You have found the flat, the lease is ready, the keys are almost yours. Then one more request lands in your inbox: “Please send your home insurance certificate.”
Many newcomers hear about it at the last minute. Here is what it is, what it covers, and what happens if you skip it.
Is it compulsory?
Yes, for a main residence. Insuring your home is a legal obligation for tenants, furnished or unfurnished. Your landlord asks for a certificate from your insurer when you receive the keys, then once a year.
There is an exception: since the ALUR law of 2014, the obligation does not apply to a furnished flat that is not your main residence and that you occupy less than 8 months a year, free of charge. Even then, insurance remains strongly advised.
No certificate, no keys
In my experience, no agency will hand over the keys before it has received the certificate. So do not leave it for the last day: it can delay your move-in. The good news: you can send it by email. There is no need to send the original.
What the minimum covers
The legal minimum is the “risques locatifs” cover: fire, water damage and explosion. It protects your landlord for damage to the flat. It does not cover your belongings, and it does not cover damage you cause to other people.
A “multirisque habitation” policy bundles more: civil liability, theft, broken glass, electrical damage, natural disasters, and options such as replacement of furniture at new value. The exact list varies from one insurer to another.
Think of water damage: a leak that starts in your flat can reach the flat below. That is exactly the situation I describe in my guide on water damage.
My advice if you are new to France
Online insurers are often cheaper. But when something goes wrong, you usually have to call a platform, and you end up in front of an automated voice menu. Reaching a real person without a struggle is close to impossible, and even harder if you do not speak French.
So my advice for clients coming from abroad: choose a policy with a contact point, meaning an actual person you can speak to, in a language you understand. Paying a little more for that is worth it the day you have a leak.
What happens if you do not send the certificate
Your landlord can send you a formal notice. If you do not react within a month, they can take out an insurance in your name and recover the premium with your rent, in monthly instalments.
The lease can also be terminated for lack of insurance, but only if it contains a clause covering this exact case, and only one month after a formal order that has gone unanswered.
Before you sign
- Ask your landlord or agent which certificate they want, and by when.
- Get two or three quotes before the key handover, not after.
- Check what is covered besides the minimum: liability, belongings, theft.
- Make sure there is a real person to call, who speaks your language.
- Email the certificate to your landlord or agent, and keep a copy.
- Note the renewal date: the certificate is requested every year.
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