I am renting a property and there has been storm damage to the roof and rainwater damage to my bedroom. Why do I need to claim on my insurance when I’m a tenant? K.L.
Under an agreement between insurers in France, if there is water damage in a rented property caused by a problem with the building (i.e. roof, plumbing, heating system), then it is the tenant’s insurance that will pay for the redecoration inside the property.
The landlord’s insurance will take care of the repair and once the tenant’s insurer is satisfied that the repair has been carried out satisfactorily, the tenant’s insurer will authorise for the redecoration to be carried out.
I have been involved in an accident with a driver in a foreign car. It was not my fault so why did I have to pay the excess on the claim? R.A.
If you are involved in an accident with a driver who has insurance with a company that is not in the convention collective nationale des sociétés d’assurances then you will need to pay the excess and your insurance company will pay for the repairs to your car. You pay
the excess, then the whole amount is claimed back from the other insurer. Once the claim is paid out by the other insurer both you and your insurer will be reimbursed.
One of my trees fell during a storm. It has not damaged anything but needs to be removed. Will my insurance pay for this? L.F.
Generally, if there is no damage caused by the falling tree then this is not covered on a multirisque habitation policy.
However, it is possible to enhance your policy so that it provides more cover for your garden which includes plants and trees.
In this case the removal would probably be covered. If you do not have the enhanced garden cover then it is often possible for a local company
to come to remove the tree for free or little cost, as they can often sell it as firewood and will be happy to take it.
Do I need to have locks on all of my doors and windows and if I do, what type do they need to be? M.E.
The security requirements can differ between insurers and also between postcodes. It is best to ask your insurer for details of what the security requirements are for your property.
Generally, if you have blinds/shutters these need to be closed when you are absent (only if you are absent for more than 24 hours with some insurers). Any lockable doors and windows should be locked when you are not on the premises.
If you have bars on any windows there can also be a requirement for the minimum distance between each bar. If you do not respect the security measures and have a break-in then usually the amount of the claim is reduced i.e. only 50% is paid out.
This would be the case if you forget to close the shutters but the window is locked.
If you forget to lock the window or leave it open then usually for your insurance to be valid there needs to be evidence of the break-in, so if there is no damage often your claim will be rejected. Your insurer will also check the police report to validate the details of the incident.
I was involved in a minor car accident. We filled in an accident report form but as I don’t have any damage to my vehicle do I have to report it to my insurer? P.R.
If you have completed an accident claim form (see right) then you must report it to your insurer within five days. This may not necessarily open a claim with your insurer, but if the other party’s insurer sends through a claim your insurer is already aware.
It could be that the other party is trying to claim that you were at fault for the accident, and by not reporting it you are leaving yourself vulnerable for an at fault claim when you were not at fault.
I have a right-hand drive car, registered in France. Is my insurance the same as if it is a left hand car? T.Y.
Your right hand drive car is insured for exactly the same things as a left-hand drive car. A problem may arise, however, if you are involved in an accident that results in your car needing to be repaired.
The insurance expert will consider the cost of the repair against the value of the car. Replacement parts may be more expensive as they are
not readily in stock in France.
The added complication then is that the market value for a right-hand drive car will usually be lower than its left-hand drive equivalent. Couple these two factors together and it can suddenly mean that your car is an insurance write off.
You could end up in a situation where a car you bought a year ago in the UK for say £5,000, is valued at €5,000 in France after a non-fault accident. The result: you are out of pocket even though someone else caused the accident!
I had an accident and a passing car stopped to help and arranged for my car to be taken to a garage by a breakdown truck from a local garage. I have paid
the garage but why won’t my insurance refund me when I’ve sent the receipt to them? K.P.
If you have assistance included in your policy, it is really important to inform the assistance service as soon as you can when you have an incident. Your assistance service will arrange for the breakdown service to come to you. If it has already been arranged then you can give them the information and clarify if they will pay for it.
If you break down or have an accident on an autoroute or rocade (bypass) then it is normal for the police to arrange the recovery of your vehicle. You should still call your assistance service to advise them that your vehicle is being recovered.
This opens the file with them so that they can pay up to the approved limit on your policy for the recovery.
Somebody drove into the back of my car but refused to give me their details or fill out an accident report form. What can I do to claim on their insurance? O.T.
If someone involved in an accident with you refuses to complete an accident report form, it is important that you take a note of their car registration number, take as many photographs of the scene and vehicle as possible and the details of any witnesses.
Contact your insurer and they will try to track down the insurer using the vehicle registration number.
You can also contact the gendarmerie, who may be able to provide you with an address of the registered keeper of the other vehicle.
Answers compiled with the help of Axa Agence International, a dedicated English-speaking agency www.axa-in-france.fr
Do I need to sign a car accident report form?
DO I have to sign an accident report form? Can I change it after, if I realise
I haven’t understood what I was filling in at the time of the accident? F.C.
You must make sure that you complete a constat d’amiable d’accident – accident report form when you are involved in an accident. However, depending on how you complete the form can have a huge impact on the claim. If you are in doubt, in any way, about any part of the form, then DO NOT SIGN IT.
Once the form is signed then you are making a declaration that it is an accurate version of the events. Take details of any witnesses and take photographs if you can. When you draw the sketch showing the position of vehicles etc. be careful to show any road signs, traffic lights and road markings. If the centre line is a solid or broken line then make sure you show
it as that.
You need to tick the boxes in the middle that are applicable and write a number at the bottom showing how many boxes have been ticked (this is to stop an extra box being ticked afterwards).
Remember, the golden rules are: complete the constat and do not sign if you are unhappy or unsure of anything.
