HOUSE INSURANCE.....BOTH SIDES....

[rolsinfrance]

I have a house in france and uk...both are insured but are they ?....I am thinking they sometimes might not be...

After contacting a number of companies in uk it seems  if my house is empty for a period for more than 2months  the insurance may be void,....One did say that it only takes  a friend or relative to stay in the house for one night to   re-validiate the policy...  Some time ago  I remember reading  the same applies in france with my french house but I put it to the back of my mind until now... !    . I have not done any research in france ,   does anyone have any info on keeping my house (s)   insurance   valid...........Rols.....[I

[Swissie]

Would be very interested in replies- as we are finding it difficult to insure our flat back in UK.

[Gardengirl]

Our French policy is one for secondary residences. In UK, our son and a neighbour check on the house regularly and if we're planning to be away on longer trips, one of our sons stays overnight. We've not had to claim on either policy, but we stick to the terms and conditions.

[tonyv]

I went through a recent similar period of doubt. My French house is insured as a res sec, and there is no limit on non-occupancy.

I checked with my insurer in the UK, and they absolutely refused to cover anything more than 60 days non-occupancy, and then only with conditions attached. I rapidly discovered that there were very few insurers prepared to cover unlimited non-occupancy. I eventually found http://www.webmoney.co.uk/, who do offer this cover. They only ask for a friend or neighbour to pop in occasionally.

[Swissie]

Just tried to get a quote - but nothing said about friends or neighbours popping in - just how long property empty. Also ask about whether usage only for family - or for rental - when in fact we often have friends staying (eg NOT rental, not family). Also ask about previous insurance - but our previous insurance was for our house we sold last year. So lots of questions which do not fit our situation, and which could later be turned against us.

[Jo]

I have the house in France insured as a Maison secondaire so there is no limit on the number of days it is vacant, but I do have to make sure all water is drained down and turned off at the perimeter of the property in the winter, something I failed to do for the winter of 2008/09 when 5 of my cast iron rads exploded due to the severe cold[:(] needless to say last year it was all drained down!! I had another house in UK that I was doing up to sell on, and I had a terrible job getting anyone to insure it empty, a situation the UK insurers don't seem to like at all.

[Swissie]

A friend suggested using a Broker, rather than one of the big companies - as they will look at each individual case on its own merits. It would be easy to sign up for a Policy on the Internet, only to find it is nul and void in case of a problem - due to small print in one way or other. Many seem to sign up with the cheapest- without fulfilling all requirements, or reading small print  then complain when they refuse to pay up.

[Gardengirl]

Our French policy for second homes specifically mentions use as a second home or for renting out, although we don't rent our place out. We also have the bit in the T&Cs about water. We turn ours off, but don't drain the sysem; we only have a ballon, in the middle of the apartment, no water-filled radiators, and although the weather can get very cold, we are very sheltered and the insulation is very good. The renewal notice each year reminds us about taking care with water supply in winter.

We are often here in winter, and a neighbour on our corridor has the key in case of problems. She popped in during the bad snow earlier this year; she's on the north side of the building, and had problems with snow piling up against her windows and on the Velux; she forgot we face south, and was surprised not to find snow piled up in front of our windows when she opened the shutters. 

A broker is a good idea when circumstances aren't straightforward.

[rolsinfrance]

Hi,

    thanks for your input and I understand what you say however, those companies and brokers I have spoken to so far specifially say that, in order for the property to be covered  there IS  a limit to which the house can remain empty ( unoccupied )    ........Iv e just a new idear which I will check out monday....If or when I find out any useful info I leave a message.....rgds,....rols.....

[rolsinfrance]

Thanks Tony , I will look into this one and some of trhe others........rgds,   rols......

[allanb]

You don't say which is your principal residence, but for what it's worth, my French policy says this:

- the house is insured regardless of whether it's occupied;

- if it's my primary residence, some categories of contents (basically, objects of value) are not insured while it's unoccupied, if it's unoccupied for more than 90 days in any year;

- if it's my secondary residence, those same contents are not insured whenever the house is unoccupied.

The premium is based on a certain level of protection which is supposed to be put in place (e.g. shutters closed and doors locked) during any absence of more than 24 hours.  If we fail to do this, and if the loss can be attributed to our failure, the insurance is still valid, but any payout will be reduced by 50%.

Policies vary, of course, but as far as I know mine is fairly typical, so this may give you an idea of what to expect.