An additional room or new equipment is a reason to review the description of your home in your insurance policy. To prepare for this discussion, compare the information in your policy with the situation after the renovations, then present the changes to your insurer. Service Public states that you must inform your insurer of any change that could affect your policy, within 15 calendar days, by registered letter.
This guide to updating your home insurance description after renovations helps you gather useful information and questions to ask. It is preparation for a discussion to be completed with your insurer according to your circumstances and your policy.
Start with the description already insured
Review your policy’s particular conditions and look for the description of your home. The particular conditions cover, among other things, the description and location of the insured home and the premium amount. Keep this document at hand to distinguish what was declared from what has changed.
When you take out a policy, the information requested about your home includes its floor area, number of rooms, any outbuildings, security level and use. These categories provide reference points for preparing your discussion after renovations: note those that seem relevant and those for which you would like clarification.
The first step is to describe the facts rather than decide for yourself whether the risk has increased. Service Public specifies that the insurer may consider a change to be an increase in risk compared with the initial situation. Present the change and ask how it is assessed in your case.
An additional room: what should you prepare?
Describe the room created or converted and its intended use. Note the floor area and number of rooms stated in your policy, then prepare the information corresponding to the new situation. If you are unsure how to count or describe the room, mention your uncertainty and ask the insurer how to declare it.
You can organize your notes around simple questions:
- How was the home described before the renovations?
- What part of the home was created or converted?
- What floor area and number of rooms would you like checked?
- What use do you have planned for this space?
If an outbuilding or the security level is affected by your project, mention this too and ask the insurer what details it needs. The aim is to provide an understandable description, even when you do not yet know the answer to a question.
New equipment: distinguish between the home and belongings
For added equipment, prepare a list stating its nature and location. Specify what has changed since the initial description and ask how it is taken into account in your policy. If its installation also involves a change to the home or its security level, describe that change too.
Service Public states that, when taking out a policy, an estimate of the value of the belongings to be covered is requested, particularly for furniture, valuables and specific equipment. This category can help you prepare your questions: ask whether the value of the new equipment needs to be taken into account and what estimate to provide.
Do not assume that a simple list answers every coverage question. Ask the insurer how the equipment is taken into account and what additional information it would like to receive. You can then compare its answer with the coverage and its limits in your policy.
Prepare the notification of the change in risk
In your letter, identify your policy and the home concerned. Then present the changes in an orderly way: the situation described in the policy, the renovations or equipment concerned, then the current situation. State the details you know and clearly set out your questions about those that remain to be checked.
For example, you could ask: “How should the description of my home be updated after these renovations?” or “What information do you need to assess the new equipment?” Adapt these questions to your circumstances and state what you would like checked, without asserting that any particular coverage already applies.
Service Public states, in the section on increased risk, that the change must be reported within 15 calendar days, by registered letter. Prepare your notification without delay and ask the insurer for any clarification relevant to your case. Calendar days are all the days of the calendar year, including public holidays and non-working days.
Keep a copy of your letter and the information submitted so that you can return to your request in a later discussion. If you are missing any information, tell the insurer and ask how to provide it.
Understand the insurer’s response
After learning of the change, the insurer may consider it an increase in risk compared with the initial situation. Service Public states that the insurer may then notify you, within 10 calendar days of learning of the change, either of a refusal to cover the new risk or of a proposal to increase the premium.
If the insurer notifies you of a refusal to provide coverage, cancellation takes effect 10 calendar days after that notification. If it proposes a rate increase that you refuse, the policy is cancelled 30 calendar days later. Service Public specifies that unused premiums are refunded in both cases.
When you receive a response, check exactly what it says about the description of the home, the equipment and the premium. If a proposal is made, take the time to ask for the explanations you need before deciding. A request for information or a rate proposal must not be confused with acceptance of a change.
Review the coverage after the discussion
An updated description and the scope of coverage are two matters to examine together. The general conditions cover, among other things, the risks insured, exclusions and deductibles. Review them alongside your particular conditions and ask the insurer how they apply to the situation you have just described.
For each important aspect of your project, ask a specific question: is the room described correctly? Is the equipment included in the information taken into account? What coverage and limits apply to your circumstances? Ask for clarification if the answer does not allow you to understand what is covered.
Finally, keep your policy, notification and the response you received together. You will then have a file to refer back to the information provided and continue the discussion with the insurer if anything remains unclear.
