How does the home insurance deductible work?

Verified 14 December 2021 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

When you have a claim, sometimes the insurer does not reimburse you for all the damage. The amount that is not reimbursed by the insurance and that remains at your expense is called the frankness. Most home insurance contracts provide for the application of a deductible. The contract must specify for each claim whether or not the deductible applies and how the amount is to be calculated. There are special rules in the event of a natural disaster.

General case

Depending on the contract, the deductible may be relative or absolute.

Relative deductible

Franchise relative or simple is the one which determines the insurer's intervention by the amount of the claim.

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

But, if the amount of the claim is greater than the deductible, you will be fully compensated.

Example :

In the case where the deductible is €150, you will not receive anything if the claim is €100. However, for a disaster of €200, you will be refunded from €200.

Absolute Franchise

The absolute deductible is the deductible that the insurer systematically deducts from your compensation in the event of a loss.

Example :

If the deductible is €150 and the amount of the claim is €100No, you won't get anything. If the amount of the claim is €200, only the difference between this amount and the deductible will be paid to you, i.e €50.

There are several ways to calculate the deductible.

The contract shall specify the method of calculation for each claim.

The deductible may in particular correspond to:

  • To a fixed sum (for example, €150)
  • Or a percentage of the amount of the claim (for example, 10%)
  • Or a combination of a percentage and a fixed amount (for example, 10% of the amount of the claim, with a ceiling of €300)

Natural disaster

If the disaster is the result of a natural or technological disaster, the deductible amount is provided for by the public authorities.

For example, the deductible for a natural disaster is €380.

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