Securing your second home: how is it?
Do you own a second home abroad that you use only a few weeks in the year, and you wonder about the need to insure it? We've done all the home insurance obligations, warranties and tips for your property outside your home country.
Is home insurance for your second home essential?
To subscribe one is not always an obligation according to the countries or the situations. However, this approach is essential to protect your property, on the one hand, and your home, on the other. Home insurance will cover you against the risks of life such as theft, natural disasters or fire . You will live more serenely the vacancy of your second home when you are not on vacation.
Indeed home insurance is all the more advisable as you will occupy your home occasionally. Some risks, such as theft for example, are increased in this type of residence sometimes isolated or located in places not frequented outside the holiday periods. A water damage in a secondary house is often discovered late, causing significant damage. The repair costs then go up quickly, and your belongings have to be replaced.
There are two ways to secure your footing outside our borders . The first is to get closer to your insurer . Many insurance companies are present abroad, you just need to establish with your interlocutor a simple extension of your home insurance.
The second option is to take out separate insurance for your second home , either with your usual insurer, with a competitor, or with a local insurer . In any case, it is essential to determine with him your needs and the situation of your property.
How to insure your second home abroad?
With your insurer, you will need to determine the most suitable formula for your second home abroad. Guarantees are pretty much the same as for your main house, except that the risks are a bit higher.
To establish the home insurance policy for your secondary home abroad, you must take into account the risks that it may incur in relation to its geographical location : fires, avalanches, floods, storms, etc. This will determine the damage you may suffer or suffer.
An indispensable guarantee is that against theft . Your house will be little inhabited, increasing the risks. Some insurers, depending on the location of your property, may require you to install a monitoring system. You will also have to make sure that it does not include exclusions, such as the indefinite stay of your home for a given number of days, which would suspend any compensation.
Also remember to insure your belongings : appliances, furniture, clothes, even your works of art or your jewelry. It will then be necessary to revalue the ceiling of refund. This warranty will be useful in case of fire, water damage or natural disasters. The point on which you can discuss is the civil liability, already included in your main contract.
You rent your second home, how to insure it?
You have decided to make your second home profitable by renting it. There are two cases: long-term rentals or short-term rentals.
When you choose to rent your foreign second home for a long time, ie with a lease, know that there is often no obligation for home insurance. Nevertheless, buying home insurance is essential to protect your property . Your insurer may offer you a non-occupant homeowner's insurance that will provide you with the necessary guarantees for your peace of mind.
In the case of short-term rentals, for a few days or weeks, you may be required to take out home insurance for your second home. Be that as it may, home insurance remains strongly recommended and it is with your insurer that you can better define the guarantees. Do not forget to include the amenities such as the garden, pool or various facilities to avoid unpleasant surprises.