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For a mortgage of 200 000 € or less per insured person that is to be repaid before age 60, the insurer is prohibited from asking you to complete a health questionnaire. The insurer must not ask you to undergo a health examination either. To determine whether your mortgage falls into this category, check the amount per insured person and your age at repayment together.
This review helps you prepare questions for the insurer without sharing medical information here. It is general information, not an application for cover or personalized advice.
Health questionnaire exemption: two criteria to examine
The first point to check is the loan amount stated per insured person. Ask what amount is used for each person to be insured, rather than looking only at the total financing amount. The personalized information sheet provided by the lender includes details indicating the extent to which the loan must be insured.
The second point is your age at repayment. Take the repayment date stated in your loan documents and check how old you will be at that time. Service Public uses the wording “before age 60”: if your situation is close to this limit, ask the insurer to check rather than assuming that the condition is met.
The two criteria must be considered together. If any part of your mortgage arrangement changes, check again using the updated documents.
Which documents should you use to prepare for the check?
The standardized information sheet sets out the characteristics of your loan application and the minimum cover required under the borrower insurance. It also indicates the insurance policy the lender may offer you and its approximate cost. The personalized information sheet defines the characteristics of the insurance policy you must obtain.
To prepare for a discussion, gather these sheets and the financing documents showing the planned amount and repayment date. Review the extent to which the loan must be insured. If the amount per insured person or the date seems uncertain, ask for clarification before drawing a conclusion about the exemption.
You can frame the question in terms of the loan and cover: “What amount do you use per insured person and what age at repayment do you use to assess the exemption?” This general question can be asked without describing your state of health.
If the mortgage falls into another category
For another mortgage, Service Public states that before offering a borrower insurance policy, the insurer asks you to complete a medical questionnaire. This questionnaire must be completed in good faith. Any omission (deliberate failure to disclose) or intentionally false declaration is prohibited.
If you have or have had an increased health risk due to an illness or disability, your borrower insurance application automatically falls under the Aeras agreement. To find out how your application will be assessed, contact the insurer and avoid publishing your medical information in a general discussion.
Exemption or not, review the cover offered
The lender may require you to obtain borrower insurance for a mortgage. But you are free to approach another insurer. In all cases, the insurance policy you choose must meet the criteria set out in the personalized information sheet provided by the lender.
Checking the exemption and choosing a policy are two separate steps to consider. To assess an offer, compare it with the personalized information sheet: look at the amount insured, the cover required and what it includes. You can also consult the information notice to understand the risks covered and the conditions for making a claim under the insurance.
When the insurer offers a borrower insurance policy, it must attach to the loan agreement an information notice listing the risks covered and how the insurance can be claimed. You must also be informed of the total cost of the insurance over the full term of the loan, expressed in euros. Use the simulation to prepare your comparison and distinguish it from applying for cover.
Reviewing a loan you have already signed?
You can change insurers at any time after signing the mortgage agreement. Before changing insurers, you must make sure you have the lender’s agreement to the new insurance policy you want to take out. The lender is entitled to check that this new policy meets the level of cover provided by the original insurance.
To prepare for this process, review the loan and insurance documents, then check with the insurer the details used for your application. The question of the medical questionnaire is dealt with separately from comparing cover and requesting a replacement policy from the lender.