Insure your accommodation
Often required when you sign the lease.
How to do it
Without an insurance certificate, your landlord can terminate the lease or take out insurance on your behalf and charge it back to you with your rent.
- 1Before you get the keys, ask several insurers for home insurance quotes, with the exact address and size of the accommodation.
- 2Check that the contract covers at least the tenant's risks: fire, water damage, explosion.
- 3Decide whether to add third-party liability and cover for your belongings: this is optional, but tenant's risks alone only cover the rented accommodation.
- 4Give the insurance certificate to your landlord or the agency on the day you get the keys.
- 5Renew the certificate every year and send it when the landlord asks for it.
What you need
- Your lease (rental contract)
- The exact address and description of the accommodation (size, number of rooms, floor)
- Your RIB for the direct debit
Tips
- Tenant's risks do not cover damage to neighbours: if a water leak spreads to the flat below, third-party liability is what pays.
- If you share a flat, check the specific rules for flat-shares before signing: service-public has a dedicated page.
- Keep the certificate as a PDF: it is often asked for again, including for some administrative procedures.
A question about this step?
“Insure your accommodation”: ask Mbeng, the answer comes from the guides and official sources.