House insurance

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atiley
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed May 18, 2022 1:59 pm
Location: Staffordshire

House insurance

Post by atiley »

I have a house in Normandy but live in the UK. I would like to rent it in the Summer months and have had an enquiry for a seven week rental. I have tried to check if my house insurance with CIC bank covers me for renting and they have said yes ‘as long as there is no change of use’ ie it remains a residence secondaire and not just for renting. It all sounds a bit vague to me- I have also read that if you rent a property for more than three weeks, this constitutes a long term rental- is this correct and if so, what are the implications of this? All I want is to cover some bills, not start a business. Grateful for any help..
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paolo
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Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2004 1:18 pm
Location: Provence, France
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Re: House insurance

Post by paolo »

The question you need to ask your insurance provider is: am I covered in the event that the house is accidentally burnt down by its occupants during a location saisonnière, who have no insurance of their own?

Because what a French insurer means by 'you are covered' generally translates to 'you are covered because we will claim on the guests' insurance'. This is usually no problem as long as the guests are French, as French home insurance includes personal liability insurance (assurance villégiature) when the insured rents a holiday let in France. The system dates back to when only French people rented gites in France.

You can get additional insurance, depending on your supplier, to cover you for rentals, but you need to make it clear what you want, as above.
Paolo
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atiley
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed May 18, 2022 1:59 pm
Location: Staffordshire

Re: House insurance

Post by atiley »

Many thanks Paolo,

As I mentioned, I have insurance with CIC who I also bank with- because I live in the UK and find understanding the detail of the policy (in French) difficult, I am wondering whether it might be better to take out a policy through a UK insurer- that way, I can be sure that I get cover for what I need. What would you recommend? Many thanks.
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paolo
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Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2004 1:18 pm
Location: Provence, France
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Re: House insurance

Post by paolo »

If that is an option then why not, but I am not sure that you can get the insurance you need from a UK provider. You can't from Schofield's for example.

Another approach is to ask your renters to have the required insurance. They can do that with Albinet online here. It costs from 3.5% for high rental rates to about 5% for tiny ones.

(The above link is my affiliate link but any commission is paid by the company not the renter).
Paolo
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