Many French people will be winners thanks to the new rules put in place.
A trace, from top to bottom of the wall, often across it, as unmissable as it is exasperating. And yet inevitable. In France, more and more houses are marked by significant cracks, whether inside or outside the home. A real scourge caused by drought and which is impossible to counter. In total, 11 million houses would be affected by this risk because they are built on clay soils. With a major risk: that of collapse.
To avoid a tragedy, insurance companies cover the extensive home repair work, costing several thousand or even tens of thousands of euros. On one condition: that the municipality has been recognized as being in a state of natural disaster. For this, the rule is simple: several parameters are taken into account and either they correspond to the state of natural disaster or they do not correspond.
But as is often the case, bureaucratic thinking clashes with the reality on the ground, leaving people behind. Faced with much discontent, particularly from mayors, the rules will change to facilitate recognition of the state of natural disaster and, thus, make it easier for residents to have the damage suffered repaired, without having to pay too much.
Now, the state of natural disaster can be recognized in municipalities which have not met all the criteria but which border with a municipality having been recognized in a state of natural disaster. Enough to put an end to a side effect detrimental to many French people, like Mera and Aurélien, a couple living in Oise. In 2020, they discovered their house cracked when they returned from vacation, but their village, Le Fayel, had not been recognized as being in a state of natural disaster. Unlike Meux, located right next door. The insurance therefore refused to cover work amounting to 100,000 euros, reported Le Parisien. A dead end that will now be easier to avoid.
Furthermore, the state of natural disaster can also be measured over the last five years and no longer only over a short period, while the criteria for recognizing that a municipality is concerned will be broadened. Technical changes which will have a concrete impact on the portfolio: without recognition of the state of natural disaster, no insurance coverage can take place; with recognition, only a deductible of 1,520 euros must be paid, regardless of the overall amount of the invoice, which can amount to between 80 and 150,000 euros according to a construction engineer and expert at the Poitiers Court of Appeal interviewed by France Bleu.
