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).