2023-11-03 13:34:00
DThey people were killed by storm Ciaran, which devastated north-west France, and particularly Brittany, between Wednesday and Thursday. More than 500,000 homes are still without electricity, and many trees, uprooted by gusts of nearly 200 km/h, have fallen, causing damage to homes and infrastructure.
If your home was affected by the storm, you are entitled to compensation from your insurance to help repair the damage.
Here are the steps to follow.
Take photos of the damage
In the event of damage, the first instinct must be to photograph the damage from all angles in order to send the supporting documents to the insurance company. Also collect the invoices you have for damaged goods. Secondly, you can make an appointment with craftsmen to calculate the cost of repairs: the quotes will be used by insurance companies to calculate compensation.
Protect your belongings to prevent damage from getting worse
Once you have collected this evidence, clean up and try to protect what can be protected. Cover the damaged roof, shelter the rain-soaked furniture, clear the rubble… But once the lull comes, not before: no need to take unnecessary risks.
Contact your insurance as soon as possible
France Assureurs, the French Insurance Federation, advises its customers to make contact as soon as damage is observed, by telephone, email, SMS or Internet. The most effective remains the online declaration, available 24 hours a day, which allows you to obtain a file number in order to follow your progress.
Once your file has been processed, the insurer will be able to tell you “the insurance guarantee under which you can be compensated”. This guarantee depends on your contract, the level of coverage you have chosen, and the origin of the damage. Your advisor will also tell you how to report your damage.
Each multi-risk home contract contains a clause including storm guarantee. This covers without ceiling all damage caused by wind, provided that it exceeds 90 km/h or 100 km/h – it depends on the contracts. It concerns the building, the tiles and any fittings. However, you must remember to declare these annexes in the contract: hence the interest in communicating regularly with your insurance, verandas and other swimming pools are often forgotten.
Not all vehicles are covered: only those with full risk insurance are covered. If you are insured with a third party, do not expect any compensation.
Report your damage
You normally have five days to make your declaration, but this deadline has been extended to one month by insurers for storm Ciaran, i.e. until 1is December.
This period starts from the moment you become aware of the damage: if you go to your second home one month following the storm, you have five days (or one month) from that moment to declare your damage.
This declaration must detail all damages suffered and list all your damaged property. Don’t skimp on supporting documents: provide as many photos as possible of the damage, find invoices, notarial deeds, etc. If you carry out initial repairs to your property, be sure to keep the materials purchase invoices, so that your insurance take them into account.
Depending on the type and level of damage you report, your insurance will tell you if an expert visit is necessary to estimate the losses.
And wait!
Once your declaration has been made and processed by your insurer, they will make you an offer of compensation, calculated on the value of the reconstruction. Deductibles may nevertheless apply if they are provided for in your contract. Once an agreement is reached, payment is made on average within thirty days, although this period may vary. A deposit may also be paid to you.
For damage linked to flooding and marine submersion, you must wait for the natural disaster order, which then opens a period of thirty days from its publication to make your declaration. The insurer has a maximum of three months to compensate you, from the date of publication of the decree.
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