Once you’ve found your dream property it’s absolutely crucial that you get it properly covered. Without the right insurance policy, you could have problems when you come to claim and find out you don’t have the cover you thought.

Living France have teamed up with specialist holiday home insurance brokers, SmithGreenfield, to bring you a holiday home insurance policy with outstanding cover and exclusive benefits.

Read on to find out more…

Advantages

• Discounts if French home and UK home insured together
• Free Annual travel cover if UK home covered as well
• Freedom to rent out home to family/friends on a short let basis with no restriction in cover
• No ‘average’ condition if client is inadvertently underinsured
• Access to vetted and approved professional services – Valuers, Shippers & Packers, Storage Companies and Security product providers
• Emergency travel cover up to £ 1,000 if holiday home suffers damage and client is needed to be present on site
• English-speaking claims experts to deal with any claim
• Higher liability limits
• Competitive premiums starting at just £100 (plus tax)
• No protection warranties

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What do you need to consider?

Wherever you choose to buy your holiday home, you’re not going to live there full time and need to know your investment is properly protected. Having the right insurance is all about understanding what assets you own, what liabilities you are exposed to, and what external events can occur which will put you at risk. Local insurance policies can include variations and exclusions relating to burglary, accidental damage or personal liability claims.

To avoid disappointment when a claim occurs, check that what you assume to be covered actually is, and compare policies offered locally with those offered by UK insurers specialising in overseas properties. Don’t assume that what is covered under your UK home insurance will automatically be covered abroad, as the expectation of what should be standard cover differs greatly country to country.

What level of cover do you need for your holiday home?

For buildings insurance, the sum insured should be sufficient to rebuild all buildings as well as all outdoor structures such as swimming pools, terracing or perimeter walls. This is often quite different to the price you have paid for the property, so it is

recommended to get professional advice. Selecting the market value as your sum insured may lead to underinsurance - in which case you will be penalised if a claim

occurs - or to overinsurance, where you will pay unnecessary premiums. Check your policy to decide if you need to add an amount to pay for any professional fees. Contents should be insured for their replacement value as new - not the value you paid for them or their second-hand value.

Should you protect yourself against being sued?

Most policies provide liability cover to protect you as owner of the holiday home should someone be injured by, for example, a falling roof tile. However if you rent out your property, or if you employ domestic staff, you should check that you have cover in place should a guest or an employee get injured.

How do you plan to use your holiday home?

Whether you plan to use your new home only for holidays, or to rent it out, you need to have confidence that your insurance policy gives you proper protection. In France

and other countries, theft cover is often restricted if a home is unoccupied for more than 90 consecutive days, which is not much use for your home if it will only be occupied for a few months a year. With Living France's holiday home insurance scheme, theft cover applies even when the property is unoccupied for extended periods and we will even pay your travel expenses if you need to get out there in an emergency.

What if you need to make a claim?

If you’re not fluent in the local language, making a claim through a local insurer can be problematic. With the Living France's holiday home insurance scheme there is a dedicated team who specialise in overseas holiday homes. Not only are our policies written in Plain English, but our claims team is UK-based and able to make decisions and settle claims quickly. If we need a local loss adjuster to visit your property then we will make sure that an English speaking person is appointed to guide you through the process.

Get a quote

The Living France holiday home insurance scheme is administered by SmithGreenfield insurance brokers and the policies are underwritten by Hiscox.

Try the Holiday Homes Contents Calculator: www.smithgreenfield.co.uk/overseas_contents.aspx