Home insurance guarantees

Insurance contracts include a set of guarantees at the option of the insured, but all include an essential insurance base. The extent of the guarantees is different from an insurance company to another and one contract to another.

A civil liability is included in the contract and covers all members of the family of the insured. It allows to compensate third parties (outside the family home) against any damage caused by a member of the family in the context of privacy.

The fire and explosion are safeguards that allow the rehabilitation of the immovable property and reimbursement of movable property in the event of a fire or explosion at home.

Theft, attempted theft and vandalism are important guarantees of the contract. They are often decisive in the calculation of the levy to be paid. These warranties cover goods which have disappeared, are destroyed or damaged during a theft or attempted theft. The deductible applied on this warranty can be important depending on the likelihood of flight (e.g. isolated location). These guarantees to function properly, it is necessary to read the General conditions of the contract specifying the means of closures required (number of locks to the doors for example).

The water damage covers damage caused by leakage or infiltration of water at home or a neighbour.

Ice breaking allows to replace a window glass broken by a causes beyond the control of the insured.

The storm, snow, hail covers damage caused by the action of wind, snow, or hail.

Natural disasters or technological risks are safeguards that support damage linked to an outside natural fact as an earthquake, avalanche, or as the damage caused by a polluting factory near his home.

The legal protection is to have a legal way to prevent assistance or settle a dispute. The scope of this service can go the telephone Board in the resolution of the dispute before the courts.

Other accessories guarantees can optionally be included in the contracts of accommodation such as damage to electrical equipment, damage to the contents of the freezer.

Read More

Natural disasters: that covers insurance

Violent winds, landslides, floods... these natural phenomena can cause serious damage to your property and expensive. If guarantees storms and disaster natural are necessarily included in insurance contracts housing, certain property, like your car, are not necessarily covered. Conditions and time limits for implementation, franchise... update on key insurance damage and disaster information.

Each situation its warranty

The principle

Damage to the property insured shall be compensated according to the guarantees provided by your contract of insurance. It must refer to the General and special conditions of the contract to check the risks covered and the conditions of application.

The regime of natural disasters

The legal guarantee of natural disasters scheme dates back to 1982. Are considered as natural disasters "uninsurable direct property damage had caused the abnormal intensity of a natural agent, when measured normal to take to prevent such damages were unable to prevent their occurrence or could not be taken" (article l. 125-1 of the French insurance Code). It can be floods, mudslides, of tidal wave... or the effects of the wind as an inter-ministerial decree of recognition is published in the Official Journal.

This warranty is obligatorily granted in damage (type contract of insurance) insurance contracts except:

·  If the property has been implemented after the publication of a plan for the prevention of natural risks considering the unbuildable area;

·  If the property or activity have been implanted in violation of the administrative rules in force to prevent the damage caused by a natural disaster.

The guarantee natural disasters provides support of damage caused to insured property (buildings, furnishings, vehicles).

Thus, the goods uninsured damages are not covered (ex: gardens, fences or vehicles insured only civil liability)

A franchise
legal still remains the responsibility of the insured:

·   EUR 380 for property in residential tenancies (1520 EUR for drought damage)

·   10% of direct property damage with a minimum of 1140 EUR for professional use

The franchise can be increased through repetitive disasters if the municipality does not have a plan for the prevention of natural hazards.

The security storm

If the State of natural disaster is not declared, the storm, must be present in the insurance contracts, warranty all damage caused by the wind (falling tree, roof damaged or ripped off, furniture damaged by rain of roof damage).

In this case, insured persons whose housing was affected are compensated according to the conditions laid down in their contract. But be careful! The storm warranty covers damage caused by the rain inside buildings if they occur within forty-eight hours but does not cover flood damage. Will require a declaration of natural catastrophe.

Good reflexes

· Take all measures for securing and protection (insulation, tarpaulin...) of your damaged property to not aggravate the damage;

·  for the vehicle, do not hesitate to drive it in the garage or that of your insurance in order to facilitate expertise;

·  If you had to intervene urgently in order to limit the damage, keep all supporting documents (photos, invoices, etc).

The claims process

It involves three steps:

· The claim: it is to prevent his insurer (letter preferably phone, visit to the cabinet) of the loss within a period specified in the contract which may not be less than 5 working days. 

· The supporting documents to be provided: a precise description of the damage (nature, location...), an encrypted list of objects damaged or lost. To do this, you can (if you have kept them!) submit invoices, deeds, photographs... For professional goods, he agrees to provide leasing and certificates of ownership for real estate, the balance sheets and accounts of results, turnover for your business for example;

·  Expertise: if necessary, your insurance will appoint an expert to assess the damage and set an amount of compensation.

For the period of compensation, count three months from delivery of the estimate of the damage and losses (or from the date of publication of the ministerial decree if it is later).

Read More

The comparator Bank and insurance sites

Change the Bank or find a contract of automobile insurance adapted and at an attractive price is sometimes part of the challenge: how to easily get information and the rates charged by different banks or insurance company? Web sites offer to compare all offers to find the best and cheapest. But who are and how do they work?

The role of the comparators

Comparators sites allow to browse, compare and easy access to banking offers or insurance online.

Sites do not directly manage the proposed contracts. Their intermediary role to bring together the prospect with the Bank or the insurance company. Where appropriate, they present only offers unrelated to the company's site or, more frequently, they allow to directly access the website of the Bank or insurance selected to sign the contract offered by the establishment.

Economic ties

Comparators sites enter into partnerships with banks or insurance companies to reference their offer in their comparator. It's privileged partners when the comparison site is a subsidiary of groups of insurance companies from other sectors.
Comparators also act as a broker: they only have offers from their agent corporations. In fact, the user does not have access to all the existing offers but only those of the site's partners. The comparison of tenders deals only a small part of the market, unless the consumer is clearly warned.

The remuneration of the comparator

Access to the comparator and its results is free for the user.
The comparison site is remunerated, as intermediary, by partner companies.

The site receives a remuneration on the part of society each time in connection: either click to the referenced sites, or to the realization of the relationship (it's to say to the signing of the contract of insurance, at the opening of the bank account or other)

The collection of personal data

Comparators sites can also take advantage of the marketing of the personal data provided by users. Indeed, the results provided by these sites are conditioned to the provision of information which some are considered to be personal. In accordance with the law Informatique and Liberty of 1978, users have a right of access to data concerning them, as well as a right of modification, correction and deletion.

The Charter of the comparators sites

The Federation of e-commerce sales (FEVAD) and the secretariat of State in charge of foresight, evaluation of public policies and the development of the digital economy have promoted in 2008 the establishment by sites comparators signatories to a Charter on ethical commitments to ensure the transparency and relevance of the information presented to the consumer.

The Charter proposes provisions intended to apply to any type of comparator site, not only bank or insurance.

Among the recommendations are:

·         the accuracy of the lack of completeness of offers and that these come sites merchants partners,

·         regular updating of the tenders and the update information;

·         the explanation of the mode of ranking of the displayed results

·         the display of prices all taxes and all costs.

This Charter membership is optional. In August 2012, 10 sites were benefiting from the label, including a single comparator site of insurance products. .

Knowing decipher comparative offers

When you use a comparator site, be careful on some key points. First, learn about the number of beneficiaries covered by the comparison.

Use the comparator sites that do the analyses compared prices (tariffs banking, insurance...) and taking into account also guarantees and services proposed. The comparator site must clearly display the date of update information and rates used to perform the comparison. It must also explicitly mention the criteria for comparison utilises.

Read More

Home insurance

Called home insurance multi-risk helps protect the housing and property that it contains against damage that may arise as a result of a fire, water damage, theft, for example. Similarly, the members of the family of the insured are covered against any damage they might cause to other people.

Insurance obligations

Tenants must ensure their housing rental risks. That is, they must protect the property they use against all kinds of damage as the risk of fire, water damage, explosion... The lack of insurance is even a termination clause of the lease by the landlord.

In regards to the co-owner, his dwelling shall be ensured against any damage it might cause to public areas (stairs, roofs, walls etc.), or its units (the private house of the co-owner). In these cases of loss, home insurance is designed to compensate the other co-owners of damage caused to public areas or their own units.

The owner of a single housing (i.e. a condominium not detained), as a detached house for example, has no obligation to ensure as it can in principle not to cause harm to its neighbors. However, in fact insurance remains indispensable in order to cover its own repairs due to injury so that the assessment of such insurance is not expensive compared to the cost of the repairs into disaster.

Evaluate its movable property at fair value

At the time of the subscription of the housing contract it is necessary to assess its movable assets at their fair value in order to receive a fair compensation in case of disaster. An understatement of the value of its assets may cause a reduction of the compensation paid in the event of disaster.

To assess its own movable property at fair value, should take account of the principle of compensation in the contract:

·         The inferred age value is the value of a property that takes into account his ageing or staleness. This type of compensation does not allow to retool with the same goods as received reimbursement will be lower than the price of the nine. In return, the contribution of the housing contract will be lower than another type of contract;

·         The replacement value to receive compensation in the amount of its assets at their value on the day of the disaster. This type of refund is best because it enables to retool to nine after a disaster, without paying supplement, but the premium will be higher.

Regards suffered not claims the real estate, compensation is typically performed in terms of reconstruction, the insurer indemnifies you so you can rebuild your real estate as it was prior to the disaster.

The franchise

The contract multi-risk often involves several franchises based on the disaster. It is necessary to read the General conditions, where all of the franchises in force and maximum amounts of compensation are specified. More the deductible is high, plus the contribution of the contract will be expensive because the insurer will have less to pay disaster.

Read More

The auto/motorcycle insurance guarantees

The guarantees included in an auto insurance contract are often grouped and marketed with warranty damages (third, third collision or all risks).

Details of the guarantees

The third party warranty also known as liability insurance is the first level of automobile insurance. It allows to compensate others against the damage that the driver could cause but also to be covered in case of damage with another vehicle in case he is not at fault. In all cases, the third party must be clearly identified.

Other simple safeguards can be included as the defense-use warranty or support.

Because of the lack of written guarantees, this insurance remains inexpensive.

Warranty third collision , also known as collision damage insurance, to compensation for damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle provided that the third party is identified, and that the driver is responsible or not. However, in case of accident without third party identified or only, no compensation will be paid.

Warranty all risks is the most extensive coverage since it covers all cases of damage, responsible or not, with or without third parties identified.
In addition, this warranty most often includes all of the warranties described below. What really makes insurance against all risks.

The flight covers the insured against the risk of disappearance of his vehicle. This warranty is particularly useful when the vehicle is new or valuable. The attempted theft, i.e. degradation of locks, startup or management bodies of vehicles, is also covered.

Vandalism , often included in the flight security. This coverage allows the insured to be paid in case of degradation on the vehicle, even without intent to steal.

The fire and explosion of the vehicle are optional guarantees that cover repairs caused by this phenomenon, originally to be spontaneous or induced intentionally by another person.

Ice breaking is a guarantee that allows the repair or replacement of the windshield, side windows or glasses back. Some insurance companies add headlights; mirrors and glass sunroofs.

Natural disasters and attacks are blankets that allow to be compensated in the event of falling tree on the vehicle for example, or if you are victim of an attack or a terrorist act.

Assistance in case of failure of the vehicle allows to involve a tow truck to repatriate the vehicle to a garage at the most closely. Only towing is supported, repairs remain the responsibility of the insured. Insurers typically offer varying mileage franchises of 30 a 50 kilometres from home, however, some contracts offer "zero kilometre", i.e. the support for your at-home.

The legal protection provides support for a conflict linked to the vehicle, the settlement until the fees in the event of trial. However, this warranty does not cover the penalty that could be made to the insured, only the costs of representation at the tribunal are supported.

Defence use allows the insured to delegate to the insurance company the possibility of a remedy against the person responsible for damages suffered by the insured person.

Read More

The principles of the auto/motorcycle insurance

This insurance provides compensation in the event of occurrence of any material or bodily loss caused to others but also to yourself. Auto or motorcycle insurance includes a part of compulsory insurance and an optional part.

Insurance for damage caused to others

It is since 1958 that civil liability is obligatory in automotive contracts. This guarantee allows you to cover third parties against the damage that the driver of the vehicle is likely to cause them. Third parties are involved in an accident caused by a driver. It can be one of the members of the family of the insured, or any other persons. But in any case the insured itself.

In addition to this first warranty, others more optional can be added to the contract such as theft, fire... These various safeguards to protect the driver against all kinds of hazards for which it wishes to be reimbursed for the costs incurred.

The principle of the bonus-malus

This principle allows to financially reward good drivers and penalise bad. This system, also called reduction-enhancement provision, varies the auto insurance contribution based on the good or bad conduct of the insured. Each year a new factor is determined by the number of accidents of which the insurer has determined the driver responsible. This new coefficient used to calculate the contribution of the coming year.

Initially, the coefficient is always "1", then it evolves through 12 months of insurance and 5% upward or downward.

Thus, the maximum factor "good driver" is obtained after 13 years of no fault accident insurance.

On the other hand, responsible for accident insurance contribution increases by 25%. That is, the coefficient is multiplied by 1.25 for each accident, with a maximum markup in the same year set at 350%, i.e. 7 fault accidents in the year. The maximum of malus applied to a driver cannot exceed Meanwhile 400% with several accidents over several years.

Particular case: during an accident, it may be engaged the responsibility of the authors. This is the case of an accident in which two drivers are considered wrong. The malus will then be half for each driver, or 12.50%, i.e. a multiplier of 1.125.

It was after 2 years of insurance accident-free head as malus disappears back to the level of the previous factor.

The franchise

Car contracts often include different deductibles depending on companies and the type of loss. The deductible is an amount that remains your responsibility when you ask for support from your insurer for a guaranteed disaster. Amounts of deductibles are high, more insurance contribution will be small, because the insurer will be less to repay for each recorded claim.

The record of information

It is a document that traces the past of a person as the insured and containing the following information:

·         the usual drivers designated,

·         the number, nature, and the share of responsibility of registered claims,

·         the coefficient of reduction-increase (or Bonus/Malus).

This document is required when an insured wishes to change insurance company and be resumed at its level of bonus or malus.

The green card

The green card or insurance card is the document issued by the insurer to prove that the vehicle is properly insured. The paper must always be in the possession of the driver as well as the gray card and driver's licence. This green card has a detachable label to be placed prominently on the windshield of the vehicle. Also on the back of this card, you will find the list of countries in which guarantees are valid.

Read More

Accident of life insurance

The Accidents of life, also called "GAV" guarantee is a provident contract that guarantees a material and financial support in case of accident of everyday life. These types of accidents are very common and notably household accidents that represent alone more than 60% of the accidents of everyday life and cause nearly 12,000 deaths a year. Most of the GAV contracts can be purchased between 18 and 65 years.

Insurance that is involved in many cases

Contracts 'accidents of life guarantee' can cover the financial consequences of accidents incurred during the daily life, as for example the domestic accidents, DIY, gardening and sports and leisure practice accidents.
This insurance also often occurs in the case of a need for household help, custody of child or school at home.
There are individual contracts or family. In these, children are also covered for accidents of school life, in school or out and the damage they can cause, or they can be victim without third parties identified.

A very large compensation

Death resulting from an accident of life (off road accident because already covered by automobile insurance) is supported with a level of compensation often exceeding the EUR 1 million and paid in the form of capital for the benefit of the heirs.
Disability gives rise to the payment of a pension that will be proportional to the degree of incapacity recognized after the accident.
In the case of medical expenses, compensation will come in addition to reimbursements paid by social security and possibly complementary mutual. Indeed, these organizations support the health costs, but not for other damages, such as the need to redesign a vehicle or housing in the event of disability, the reduction in your income or the disfigurement.

Read More