Do you own a chalet in the mountains or a vacation home by the sea? Or more simply, are you a tenant of a second home? Whatever your case, you should think about insuring your second home against theft, damage or other kinds of damage.
This is not mandatory but strongly recommended. We guide you in this perspective which has some differences compared to conventional insurance, in terms of cost clauses, which are higher, because the risks are greater and specific guarantees.
Which insurance to choose?
It would, in fact, be easier to choose to extend the multi-risk insurance of your main residence and to include your second home. The insurer will then apply a higher tariff, that is to say an additional premium. This alternative is, however, less suitable, which is why it would be wiser to take out insurance, specially designed for this purpose, with the same insurer, but with a separate and more malleable contract, according to your needs. more specific.
Also, although having to do with a single insurer for your two homes may seem more practical, it would, however, be wise to use a local insurance company, especially if your second home is located in another region. Indeed, an insurer, more familiar with the region, will be more qualified to identify and assess possible risks.
What guarantees?
Theft insurance
The « secondary » status of this type of dwelling systematically implies that your presence there is only occasional, which generally means that the monitoring of the premises is quite irregular and that your knowledge of the premises and the neighborhood is not not very thorough. This means that careful attention must be paid to the implementation of this guarantee.
Your insurer may thus insist that you install anti-theft devices such as anti-burglary bars, a surveillance camera and the like and that you limit, or even eliminate, the presence of high-value objects, such as paintings or jewelry that may be excluded from the warranty.
Property damage insurance
Although home insurance is not compulsory for your second home, protecting your property and premises in the event of fire, water damage or explosions can only be judicious.
These dwellings are often found in isolated places or close to natural sites at risk, such as a mountain or a river, something that puts them seriously in the grip of various damages and degradations. In more serious cases, such as floods or avalanches, the insurer may require an additional premium and additional insurance, after identification of the risks.
Family Civil Liability coverage
This guarantee is also not compulsory, especially if you have already taken out multi-risk home insurance for your main home, because it concerns the insured and not the accommodation. It covers the costs of damage that you have involuntarily caused to others.
Take care to consult your insurer beforehand, to check if you can do without it and thus achieve substantial savings!
Finally, it is strongly advised to meticulously study what the insurance contract offers you, before signing it. Check whether the amount of guaranteed movable capital is suitable for you, note which valuables are covered and which risks are guaranteed.
Above all, do not ignore your obligations and the measures to be taken, non-compliance with which can obviously lead to the cancellation of your guarantees. All these precautions will allow you to ensure the optimal security of your accommodation and to avoid unpleasant surprises in the event of an incident.
Read also: Buying a second home: our advice
