What the recent wildfires mean for people seeking insurance in France

France's insurance industry is counting the cost of a summer of unprecedented wildfires, with a deadline to report damages set to run out at the end of the month and concerns home premiums will greatly increase.

Fires were the leading cause of home insurance compensation in France last year, amounting to over €2.2 billion - 28.7% of the total cost of payouts last year, according to industry experts France Assureurs.

This year, the recent and ongoing wildfires in France have destroyed several tens of thousands of hectares of land and hundreds of properties, and there will be a financial impact on home insurance premiums in these areas, said Olivier Moustacakis, managing director of insurance comparison site Assurland.com.

“Premiums will continue to rise, for several reasons. The claims rate is increasing every year, but there are also external factors such as geopolitical situations and the rising cost of materials,” said Mr Moustacakis. 

The 2026 Assurland Barometer* confirms that home insurance premiums are rising, with French residents paying an average of €310 per year, compared with €274 last year (up 13%) on a national level. 

Prices also vary depending on location, with higher prices in regions that are particularly vulnerable to weather-related disasters such as storms and wildfires: Occitanie (€346, up 13.9%), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (€332, up 20.2%) and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (€331, up 4.6%).

“These areas have been affected by storms and fairly severe weather disasters, and are therefore among the most expensive to insure,” said Mr Moustacakis.

Brittany is the cheapest region in France, with an average premium of €244.

Can homeowners make an insurance claim for fire damage?

Most comprehensive insurance policies include fire protection (la garantie incendie) which should cover any damage caused by a forest fire, with no changes to deductibles.

This can apply to home policies, business insurance and motor insurance - covering damage caused to insured property and outbuildings, as well as their contents, subject to the terms and limits set out in each policy. 

Damage caused by elements such as smoke, soot or firefighters may also be covered. 

Homeowners should contact their insurance as soon as possible - typically within five working days following an incident.

However, insurers usually prolong the deadline for reporting damage for major wildfires, as people may be unable to get back to their properties or company buildings in time.

This is the case for the fires in Gironde, Landes and Var this year, where deadlines to report damage have been extended with most insurance companies until August 31.

In an exceptional measure following the Gironde wildfire, insurers said they would cover temporary rehousing costs for those evacuated capped at a maximum of three weeks, however this came following a negotiation between France’s insurance federation and the government. Such offers are usually only given if already included in a policy.

Note that premiums for comprehensive home insurance across all cover types, including catastrophe naturelle (CatNat), reached €15.0 billion in 2025 - an 8.4% increase in one year.

This was “due to the revaluation of the natural disaster premium from January 1, 2025, and a rise in the number of policies (+0.6%),” said France Assureurs. 

Wildfires, however, do not fall into the CatNat scheme. Insurers state that this is due to the origin of most wildfires in France: around 90% of fires are caused by human activity rather than weather patterns.

Insurance policies specific to second homes may see longer deadlines for reporting issues, as the timer for reporting damage is generally only triggered when an owner observes or becomes aware of any damage.

The offer to cover rehousing costs also typically only applies to main homes so may not include second homes.  

Advice for homeowners impacted by wildfires

Minor damage caused by wildfires can generally be sorted out quickly via remote assessment, however when a property is completely destroyed, an expert must be sent out to assess the damage directly.

“Take photos, keep your receipts and proof of purchase, and try to provide as much information as possible. If you have photos of your home before and after the incident, these may also be useful to the assessors and the insurer in order to arrive at an accurate estimate,” said Mr Moustacakis.

“In the case of houses that have been completely destroyed, you must not throw anything away and you must not move anything until the surveyor has visited. You must leave everything as it is,” he added.

Homeowners should only intervene if taking any necessary precautionary action to limit further damage, where safe to do so.

Mr Moustacakis also highlighted the importance of implementing all possible preventative measures to help minimise wildfire damage in the first place. 

In the last few years, “fires on the outskirts of Marseille affected a large number of homes. All the homes that were affected were those which had failed to comply with the fire prevention regulations imposed by the town hall, which included the clearing of undergrowth around the house. The other houses, which had cleared their undergrowth properly, were not affected by the fire,” he said.

“We also need to foster a culture of risk awareness among the general public… Taking preventative measures can limit damage, reduce compensation costs, and prevent insurance premiums from rising so sharply year after year.”

*Study based on 7,580 home insurance quotes provided on Assurland.com between January 1 and May 1, 2026.