Colocation and home insurance

Verified 11 March 2022 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

If you rent a rental property, at least one of the roommates must be insured against rental risks (fire, explosion, water damage). Proof must be provided to the landlord each year that the home is still insured. Otherwise, the landlord has the right to terminate the lease. These rules apply to you regardless of your nationality or the length of your stay in France.

It is enough that at least one roommate is insured for rental risks to meet the obligation. So you don't necessarily have to buy home insurance yourself.

However, in the event of a disaster, the liability of each roommate is determined according to his share of the rent. For example, if there is a frankness, to be paid, your share will be calculated in relation to your share of the rent.

It is therefore important that you take out insurance to cover your civil liability.

You must provide the owner with a insurance certificate at the beginning of the rentaland then every year.

If you do not send the certificate to the owner, he will send you a letter reminding you of this obligation.

If the certificate is still not sent to him 1 month after this reminder letter, the owner can terminate the lease contract.

He or she may also take out insurance on behalf of the roommates and ask for the refund.

The owner's insurance will be limited to rental risks. It will add 1/12eme from the annual contribution to the amount of rent (plus, where applicable, an increase which may not exceed 10% the amount of the monthly insurance payment).

The process of signing a contract varies depending on whether all the roommates have a single lease or whether each of them has its own contract.

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Colocation with a single lease agreement

You can take out one insurance contract with all the other roommates. The name of each roommate will be indicated in the contract.

Warning  

some insurers offer special contracts for roommates.

The roommates and the landlord may agree, by a clause in the lease agreement, that the landlord shall take out insurance on behalf of the roommates.

In this case, the annual insurance premium shall be repaid in several installments on the occasion of each payment of the rent.

Colocation with multiple lease agreements

You can take out individual insurance from the insurer of your choice.

Please note

if you take the contracts from the same insurer, this can help limit disputes in the event of a disaster.

Compulsory guarantee collective risks is limited.

It covers only damage to the building and does not cover damage to neighbors (e.g. water damage) and property of roommates (e.g. fire).

To supplement this guarantee and protect yourself against other risks, you can take out insurance multi-risk housing.

If there are any changes in the roommate's roommate (for example, departure or arrival of a new roommate), you must notify the landlord and make a agreeable to the lease.

The same applies to the insurance contract if it is taken out on behalf of all roommates.