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Insurance and home improvements

When you start a renovation project, we advise you to contact your insurer to inform them of the planned work to verify (and modify if necessary). For example, if you decide to add a new floor to your home, youreview your insurance coverage since this floor did not exist before.

Liability insurance:

It is highly recommended to hire an insured general contractor as well! The most important insurance for a renovation project is civil liability. It offers broad protection to the general contractor in the event of material damage (to your property or that of your neighbour) or bodily damage if these are related to the work in progress. Note that the general contractor is responsible for the site area.

Construction insurance:

If your property is not insured at the time of the renovation work: for example, you have just bought a house, and you have started renovations before subscribing to an insurer's plan, or you decide to add the floor in your home already insured (this floor was not guaranteed in the past), it is advisable to ask your contractor for construction insurance. The amount of coverage of this insurance must be at least equal to the construction work's value.

Confirm risk coverage during works:

To be sure to see your home and your movable property covered by your home insurance while the work is being carried out, you must still consult your insurer. You must then be sure that all the spaces declared in your contract are covered, whether they are living rooms (used for determining the agreement) or others (bathrooms, toilets, etc.), but also a room or an external dependency.

It is also essential to be covered for any losses that may arise during this work. You may as well face:
● a fire: which could break out when using a soldering iron for example;
● an explosion: if you stored the gas cylinders necessary for the tools on the site;
● a theft: if you redo a facade and it allows easier intrusion into your home.

Please note: in the event of necessary work in the common areas, this is the property manager's task and will depend on your share of the directors' fees. If the latter refuses to undertake them or consult the co-owners on this subject, you can initiate proceedings against your co-ownership trustee. It is in no way your responsibility to launch them!

Request extended warranty:

If your insurer assures you that you are not fully covered for the work you want to carry out, or in any case in the wrong way, you can quite ask for an extension of warranty. The purpose of this is to take into account the gaps left by your current home insurance contract in terms of protection. You can then add an amendment to the agreement, which will testify to an additional guarantee.

This warranty extension may concern the areas to be covered, the claims that you may face, or even the persons declared in civil liability to protect against damage to the property of a third party. It is for you to precisely see your insurer what additional guarantee he can offer you, obviously subject to an increase in the home insurance premium.

Carrying out work for your home should not be taken lightly. Remember to take all the necessary measures and consult your insurer before their execution to be aware of the coverage you have. Please keep all the invoices attesting to the work; you can use them to deduct the VAT relating to the creation and lower the rating.

The provider's insurance during the works:

As with home insurance for a house under construction, if you call on a professional to carry out the work undertaken, the latter must have adequate professional insurance, which will cover it in the event of damage caused to your heritage.

Decennial liability insurance for works:

The professional you can call on to carry out your work is also called a "project manager". It is for him to be covered in the event of an incident that would cause damage to your property or your home. Within this framework, he can subscribe to decennial liability insurance; this requires him to repair the damage caused to the solidity of the construction structure.
This warranty runs for ten years following the work's completion and covers damage to pipes or lighting, for example. In general, anything that would make the accommodation unsuitable for its use and for which the responsibility lies with the professional is covered by this guarantee.

Structural damage insurance during works:

Structural damage insurance can be taken out individually by the individual and chosen in agreement with the project manager. This guarantee makes it possible to cover damage attributable to a significant home modification, such as an extension or an elevation.

Little known to the general public, this insurance nevertheless guarantees the reimbursement of compensation due in the context of significant works without waiting for responsibilities to be established in a legal framework.

Guarantee of perfect completion in case of work:

The guarantee of perfect completion is one of the legal obligations to which the professional carrying out the work is bound. It requires it to repair the damage resulting from poor craft during the year following the work's completion. You can send him a registered letter with acknowledgement of formal notice receipt, obliging him to repair the defects in question.

In the event of a dispute with the manufacturer, who could refute that the defects are his fault, you can enter the competent courts depending on the amount of the damage:
● less than £ 3560: proximity judge;
● between £ 3560 and £ 8898.44: district court;
● over £ 8898.44: tribunal de grande instance.

The legal protection guarantee can be beneficial to you since it will cover you costs that would be incurred in court to obtain compensation.

Biennial warranty during works:

The two-year guarantee is applied when the damage observed concerns the proper functioning of the equipment installed during the works, two years after their end. In particular, this can be the faucets, sanitary appliances, or radiators, which would not work correctly after their installation by the professional and which would then have to be repaired or replaced.

Here again, you must send him a letter of formal notice, registered and with acknowledgement of receipt as soon as possible following the observation of the malfunction. In the same way, as for the guarantee of perfect completion, you can enter the competent courts in the event of a dispute, depending on the amount concerned.

Home insurance after the work:

Adapt home insurance for compensation

As part of the performance of the work, you will be covered in different ways depending on the insurance taken out by the professional who performed them:

● One year for perfect completion guarantee;
● Two years for the two-year warranty;
● Ten years for decennial liability insurance.

However, you must also update your home insurance contract to be compensated for the changes caused by the work. If you have had new equipment installed, consider declaring it to your insurer to protect it in the event of a claim. Likewise, you may have acquired new movable property that will need to be reported to your insurance company so that they can cover them in the event of damage.

The changes must be sent to your insurer to determine a new replacement value for the equipment that may have been installed or replaced. Otherwise, you would risk not being compensated up to your expectations when a loss occurs.

Modification of home insurance:

Beyond the new equipment installed or the reassessment of your movable property, the very nature of the accommodation is likely to have been modified. You were able to have an extension installed such as a veranda, a porch, additional rooms, or even a different floor in your home. All the changes involved that would profoundly modify your home must also be reported to your insurer to ensure the risk, which is limited.

It turns out that your property's value will probably have increased in value, whether it is a renovation or expansion work. It will a priori be in better condition than before, at the same time increasing its base value. The contract update must consider all the modifications made to readjust your insurance premium, which will undoubtedly be higher; however, you will be better covered for the new specificities that your home presents.

Housing work: how to change home insurance?

The completion of work supposes the improvement of your living environment; therefore, of your property, it is evident that your home insurance premium is also rising. Your insurer will send you a proposal that you can accept; you also have the option to terminate your contract if this does not suit you, under certain conditions.

The first step is to check the "Cancellation" chapter of your home insurance contract. The specifics related to the cancellation of the agreement are detailed. If your insurer has provided a clause providing a revision of contributions, the corresponding increase in your premium will be average. You will still have to check that the contract validates the termination because some only provide for its possibility in the event of a premium increase exceeding a certain amount.

If you wish to terminate, you must send your insurance company a registered letter of termination with acknowledgement of receipt within 30 days of the proposal to increase your premium. The stop in question will then occur between 15 days and one month after receipt of this notification. You will be required to pay the contributions due for the period that has elapsed between sending the letter and the effective termination of the contract.