A month’s worth of rain in one day is expected today. Ex-Hurricane Kirk, which has become a storm, will sweep across France this Wednesday, October 9, causing “intense rain” from Vendée to Champagne-Ardenne via the Paris region, Météo France alert. 30 departments are placed on orange vigilance in the forecaster’s bulletin, published at 6 a.m. Among these departments, 23 are placed on orange vigilance for “rain flood”four for «vent» (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Loire and Rhône) and three for floods (Haute-Saône, Saône-et-Loire and Vosges).
Last winter, several episodes of precipitation in Pas-de-Calais caused significant damage, affecting thousands of homes, sometimes flooded several times a few days apart, but also farms, businesses and businesses. Since the start of the year, the price of home insurance has increased by more than 10% in the region, making Hauts-de-France the 4th most expensive region in mainland France.
What is included in your insurance contract?
The “water damage” guarantee covers certain floods. “Insurance initially covers floods, but only those caused by leaks, infiltrations or ruptured pipes, for example.», Explains Olivier Moustacakis, co-founder of the insurance comparator Assurland. In other words, the guaranteewater damage» that we find in our insurance contracts does not concern storms but rather a capricious washing machine or a shower cubicle with aged seals. More precisely, the guarantee generally concerns damage linked to:
- to unburied pipes for cold or hot water and for the evacuation of domestic water, rainwater, etc.
- central heating installations, except buried pipes,
- water effect devices (septic tank, boiler, washing machine),
- to containers (child’s bathtub, refrigerator, etc.).
The damage covered can be material (furniture, goods, parquet flooring, etc.), and, depending on the scope of the contract, immaterial. The latter case compensates for the deprivation of enjoyment of the damaged area, that is to say the impossibility of enjoying it normally because of the deterioration suffered. Intangible losses can also be compensated according to the contract, such as rental or operating losses.
The “climatic event” guarantee versus the “natural disaster” regime
The “climatic event” guarantee is also included in all home insurance contracts and concerns losses related to wind, hail, rain, snow and ice. It could be a torn roof, a falling tree or damaged furniture when the wind blows at more than 100 km/h. For the climatic event to be taken into account, the wind must have damaged buildings.of good construction» on a specific area. This means that they must be built for more than 50% and covered for more than 90% with hard materials, according to the ANIL website. The victim then has 5 days to report the loss. He must then wait for the compensation provided for in his contract.
In the case of much more violent events such as earthquakes or floods linked to floods, the natural disaster regime allows exceptional circumstances for compensation. For example, the time limit for reporting a claim increases from 5 to 30 days. In addition to this additional period of time, insurers must “make an advance in compensation and fully compensate the victim within 3 months following the disaster», Specifies the specialist. It is in fact a real legal regime established in 1982 with the aim of “to insure what was not insurable», he analyzes. But for this to happen, the state of natural disaster must be recognized by order published in the Official Journal.
Everyone contributes to this solidarity fund since each insured person has contributed 12% since 2000. “Moreover, the system has been in deficit for several years, remarks Olivier Moustacakis. That is to say, the cost of compensation exceeds the amount of the dedicated fund, because the number of natural disasters increase. Experts estimate that this tax should be increased to 19%».
