, gleaned from a recent thread on this board, is that the shutters will be shut.

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Thank pachapapa but I'm sure you'll appreciate that's not really the direction I was hoping that this discussion might take.

I was naively hoping that people would post up their own cases,

i.e. building types and insurance costs, so I (and any any others) could get a feel for what could loosely be described the "going rate".

Chancer - you're excused on this occasion.
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NR, over a similar period as you, we are only paying around half of what you pay. Increases on the premium roughly equates to 10% overall more than we were paying back in 2005.

It is a similar size, but minus outbuildings.

For what it is worth, there is a stipulation within the policy that shutters be fitted to all ground floor windows, and these are secured when the house is unoccupied.

If you are interested, the company is;

http://www.sellier-insurance.com/page1uk.html
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[quote user="Nearly Retired"]Thank pachapapa but I'm sure you'll appreciate that's not really the direction I was hoping that this discussion might take. I was naively hoping that people would post up their own cases, i.e. building types and insurance costs, so I (and any any others) could get a feel for what could loosely be described the "going rate". Chancer - you're excused on this occasion.[/quote]

For about 130 m2 the premium is a tad over € 100 per annum; but not a "maison secondaire" and with an insurer based in Poitou-Charente with no agencies in high risk areas of france.

 

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our insurance for second home with Axa has increased from around 340 euros to 560 euros in 6 yrs. 90 sq mts only - 4 rooms (not including bathroom) - Barn (attached and another 90 sq mts) is also covered. Next year if I get my act together in time I will shop around.
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We've got a residence secondaire, 135sqm, stone built in Normandy. We've been with Hiscox but they suddenly shot up in price this year and so we are now with Schofields for £327 pa. No mention in the policy (and I've scoured it!) of any requirements about either shutters or draining the heating system in winter / leaving the heating on.
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  • 4 weeks later...
Well, well, well. I am gobsmacked by this non-French approach to customer care. It must be a first in finance.

At the same time as posting on here about our buildings insurance premium I moaned a bit to the broker about the relentless and in my view unjustified hike in premium. He came back to me and said he would ask the insurers if the premium could be reduced. I thought nothing more of it...until today !

He tells me that owing to a claim free 5 years, our insurers have agreed to reduce this year's premium by €77,00. That's about 16% giving a rate of about €2,13 per square metre. Apparently a refund cheque is in the post to us.

I had to share this news as it confounds pretty much everything I have experienced in terms of discounts and customer service in 5 years of part time exposure to France.
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The cynic in me tells me that the insurer was not consulted at all and that the agent has been ripping you off for years. Hardly customer service.

I do agree that it is rare for a company to make any gesture to try and avoid the loss of business though, around here they seem to thrive on doing the opposite, treat customers so badly and even insult them so that they go elsewhere and not seem to care about it, it works because they are all like that (its somlething in the nature of being Picard) and hence as you walk out the door to look for another agent/shop/whatever another punter walks in doing the same thing.

Editted.

The mention of a refund cheque meaning that you have already paid the premium and are hence stuck with the insurer for another year sounds very strange indeed, I really cant believe that the broker will have asked the company to refund some money after they have accepted the the brut premium and issued the insurance.

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just to add a thumbs up for French customer service. Had a powercut while we were away for a few days ... all the freezer contents were ruined. Spoke to broker, he said take a few photos and make a list and get some prices from a supermarket, which we did, and submitted it to him on the Friday. On the Tuesday morning there was the cheque from the insurance company!

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