Is your french property in newly declared drought ‘disaster’ zones?

IF SO, YOU CAN CLAIM COMPENSATION FOR ANY DAMAGE. WE EXPLAIN HOW AND WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE OUT OF THE COUNTRY Thousands of homeowners in France can now claim compensation for damages after

the government published a list of the areas worst hit by last year’s drought. More than 3,000 communes have been classified as having been ‘natural disaster zones’ over one or more periods

in 2022. The FULL LIST was published in the government’s _Journal Officiel_ on Wednesday (May 3). It means property owners now have one month to claim for compensation from their insurance

companies. It comes after MPs voted in favour of changing the criteria for an _état de catastrophe naturelle_, to allow people whose property has suffered damage due to drought to claim an

insurance payout. Parliament adopted the bill on April 6, by 115 for and nine against. READ MORE: MPS BACK COMPENSATING HOMEOWNERS IN FRANCE FOR DROUGHT DAMAGE At the time, MP Sandrine

Rousseau described the “nightmare” of homeowners being caught in “administrative procedures”, only to be poorly compensated by insurance for the damage. She said that more than 10.4 million

homes could be in an at-risk area. “Residents describe major breaking noises during the night. Sometimes doors won’t open, and windows only stay shut if they’re held in place by props,” she

said. WHICH COMMUNES HAVE BEEN DECLARED DROUGHT NATURAL DISASTER ZONES? This list shows the number of communes in each French department declared as natural disaster zones due to drought in

2022. Please note some communes have been counted twice or more. This is when they have been recorded as being natural disaster zones more than once during 2022, for example from January to

March and then again from July to September. AIN: 53 communes AISNE: 22 ALPES-DE-HAUTE-PROVENCE: 29 ALPES-MARITIMES: 47 ARDÈCHE: 73 ARDENNES: 16 AUBE: 27 AUDE: 139 AVEYRON: 25 BAS-RHIN: 27

BOUCHES-DU-RHÔNE: 62 CALVADOS: 19 CORRÈZE: 27 CÔTE-D'OR: 49 CREUSE: 4 DEUX-SÈVRES: 88 DOUBS: 74 DRÔME: 45 EURE: 17 FINISTÈRE: 5 GARD: 107 GERS: 233 GIRONDE: 235 HAUTE-LOIRE: 36

HAUTE-MARNE: 25 HAUTE-SAÔNE: 25 HAUTE-VIENNE: 11 HAUTES-ALPES: 8 HAUTES-PYRÉNÉES: 22 ISÈRE: 22 LANDES: 85 LOIRE: 29 LOT: 24 LOT-ET-GARONNE: 78 LOZÈRE: 1 MAINE-ET-LOIRE: 40 MANCHE: 4

MEURTHE-ET-MOSELLE: 172 MEUSE: 22 MOSELLE: 292 NORD: 135 OISE: 15 ORNE: 3 PAS-DE-CALAIS: 77 PYRÉNÉES-ATLANTIQUES: 63 PYRÉNÉES-ORIENTALES: 4 RHÔNE: 51 SAÔNE-ET-LOIRE: 115 SAVOIE: 13

SEINE-MARITIME: 9 SOMME: 6 TARN: 191 TERRITOIRE DE BELFORT: 5 VAR: 103 VAUCLUSE: 60 VIENNE: 185 VOSGES: 31 YONNE: 61 HOW DO I MAKE A CLAIM? To claim on your assurance _catastrophe

naturelle_, you must first check your policy to ensure your property is covered for the specific circumstance. It is typically included in all common multi-risk insurance policies

(_assurance multirisques habitation_). If you have this policy, once the government has officially declared a _catastrophe naturelle_ in your specific commune or area, you can then move

ahead to make a claim. Once these conditions have been met, you are advised to contact your insurer as soon as possible to discuss making a claim. The limit used to be 10 days, although the

most recent decree specifies that this has been extended to one month. You can make a claim by phone call, email or text, whichever method is easier. You should also confirm the claim with

the insurance company by registered mail with an acknowledgement of receipt (_lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception_). Your insurance company should detail the information that it

requires, and you may also be asked to send photos or videos. Your compensation should be sent within three months, depending on the complexity of the claim. READ MORE: FRANCE’S ‘CATASTROPHE

NATURELLE’ INSURANCE SYSTEM: HOW TO CLAIM WHAT IF I AM A SECOND-HOME OWNER AND NOT IN FRANCE? The process is typically the same. There is no extension to the claim date deadline for

second-home owners. However, some second-home insurance policies do not require you to visit in person, and will instead allow for an expert to visit your property and assess the damage if

you were away when the natural disaster occurred. It will of course depend on your specific insurance policy, but most do not cover indirect costs, such as loss of earnings if you usually

rent the property out, unless this is specified elsewhere in your insurance contract. YOUR VIEW Do you own a property that was damaged by last year’s drought? Will you be making a claim for

compensation? Let us know about your experiences at [email protected]. Thank you. RELATED ARTICLES MOVES TO IMPROVE COMPENSATION FOR DROUGHT DAMAGE IN HOMES IN FRANCE MPS BACK

COMPENSATING HOMEOWNERS IN FRANCE FOR DROUGHT DAMAGE