How does the home insurance deductible work?

Verified 21 October 2025 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

The deductible corresponds to the share of the damages that you have to pay yourself after a disaster. It is set out in your home insurance policy. It may be expressed in euros or as a percentage. Its amount varies according to the guarantees subscribed. We present the conditions of application of the franchise and the different calculation methods. The situation is different in the event of a natural disaster.

General case

The deductible is the amount that remains at your expense after the insurer's compensation.

It aims to share the financial burden between the insurer and the insured, and to avoid automatic compensation for minor claims.

The application of a deductible is not mandatory. It is the insurer who decides, at the time of subscription, whether or not to provide a deductible for each guarantee. This decision must be clearly stated in the contract.

The deductible applies only in the situations provided for in the contract and may vary depending on the nature of the loss (water damage, fire, theft, etc.) or the guarantee concerned. It is deducted from your compensation when the loss is covered by the insurer.

However, certain situations can be foreseen without any deductible. For example, if the person responsible for the claim is an identified third party, the insurer may claim the full amount paid. The contract may then provide that you will not have to pay a deductible or that it will be refunded to you.

There is 3 types of deductible for home insurance: the deductible absolute, the franchise relative and frankness proportional.

What is absolute candor?

The absolute deductible is the one that will be systematically deducted from your compensation for each claim.

Example :

The amount of the deductible is €150.

If you have a €100, you will not be compensated.

If you have a €200, you will be compensated for an amount that corresponds to the difference between the amount of the loss and the deductible, i.e €200 - €150 = €50.

What is relative deductible?

The relative deductible is the one whose amount conditions the intervention of the insurer according to the amount of the loss.

If the amount of the claim is less than the amount of the deductible, you will not be compensated at all.

But, if the amount of the loss is higher than the deductible, you will be fully compensated.

Example :

The deductible is €150.

If you have a €100However, you will not be compensated at all, because the amount of the dispute is less than the amount of the deductible.

However, if you have a €200, you will be compensated up to €200, because the amount of the dispute is greater than the amount of the deductible.

What is the proportional deductible?

The proportional deductible is the one whose amount corresponds to a percentage of the amount of the loss.

Example :

The amount of the deductible is 10% the amount of the claim.

If you have a €100, you will be compensated for an amount that corresponds to the difference between the amount of the loss and 10% of that amount, or €100 - (€100 x10%) = €100 - €10 = €90.

The insurer may provide that the proportional deductible applies with a minimum threshold or a maximum threshold.

Example :

Minimum threshold

The amount of the deductible is 10% the amount of the claim, with a minimum threshold of 15%.

If you have a €100, the amount of the proportional exemption shall be €100 x 10% = €10.

But since there is a minimum threshold of deductible €15, the deductible shall be €15.

Your compensation will therefore be €100 - €15 = €85 instead of €90.

Maximum Threshold

The amount of the deductible is 10% the amount of the claim, with a maximum threshold of 90%.

If you have a €1,000, the amount of the proportional exemption shall be €1,000 x 10% = €100.

But since there is a maximum threshold of deductible €90, the deductible shall be €90.

Your compensation will therefore be €1,000 - €90 = €910 instead of 900.

The home insurance contract must include the following for each guarantee:

  • Amount or method of calculation of the deductible
  • Situations where it does not apply
  • Possible minimum or maximum thresholds for proportional allowances.

It is recommended to consult this information during the subscription and before each renewal to avoid any bad surprise in case of loss.

Natural disaster

In the event of a natural disaster, the deductible is not fixed by the contract but by the law. It is therefore identical for all insured persons.

She's from €380.

If the damage results from a movement of land following drought and/or soil rehydration, the exemption shall be €1,520.

This deductible cannot be removed or reduced by the contract.

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