Insuring a vacant property in France

Written by Anne-Katell 

In France, it is possible to insure a vacant property and it is advisable even if it is not legally required. It is usually cheaper to insure your French property directly with a French insurer rather than with your normal UK insurer. As in UK, the correct and exact characteristics of the house must be provided to make sure that if there is a claim the house will be covered by the guarantee. French house insurance is offered mainly by French banks, insurance companies and their local agencies, French brokers and online services, sometimes in English.

Similarly to England, in France, there are comparison websites which can be a good starting point however, most of them are in French. Many French banks offer home insurance to their clients and some provide the service in English. If you do not have a French bank account, one alternative is to contact a large French insurance company. They usually have an English-speaking phone line, or you can contact one of their local agents who is advertised as English speaking. They can offer a more tailored service. It is also possible to find home insurance through a broker known as “courtier d’assurance”, as they specialise in international work. Online services can be useful if you are only after standard home insurance.

In all cases, be aware that the terms of business for your home insurance are likely to be in French. Also, the personal representatives have a duty to preserve the Estate value; the same rules apply if the property is situated in France.

To find out more, contact our in-house French Lawyer, Anne-Katell.

Categorised in: French Law

This post was written by Caitlin Roxburgh