What is the risk visit? 

The risk survey is carried out by an expert appointed by your insurance company following a claim. 

When we have an appointment on site for a claim, I have to visit all the rooms of the house and enter into the intimate life of the insured. The insured rightly questions this approach, even more so when I take photographs or measurements of the surface of each room before even discussing the circumstances of the event. Imagine the tension that arises when the garage or the mezzanine have been converted into living quarters and not declared to the insurer, voluntarily or not. The same goes for the shopkeeper who locks his front door.

What are the consequences of a non-compliant risk survey on the compensation of a claim?

On our expertise reports, the Insurance Company asks the Expert first of all for the report of his "verification of the risk", in other words the control of the surfaces and the real number of rooms in relation to those declared by the insured at the time of the subscription of the comprehensive home insurance contract. Concerning the means of protection on the front door and windows, the insured must comply with the requirements, even more so for the tradesmen.

The most important compensation paid to policyholders concern fire claims, 1.4 billion € in 2016 according to the dashboard of the French Federation of Insurance, it is also important to check for him that the means of prevention in this area are well implemented (extinguishers).

Frequently, we have to declare a non conformity on the number of visited rooms (more or less) and/or in the means of protection put in place before the disaster and / or other points declared at the time of the subscription. Is it a simple oversight or a false declaration?

The key points of a risk visit to a private home

We start by measuring all rooms, whether habitable or not. 

The definition of the living space varies according to the insurers or even contracts within the same company; this is why I systematically invite you to refer to your general and particular conditions of your insurance contract in all my articles.

In general: the floor area alone is taken into account (0 m2 to 9m2). There are two possible scenarios: 

• • if the surface area exceeds 40 m2, the room counts as 2 main rooms, or even 3 if it exceeds 80 m2.
  • or ceiling height is not always a determining factor. 
    • Sometimes the floor space alone is sufficient to qualify the room for the premium calculation,
    • sometimes it is necessary to calculate and retain only the living area under ceiling height at 2 meters from the ground.
• as well as the destination of the room :
  • certain rooms such as the dressing room or linen room or veranda may or may not be excluded.
  • For example:
    • a 7 m2 dressing room can be counted as a room by one insurer or not by another.
    • The kitchen is not counted as a main room except in certain cases if the surface is superior to that defined in the contract!
  • Particular headache: the entrance, living room and kitchen in the same space ...
• Means of closure required on the front door are sometimes detailed in the contract
  • Are several anchor points or locks certified by the CNPP A2P in good working order?
• The most commonly used knob lock does not fit directly into the door frame. By simply pushing, the door can be opened easily; it is not an anchoring point in the strict sense but a closing point.
• The means of protection required for windows and window doors such as shutters or bars are sometimes mentioned in your contract (a maximum spacing may be required, yes yes!)
• The value of the contents is a key point in determining the coverage limits according to the category of goods: valuables or jewelry. HISCOX offers a new "Fine Art" service with a free evaluation of 10 precious objects of the insured's choice.
• Other points are to be specified according to the companies: which are the persons having the quality of insured and residing on the premises as principal or secondary residence, presence or not of chimney, insert, photovoltaic panels, swimming pool, the building and the floor of the apartment, the environment (inhabited zone or not...) and other points.

In summary, it is best to tell your insurer about any changes that have occurred since you purchased your policy, even if you change floors in the same building or blocks in the same condominium, as this may affect the calculation of the premium you pay annually.

• A rented apartment located on the ground floor is not the same as the one you occupy on the top floor, you must also specify which one is your main residence! (case treated of a claim in a rented apartment declared as a main residence when the insured lives on the same floor)

For retailers

• In addition to the declared surface area, all the elements related to the calculation of the premium appearing on the subscription must be taken into account, such as
  • the precise definition of the activity, the opening and closing hours
  • the annual turnover,
  • the number of full-time equivalent employees
  • KBIS, Lease in good and due form etc..
• Presence of fire extinguishers in working order, emergency exits and instructions for fire prevention (storage area...) Standards have been established by the CNPP.
• The means of protection can be more restrictive:
  • The installation of burglar resistant glazing on the frontage (laminated or not, quality of the glass products specified)
  • Number of anchor points on main doors and secondary accesses,
  • Grilles or other mechanical defense systems installed on storefronts and other openings,
  • An alarm system connected to a remote monitoring station or not,
  • An annual maintenance contract of the alarm system or not etc...

I must repeat myself, but it is necessary to reread all the documents that make up the contract (the general and special conditions, and sometimes the special conditions for multi-risk contracts for professionals), and to find out how to update the contracts regularly.

Then, you can check if your coverage limits and requirements, as stated, match your needs before the loss.

If you have any doubts, do not hesitate to contact your insurer. It is a pity not to have revised your coverage limits between the subscription and the date of the loss. Then it will be too late!

Application of the proportional premium rule in case of error 

Article L 121-5 of the Insurance Code specifies

In other words, in case of non compliance, there could be the application of the proportional rule of premium, that is to say that your indemnity will be reduced in proportion to what you would have had to pay if you had declared the reality (in good faith or not).

At my level, I can say that in practice these rules have been relaxed for some insurers in the market who wish to change their approach to claims settlement and accompany their clients in these difficult moments rather than apply a penalty.

With diplomacy, the Expert must therefore collect all this information to transmit it to his client who will decide what to do.

Our regular practice of claims management with numerous companies and insurance companies, allows us to target all the key points of the pre-loss risk visit, as part of the prevention, and help you evaluate your different types of Fine Art and other contents.