Accommodation sharing is the most choosen option by numerous students and young professionals. Practical, cheap and friendly, the way of life offers many advantages. However, it’s important not to forget to thoroughly check if certain subscriptions are covered in the rent or not, especially home insurance. Mandatory and crucial in shared housing, home insurance is a key component in protecting possessions and the civil liability of the tenants. It was created to guard against rental risks such as water damage, explosions, and fires. Choosing a home insurance for a shared household may seem complicated. Each tenant can opt to insure their portion individually, or subscribe to a single insurance plan for all the tenants. The landlord, in fact, has the right to request proof of insurance each year from their tenants. Thus, it is vital to understand the clauses of the contract, termination procedures, etc., especially if you are not used to it.
How do you take out home insurance when in a shared living arrangement? Is it preferable for all tenants to choose the same one? If so, should an addendum to the contract be engaged if a change of tenant occurs? Find all the answers to your questions detailed in this article!
What is the legislation for home insurance for shared flats?
As outlined in Article L121 of the Insurance Code, a dwelling must be insured to shield its residents from risks. This is precisely why home insurance for shared living arrangements was introduced. Therefore, it is obligatory for tenants to sign up for this service. To fulfill the lease agreement, the roommates must provide an insurance certificate to the owner/landlord within one month of moving into the shared accommodation. It can be individual if you don’t move in at the same time. Failure to do so might unfortunately result in the termination of their lease.
There’s no need to panic immediately, though! You can completely avoid this predicament. A single subscription to a home insurance policy suffices for the whole shared housing. Indeed, one of the roommates can be the sole holder of a home insurance policy for all the occupants. Still, they must ensure that this home insurance includes at least:
- Civil liability coverage: This coverage comes into effect if you cause moral, physical, material, and immaterial damages to a third party unintentionally. For instance, the coverage can be invoked if you accidentally set the shared housing’s kitchen on fire while cooking a meal, or if you injure one of your roommates while rearranging your room.
- Tenants’ risk coverage: This insurance will cover the damages inflicted on you by a third party in the building where you reside. For example, the coverage can be activated if you suffer from water damage caused by the apartment above, if your building and apartment fall victim to a fire, or a gas or pipe explosion.
Lastly, it’s important to note that the other occupants of the shared housing must at least subscribe to civil liability coverage. This way, they will be safeguarded in case of an issue and will be compensated according to their level of involvement. If the landlord opts to take out the housing insurance himself, he may choose to simplify the reimbursement process by asking the roommates to return a portion of their share of the annual insurance premium each month.
How to choose your home insurance?
Choosing a good home insurance is essential to protect your personal property and the property of the shared housing. This constitutes a guarantee for the occupants of the shared accommodation in case of jewels theft, works of art, computers and other multimedia objects, but also in case of destruction of your washing machine by a third party or of external disasters impacting your apartment.
Several home insurance plans for shared living situations exist. Depending on the insurer, different offers may be presented to you, with rates sometimes varying widely. Don’t hesitate to seek information to obtain valuable advice from industry professionals or on online insurance comparison sites such as Le Lynx. Be aware that it’s not compulsory for all roommates to be insured at the same place. For example, one tenant might choose to be insured with Matmut, another with Maïf, and yet another with AXA.
However, caution is advised. It’s important to be vigilant and read between the lines of the contract’s clauses. Indeed, it might not cover all damages and disasters. Therefore, you could face a substantial increase in your insurance amount, accompanied by a rise in your contribution.
The benefits of coliving : everything is included
With coliving, you can rent a room in the shared accommodation of your choice and free yourself from all the burdensome tasks! This new lifestyle, originally from the United States, merges the best of shared living and coworking to offer a myriad of benefits to its tenants (also referred to as “colivers”).
It allows individuals from across France and the world to live under one roof while maintaining their privacy through personal spaces (bedrooms).
Coliving simplifies their move-in, their stay, and most importantly, eliminates any additional expenses such as water, internet, gas, electricity, and especially home insurance. All of this is included in the rental price. The colivers need only appreciate the vastness of their apartment as they begin forging new friendships with their roommates.
As far as Colivys is concerned, you should know that we take care of the compulsory home insurance contract for an apartment. This is included in the price of your rent. It involves a multi-risk insurance that protects you against the following risks:
- Fire, similar events and vandalism
- Natural disasters
- Climatic events
- Attack and act of terrorism
- Water damage
- Theft: Property damage and furniture damage
- Glass and sign breakage
- Breakdown and electrical damage to computer and operating equipment
However, this insurance does not include civil liability insurance and therefore, as a coliver, you will have to subscribe to a private civil liability contract. At Colivys, we provide you with a broker to assist you in the process of taking out a liability insurance policy. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
All your questions about the lease in a shared apartment
It’s hard to choose the right home insurance with all the different options availables. However, we recommend you to check that the chosen certificate includes, at the very least, civil liability coverage or rental risk coverage. Depending on the conditions, you can be compensated in case of problems caused by a third party or on a third party.
It is obligatory to subscribe to home insurance. It protects you from potential risks that may occur in your home. You will be covered in the event of an unintentional kitchen fire, or in the event of sudden water damage caused by one of your neighbors.
Good news! In order to facilitate your administrative procedures and phobias, all the roommates can subscribe to a home insurance policy. This one can be specific to them or one of the roommates can be the only one to subscribe. The other roommates will still have to sign a civil responsibility guarantee.
