42 • THE QUERCY LOCAL
NEED HELP WITH YOUR INSURANCE?
ASK MAARTJE!
Maartje Schlepers has lived in the Lot since April 2014 and is happy to answer your insurance related questions. Q. I’m unsure how to arrange the insurance for our new ride-on lawnmower. Do I need to tell my insurance company that I have bought one or is it automatically insured with the contents of my garage? A. It may be surprising but in France a ride-on lawn mower is considered a motorised vehicle because it has both a seat and an engine! Therefore it’s a legal obligation to insure a ride-on mower for at least ‘public liability’ which can be extended to cover ‘fire and theft’ if you wish. Ride-on mowers cannot be insured as contents, they come in the same category as trailers, caravans, tractors, diggers, etc., – these are not considered ‘contents’ and are not automatically covered by your house hold insurance. Some household insurance policies provide public liability cover for ride-on lawn mowers but not all of them do it automatically. It’s important, therefore, to inform your insurer of your mower’s arrival. Please remember – anything that is equipped with a seat and an engine needs at least public liability insurance! Q. We’ve just bought an existing gîte and chambre d’hôtes business and we’ll be starting to welcome our own guests this spring. I was told by the previous owners that no special insurance is required. Is this true? A. Running a gîte and/or chambres d’hôtes business is often considered a semi-professional occupation. It’s very popular amongst (second) home owners in France who enjoy their home and make some money at the same time while others may run a fully professional business. In both scenarios, and for all scenarios in between, it’s important to realise that as soon as you accept fees to pay for your services you are considered commercially active in France and you need a legal liability insurance to cover your activities. When you let, short-term, part of your property as a gîte or a chambres d’hôtes you are potentially
liable for injuries to people or their property. Many scenarios spring to mind: a guest may fall down the stairs and hold you responsible. The orange juice you served was out of date and a guest falls ill. What if you double-book your accommodation or there’s an accident in your swimming pool or sauna. Maybe a guest becomes unwell after a tables d‘hôtes meal. There are many situations which may result in you being held liable for something. Do remember to let your insurer know if you have a swimming pool, sauna or a hot-tub to ensure you’re fully covered. You will also need to make sure your pool is protected/alarmed in accordance with the legal requirements. So do inform your insurer of your activities and make sure that your liability risk is covered. It is sometimes possible (depending on the company and the situation) to extend your household insurance policy with a simple clause if you only rent from time to time to family and friends and mainly use the property yourself. However, if you run a larger business or if you own a house in France that you never use yourself but solely let as a gîte, you need a professional policy. Most policies are multi-risk - covering your professional liability, the building(s) and the contents. It is possible to add extras such as cover for loss of income and legal protection. Maartje Schlepers, Assurances Benoit, La Plégade, 46150 Pontcirq, Tel Office 0972468223 (Mon to Thurs) Email: expat@agence.generali.f, Orias 07005354 - 15005887
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