Home insurance and relocation during construction: how do you know if you're covered?

In certain situations, such as major renovations or damage to your home, it may be necessary to find temporary accommodation elsewhere. Can your home insurance company help you with this? This article answers your questions.

Eligibility criteria for rehousing assistance

First of all, it's important to understand that not all home insurance policies offer relocation cover. To find out whether yours does, start by consulting the following documents:

• Your insurance contract This is generally where you'll find a list of the various coverages you've taken out, and whether or not relocation cover is included.


• General and special conditions They specify the terms and conditions under which cover is provided, including those relating to relocation. They also explain any exclusions and limitations.

If your contract does indeed mention coverage for relocation, several conditions must often be met in order to benefit from it:

1. The uninhabitability of your home Rehousing: in general, the need for rehousing is linked to the impossibility of continuing to occupy your home due to renovation work or a disaster (fire, water damage, natural disaster, etc.).


2. Your insurance will cover the work For your insurer to agree to relocate you, the work generally has to be carried out following an event covered by your policy (e.g. an insured loss).


3. Compliance with contractual terms and conditions Some home insurance policies impose specific conditions to benefit from rehousing (steps to be taken, deadlines to be respected, etc.).

Terms and conditions of rehousing assistance

If your home insurance includes a relocation guarantee and you meet the necessary conditions, it should then contribute financially to your temporary accommodation. However, this contribution can take different forms:

• Reimbursement of actual expenses In this case, your insurer undertakes to compensate you for the expenses you have incurred to relocate (rent, moving, storage of your furniture, etc.), on presentation of supporting documents.


• Payment of a lump-sum indemnity Rather than reimbursing your expenses on an actual basis, some contracts provide for a fixed sum (e.g. a daily amount) to cover your accommodation needs.


• Direct organization of relocation In some cases, your insurer may decide to find temporary accommodation for you and pay the full cost.

The limits of rehousing coverage

Even if your home insurance policy includes relocation cover, it's important to note that this may be subject to ceilings and time limits. Indeed:

• The amount of compensation may be limited, for example by the value of your usual rent or the average cost of equivalent accommodation in your area.


• Duration of care is generally limited, with a maximum fixed by your contract (for example, 1 month, 3 months, until completion of the work...).

How to implement the guaranteed rehousing scheme?

If you have to deal with work or a disaster that requires you to be rehoused, here are the steps you need to take to activate your home insurance cover:

1. Notify your insurer inform him/her of the situation as soon as possible and ask for written confirmation that the rehousing guarantee has been set up.


2. Gather supporting documents If your contract provides for reimbursement of actual expenses, keep all documents that your insurer may request (invoices, rental contracts, etc.).


3. Be prepared to comply with the terms and conditions Depending on the terms and conditions of your contract, you may be required to provide certain information or take certain steps within a given timeframe.


4. Claim your compensation Don't forget to send your insurer your supporting documents as soon as possible, and to check that the compensation paid corresponds to the terms of your contract.

Dealing with refusals and disputes

If your home insurance refuses to cover your relocation, don't give up:

• First check that the decision is well-foundedby carefully rereading your contract documents and exchanges with your insurer.


• Don't hesitate to call on a mediatorwho can examine the dispute free of charge and make an amicable recommendation to resolve the problem.


• Consult a lawyer specializing in insurance lawif you feel that your insurer is not fulfilling its contractual obligations.

In short, to find out whether your home insurance will cover your relocation during the work, it's essential to consult your policy and its general and special conditions. Be careful, however, about the ceilings and time limits, and make sure you scrupulously follow the terms and conditions imposed to benefit from this coverage.

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