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What are the essential guarantees of home insurance?

What are the essential guarantees of home insurance?

To protect yourself against disasters that may occur in a home, taking out home insurance is vital. Moreover, this coverage is mandatory for all tenants and condominium owners. To be sure to benefit from the best protection, you still have to know how to choose the right guarantees. Focus on those that are the most essential in home insurance.

Essential civil liability coverage in home insurance

Protecting your home is everyone's responsibility. To do this, it is necessary to take out home insurance whose role is not only to protect one's own assets and real estate, but also to guarantee the property of third parties in the event of claims. Insurance companies offer individuals a number of specific guarantees to cover various risks and obtain compensation depending on the extent of the damage suffered. These guarantees are grouped into three main categories:the minimum guarantee which is civil liability, the essential guarantees and the optimal guarantees which provide additional protection.

More specifically, the civil liability guarantee makes it possible to compensate third parties affected by the damage that appeared in the insured's home and which would have spread. The insurer undertakes to cover claims resulting from involuntary fault, negligence or imprudence caused by the insured, his spouse, his children, his employees, his animals or the objects of the home. For the insurance to work, the damage must not be intentional, caused by a dangerous dog, due to a professional activity or the use of a motorized land vehicle.

The various guarantees to have in your home insurance

For home insurance to be relevant, it is imperative that it includes a fire guarantee which gives the right to compensation for damages suffered due to a voluntary or involuntary fire. Certain exclusions are nevertheless applied, for example when the fire started because of a badly extinguished cigarette or an overvoltage of an electrical device.

Like fires, water damage is one of the most frequent domestic accidents, which is why water damage coverage must also be included in the contract. It takes care of events due to an overflow, a burst pipe, water infiltration at roof level, a leak or a defective appliance such as a dishwasher, washing machine or radiator.

In addition, it is also essential to have a guarantee against natural disasters. Compensation is only effective if the event is subject to the publication in the Official Journal of a ministerial decree.

Finally, it is also recommended to have guarantees for glass breakage, theft or even vandalism which are not always automatically included in the contracts and which generally require the installation of security devices in the house.

Some additional guarantees not to be overlooked

The protection offered by home insurance can be optimized by subscribing to certain options such as the assistance guarantee aimed at simplifying the procedures and the resolution of the damage following a harmful event. It includes a range of services:care of children during the parents' hospitalization, home caretaking, payment of accommodation costs, emergency repairs at home, reimbursement of basic necessities, etc.

It is also strongly recommended to have a guarantee against life accidents allowing the people occupying the accommodation to benefit from a reimbursement after a disaster. It works on the same principle as the civil liability guarantee except that here it is not a question of compensating third parties, but the insured and his beneficiaries.

Finally, taking advantage of legal assistance is essential in your home insurance to benefit from legal support in the event of a dispute.