Insurance: exceptional measures for the victims of the fires in Gironde, Landes and Var

When you are a victim of a fire in your home, you usually have to file a claim with your insurance company within 5 working days of the event.

The Gironde, the Landes and the Var are currently facing fires of considerable magnitude. Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed, either totally or partially, and hundreds of thousands of people have had to be evacuated.

Faced with this situation, the France Assureurs federation announced on July 27 the implementation of exceptional measures for the victims of these fires:

• the claim declaration can be made until august 31, 2026 (so beyond the 5 regulatory days);
• persons who have had to leave their main residence, at the request of the public authorities, will be reimbursed for their relocation costs (whether or not their residence has been damaged). The reimbursement will be made on presentation of proof(s), under the conditions and limits set by the insurance contract in case of damage; and it will cover a relocation period of maximum 3 weeks, and not exceeding in any case the duration of prohibition of access to the main residence.

The federation France Assureurs specifies, in its press release, have asked the expert firms to organize themselves to speed up the expert visits as soon as access to the affected areas is again possible. An expert assessment is not mandatory after a « fire » disaster, but the insurer has the right to appoint an expert if it considers it necessary. The role of the expert is to clarify the causes of the loss and to assess the amount of damage suffered.