Holiday Home Insurance and Second Home Insurance
Protecting your holiday home either overseas or in the UK is a vital way to protect your investment. Choosing a UK insurance product means that you will have peace of mind, when it comes to having to make a claim.Selecting the "get a quote" button will direct you to Intasure.
Posts Tagged ‘French Holiday home insurance’
How to find French holiday home insurance
Once you have bought a holiday home in France, you may be keen to find the most suitable insurance policy that you can for your new investment. However, sometimes people have trouble finding a French holiday home insurance policy because they do not know where to start. So, what are your options?
Find second home insurance abroad
One option with your French holiday home insurance is to find it in France. If you speak French to a good level and the language does not provide you with any problems then you may want to find a local company offering insurance. You may also want to have a good knowledge of the requirements of French insurance policies so that you know you are fully covered.
Find your insurance in the UK
Another option is to get your insurance from a second home insurance provider in the UK. The benefit of this is that language problems are minimised and you may be able to understand exactly what is going on with your insurance policy details without any confusion. On top of that, you may not typically have any exchange rate problems to deal with.
Look for the most appropriate insurance for your home
Finding suitable French holiday home insurance is not always easy, and you may want to look around to ensure you find the right policy to protect your home. However, remember that you do not always have to find your insurance in France and that there are options for finding it in the UK, so if this suits you better then you may want to consider it.
Across the Channel – French holiday home insurance
It may be just a short hop across the Channel – or under it, if you travel by tunnel – but France is still a different country. There’s a different culture, customs, and law and, of course, a foreign language. No wonder, then, that French holiday home insurance can leave many second home owners in something of a quandary.
When in France …
One way of trying to ensure that your home away from home has similar insurance to your neighbours, of course, is to buy the cover locally. Trusting in your own command of the language, or with the help of a friendly agent, you could probably get to grips with the basic cover to protect the fabric of the building and its contents.
… but when you’re not
The difference with a second home, however, is that – practically by definition – you’re unlikely to be there all of the time. One of the important aspects of holiday home insurance, therefore, is the cover that is maintained when the dwelling lies empty and unoccupied.
A vacant property, of course, is likely to invite rather more unwelcome attention as the object of vandalism or theft, and insurers may typically expect the owner to exercise greater forethought in carrying out routine repairs and maintenance.
By choosing your French holiday home insurance from a specialist UK-based provider, you could find that the cover is specifically designed to cater for your absences from the property whilst nevertheless ensuring that the insurance continues to meet local requirements and conventions.
French holiday home insurance benefits
Having a holiday home in France is a dream for many people. However, great as the lifestyle in France typically is, it will still make sense to think carefully about French holiday home insurance.
No country in the world is immune from bad weather and other forms of natural disaster. It is equally true to say that all countries suffer from crime.
Both of these things may affect your second home in France and if they do, you may wish to turn to insurance to help you deal with the financial consequences.
French holiday home insurance is typically distinct from that required by an owner-occupier.
For example, typical household insurance for an owner-occupier may not provide cover for a property that is left unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days. In the case of holiday homes, there may be extended periods during which the property is unoccupied and that is why specific insurance is typically required.
Some people may find the thought of discussing insurance and its associated documentation to be a little intimidating if the conversation is going to be conducted in French.
There is a way around this though.
There are UK providers of overseas holiday home insurance that will provide cover for properties abroad, including France.
Having the ability to read all your French holiday home insurance documentation in English may help you find suitable cover at a cost-effective price and without fear that you may have misunderstood something, somewhere!
Getting the most suitable French property insurance
If you have property in France that you use for holidays, then you probably enjoy ‘la belle vie’ that comes with it. However, it would be prudent to ensure that your investment is protected by appropriate French property insurance.
Although you can insure your property locally in France, you may find that the processes and procedures are very different. Unless you speak very good French, it may be difficult to get through the documentation and intricacies.
For example, understanding the differences between owner-occupier and second holiday home cover is important if you are to obtain the correct protection.
The good news is that you can avoid the complexities of language because it is now possible to take out French holiday home insurance through UK providers.
The French property insurance cover provided will, of course, vary depending upon the overseas property insurance provider you are using but it may include things such as:
- damage and loss caused by natural events (to both the bricks and mortar of your property and its contents);
- burglary and theft;
- third party liability cover (to protect guests while they are on your premises);
- employers’ liability insurance (to protect you against the costs of being sued by someone working on the property at your request, such as cleaners etc).
As the UK providers of French property insurance also work ig sterling, it may be more convenient for you in currency terms also.
Finding suitable French property insurance
France is a beautiful part of the world and is one of the first choices for many living in the UK when it comes to purchasing a holiday home. A holiday home can potentially be a huge investment and it is worth protecting your investment with holiday home insurance. So what peace of mind may you get when taking out suitable French property insurance?
Second home insurance in France
The first thing you have to bear in mind is that you need to look for second home insurance for your holiday home and not just typical buildings and contents insurance. One of the main reasons for this is that there are times out of the year when the property stands empty and therefore may pose a larger risk to the insurance provider. Not all insurance providers will offer cover if the property is empty for periods of time, so do check when buying your cover.
The next thing to consider is that just because your holiday home is in France, this does not mean you have to take insurance out in France, you may take it out in the UK. Taking out French property insurance in a language you do not understand very well is never a good idea. Make sure you understand any documentation that comes with second home insurance.
The risks covered
Typically when taking out French property insurance you can have either buildings insurance or contents protection or a combined French holiday home insurance policy. Buildings insurance cover typically protects the shell of the property against certain disasters such as storm damage, fire and flood. The contents part of second home insurance generally covers any contents inside the holiday home against certain perils – up to set limits.
However there is more to holiday home insurance, for instance third party liability insurance. This part of the insurance typically provides help towards any legal costs that might arise if a third party staying in your holiday home gets hurt or injured on your property. With some insurance providers, employers’ liability insurance may be included for any staff you employ, and of course the provider takes into account there might be parts of the year when the home is empty.
It is of course important to remember that what one French property insurance policy offers may be different to what is offered by another, so always check that you are buying the cover that is most suitable for your needs.
A short guide to holiday property insurance
There is nothing like owing your own holiday home abroad in a spot that you love. Protecting your investment with suitable holiday property insurance then, is something you’ll need to consider.
Buildings holiday home insurance
One of the reasons why buildings insurance for second homes may be so valuable is that it protects the shell of your holiday home. Second home buildings insurance typically provides protection against your holiday home being damaged or even destroyed due to unexpected events such as flooding, fire, and storm damage. Any of these events might spell disaster and cause many thousands of pounds worth of damage to the shell of the property.
With some holiday home insurance policies you may also be protected against such things as vandalism, falling trees and other objects that might destroy a portion of your home.
Second home contents insurance
The contents of your holiday home may add up to quite a sum of money and the contents part of holiday property insurance covers these against numerous events. Typically holiday home insurance may protect against everything your standard home contents insurance covers.
Public liability insurance
Also, you may let out your second home to friends, family or paying guests – having holiday home public liability insurance to protect you against claims for personal injury or damages caused while on your property may be something you need to consider. Some policies will offer this as standard, but do check.
Choosing suitable insurance
As with any type of insurance it is important to choose suitable holiday property insurance. Bear in mind that while you do not want to take out more second home insurance than is needed, as this affects the cost of the premiums, you also do not want to under insure as in the event of a claim, you may have to stand to a large loss financially.
The benefits to overseas property insurance
Without overseas property insurance to fall back on you might suffer financial worry and even lose your property if the worst case scenario arises and something happens to your second home. When looking for an insurance policy for your overseas property it is important that you look specifically for holiday home insurance and not just traditional owner-occupier buildings and contents insurance, as with the latter, it is likely that your cover will be invalid.
Why is a second home insurance policy so important?
The reason why choosing specialist overseas property insurance may be so important is that your overseas property typically faces different risks than your own home. For example:
- for part of the year the holiday home usually stands empty, whereas your main property does not. This may make the former more susceptible to things such as theft. Or, something like minor leak, left unattended, could cause extensive damage;
- with a second home, you may have people renting out your holiday home as well as staff to clean the holiday home. With some holiday home insurance policies then you typically have public liability insurance protection and employers’ liability insurance if a third party were to make a claim against due to an injury while in your property.
Of course along with providing protection for events that you may not typically need with standard home and buildings insurance cover, the insurance policy for a holiday home also provides the same protection as a standard policy. This may include:
- protection for the shell of the building against damage or destruction caused by fire, flood and storm;
- damage to the outside of the property due to vandalism;
- damage or destruction caused by falling objects;
- protection for the contents of the building for damage or destruction caused by fire, flood and accidental damage;
- theft of the contents of the property.
Of course the above usually depends on what your insurance provider offers in their overseas property insurance – it can vary among providers – and it is important that you check what the cover entails before you buy holiday home insurance online.
Cheap French holiday home insurance online
If you have a holiday home in France and need insurance for it even if you speak fluent French, you may be better looking for cheap French holiday home insurance online from the UK. If you buy insurance abroad, there is always the possibility of misinterpreting the insurance policy and taking cover that is not the most suitable type for you, and which does not provide for your needs.
The two types of home insurance
Buildings insurance is generally required when taking out a mortgage for the property while contents insurance is a matter of personal choice. If you want total peace of mind and want contents cover too then you may be able to get a policy that combines the two and this may work out cheaper than taking separate polices with different providers.
Contents insurance typically protects any items in your home that are movable. These typically include your personal belongings, furniture and any household goods.
If any of these were to become damaged, stolen or destroyed due to one of the events covered in the policy it typically pays so much towards replacing them. Of course you are expected to pay a certain amount of excess towards the policy which is the amount that you pay if a claim is made before the insurance provider takes over the rest of the claim.
There will also be exclusions – some providers for example will not cover damage by tenants who have let the property. So do check the small print.
Buildings insurance typically covers the shell of your property and anything that you leave behind if you were to move. This may include bathroom and kitchens along with fitted wardrobes. It typically – but not always – covers garden paths, walls, outer buildings, patio areas, swimming pool and garage.
A policy for your home typically protects against fire and theft, vandalism, storm and flood damage, earthquake damage and damage as the result of lightning. However, you do have to check the terms of the cover to ensure you know what you are and are not protected against.
When looking for cheap French holiday home insurance there are many ways that you may be able to help keep down the cost of the insurance.
Security – Security of your home is generally taken into account by insurance providers. For example if you install additional security measures such as an alarm system, smoke alarm, security lighting and erect fencing and a gate around your home it may be seen as less of a risk to thieves.
New for old or depreciation – When insuring the contents of your home insurance providers generally offer a policy that replaces your items and belongings as new for old or they may consider depreciation. If items are replaced as brand new despite their condition, you generally have to pay higher premiums.
How much insurance – When looking for cheap French holiday home insurance you have to make an inventory of the contents of your home. You then insure for this amount, how much cover you need reflects on the insurance premiums. The more you choose to cover the dearer the insurance premiums. It is important to make sure you have adequate coverage but you do not want to over-insure so that you are in effect paying out for cover that is not relevant.
French holiday home insurance
Property in France continues to be attractive to overseas investors, whether they are buying a retirement home, an occasional holiday property or a serious investment which they hope to make considerable profit from during the tourist season. The correct French holiday home insurance is often seen as an essential part of the deal, and protection may be arranged through specialist dealers based in the UK.
Buyers may be offered protection by representatives of firms based in France, perhaps which are recommended by French mortgage providers or agents. But it may pay to also examine the policies offered by British-based providers. They may be able to not only offer a more competitively priced deal but also one which is more comprehensive and easy to understand.
Going through a French firm may mean you end up with documents which are written only in French. Unless your standard of French is excellent, you may struggle to understand what you have bought or properly deal with any problems and disputes which may arise with the insurer.
Companies based in the UK may also supply French holiday home insurance plans which guarantee English staff in the event you have to make a claim. This may reduce the stress involved if there is a problem and help to make sure everything is sorted out quickly.
When arranging cover there are some basic rules which apply which are very similar to arranging insurance for a property based at home. For example, you may need to carefully examine the content of the property in order to make sure you get an effective level of cover. Even though there may be less in the home which is based abroad, you’ll still need an adequate level of protection if you want to be compensated in the event of a break-in or disaster like a fire or flood.
Even property in a location as popular as France may be left empty for long periods out of season. This means having an effective policy in place is important if somebody is to avoid disaster. Therefore a specialised policy which provides protection even when the home is left unoccupied is important. The dangers of having inadequate protection in place for somewhere which is left empty for long periods are obvious. A flood or fire which takes hold may cause far more damage than one which takes hold in a home which is occupied.
Likewise having a French Property left unguarded for long periods may also increase its chances of being burgled, so protection is important here as well.
French holiday home insurance may be less of a formality and more of a way of protecting an asset – especially if someone has bought the property by way of an investment.