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Disaster Compensation! Flood, storm , avalanche, earthquake… The damage caused in the event of a natural disaster can be very heavy. How are we compensated? What precautions should be taken?
Home insurance Insurance
Insurance against natural disasters is not compulsory, it is not included in a basic home insurance contract. However, this insurance is included in the “comprehensive home” contract. It covers damage due to natural disasters: you can thus be compensated in the event of flooding, landslides, avalanches, storms, earthquakes, droughts, or following the mechanical effect of waves.
If they refuse to insure me?
Everyone must be able to insure themselves against the risks of natural disasters. If your insurance company refuses to insure this risk, it is possible to contact the Central Tariff (BCT). This must be done within 15 days of notification of the refusal by the insurance company, by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. The BCT will then oblige your insurer to guarantee you against the risk of natural disasters , or it will find you another insurance likely to cover you against this risk.
How does the warranty apply?
The guarantee only applies in the event of publication of an interministerial natural disaster decree in the Official Journal. The purpose of this decree is to facilitate compensation by recognizing the seriousness and the climatic origin of the disaster. The insured therefore does not have to demonstrate the cause of the loss or its circumstances. The decree also determines the period during which the natural disaster occurred, the area or areas affected and the nature of the damage caused. The warranty covers homes, furniture, motor vehicles, stabled livestock and crops. Are not concerned: everything concerning indirect charges (rental losses and moving costs, etc.), gardens, plantations and various outbuildings.
The declaration of loss
The insured must declare the loss to his insurer within 10 days of publication of the natural disaster decree in the Official Journal. He must therefore take stock of the losses fairly quickly. You must provide the list of damage suffered and the encrypted list of all lost or damaged items. As a precaution, it is advisable to keep receipts and take photos if you fear a natural disaster, especially if you live in a risk area. An expertise can be made and it is better to keep everything elsewhere than at home preferably because in the event of a major disaster all the evidence could be destroyed. If urgent repairs are necessary, the insured must keep the invoices for the purchase of equipment so that they can be taken into account by the insurer.
How am I paid?
The insurer has a period of three months to verify the assessment made and compensate the insured. In the event of a particularly urgent and difficult situation, the insurer may pay a provision within two months of the natural disaster decree. You should know that there are deductibles: it is €380 for property for private use and 10% of the amount of damage for professional property, with a minimum of €1,140. Deductibles are set by law and not by the insurance company. They vary according to the terms of the number of decrees. For example, 1st and 2nd natural disaster recognition orders: application of the deductible. At the 3rd stop: doubling of the applicable excess.
NB
The state of natural disaster is established by an inter-ministerial decree which determines the areas and periods where the disaster took place as well as the nature of the damage caused by it. The victim has 10 days after the publication of the decree in the Official Journal to make the declaration to his insurer.
DAMY law firm , Nice, Natural Disasters and Insurance, Update 2022.
