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Short answer
French lenders almost always ask for borrower insurance, the assurance emprunteur, which pays the loan off or covers repayments if you die or cannot work. No law makes it compulsory, but the lender can make it a condition of the loan, and you have the right to take it from another insurer if the cover is equivalent. Home insurance is compulsory for anyone who owns a flat in a copropriété, whether they live there or not, and lenders often ask for it on a house too. We can introduce you to one of the leading, reputable insurance brokers we work with.
What is borrower insurance and do I need it?
Borrower insurance protects the lender, and your family, if something happens to you during the loan. The usual covers are death, total and irreversible loss of autonomy (PTIA), temporary incapacity for work (ITT) and permanent invalidity (IPT or IPP). Cover for losing your job is optional and rarely offered to borrowers who live abroad.
No law requires it, but French lenders generally make it a condition of the loan, and the loan offer must say whether it is required. Its cost counts inside the 35% limit on your repayments, and the offer must show its cost as an annual rate, the TAEA.
Sources: economie.gouv.fr on changing borrower insurance, April 2025; Mes questions d’argent, Banque de France; HCSF lending measure.
Can I choose my own borrower insurance?
Yes. Since the Lagarde law of 2010 you can take cover from an insurer other than the lender’s own, a délégation d’assurance, as long as it gives an equivalent level of cover. Each lender lists the criteria it uses to judge equivalence, at most 11 plus 4 for job loss cover, and gives you that list. Once your file is complete the lender has 10 working days to reply.
Since the Lemoine law of 2022 you can also switch to another insurer at any time during the loan, again with equivalent cover. This has applied to all home loans since 1 September 2022.
Sources: economie.gouv.fr, April 2025; CCSF opinion on equivalence of cover.
Will I have to fill in a health questionnaire?
Not always. There is no health questionnaire when the insured share of your loans is €200,000 or less per person and the loan will be repaid before your 60th birthday. For a couple each borrowing half of a €400,000 loan, that means €200,000 each.
If you have had cancer or hepatitis C, the droit à l’oubli means you do not have to declare it once 5 years have passed since your treatment ended with no relapse, for loans that end before age 71.
Insurers have also agreed through the CCSF, the French financial sector advisory committee, to further improvements that start from 1 September 2026, such as counting only property loans towards the €200,000. These are voluntary commitments rather than law, so check what your insurer applies.
Sources: economie.gouv.fr on the health questionnaire, November 2025; CCSF opinion on borrower insurance, June 2026.
What if I have a health condition?
If an insurer will not cover you on standard terms because of your health, the AERAS convention applies automatically. Your application is reviewed again at up to three levels, and a mediation body can look at disputes. The current convention covers home loans of up to €420,000 outstanding that end before age 71, and it lists conditions that insurers accept at or near standard terms after set waiting periods.
Source: AERAS convention, 2024 version.
How much does borrower insurance cost?
It depends mostly on your age, your health, the covers you choose and the insurer. There is no official table. As a rough guide, the insurer Macif publishes these indicative annual rates from the broker Securimut, as a share of the amount borrowed.
| Age when you borrow | Annual rate on the amount borrowed |
|---|---|
| Under 35 | 0.10% to 0.40% |
| 35 to 50 | 0.20% to 0.60% |
| 50 to 60 | 0.60% to 0.90% |
| Over 60 | 0.90% to 2% |
On a €300,000 loan, 0.30% a year is €900 a year or €75 a month. These are illustrations, not quotes, and our repayment calculator lets you add your own rate.
Source: Macif, borrower insurance rates, August 2026, quoting Securimut figures for 2025.
Is it harder to get cover if I live outside France?
It can be. Insurers that cover non-residents say your country of residence affects both the price and whether they will cover you at all, and some limit the incapacity and invalidity covers for people living abroad. If medical evidence is needed, gathering reports from your own country and having them translated can add several weeks, so start early. Switching under the Lemoine law is open to non-residents too.
Sources: MetLife on cover for non-residents, 2026; Alptis guide for borrowers living abroad, December 2025.
Is home insurance compulsory in France?
If you buy a flat or house in a copropriété, yes. Since the ALUR law of 2014 every co-owner must insure against their civil liability, whether they live in the property or let it out. The co-owners’ association insures the building itself.
For a detached house outside a copropriété there is no legal duty to insure, but many lenders make home insurance a condition of the loan and an uninsured house is a serious risk. A multirisque habitation policy normally covers the building, your contents and your liability.
Sources: economie.gouv.fr on home insurance, September 2026; MAIF on insurance in a copropriété; ABE Infoservice.
Does French home insurance cover floods and storms?
Every French policy that covers damage to property automatically includes the natural disaster guarantee, the régime catastrophes naturelles, and insurers cannot leave it out. It applies once the government publishes a decree recognising a disaster in your area. The surcharge for it rose from 12% to 20% of the property premium on 1 January 2025. The standard excess is €380 for a home, or €1,520 for subsidence caused by drought, and you must claim within 30 days of the decree.
A bill passed by the Assemblée nationale in April 2026 would allow a higher surcharge for second homes in high-risk areas. The Sénat has not voted on it, so it is not yet law.
Sources: economie.gouv.fr on natural disaster claims, July 2026; CCR on the regime, April 2026; Banque des Territoires on the April 2026 bill.
What should I check for a second home or holiday let?
Check the clause d’inoccupation, the rule on how long the property can stand empty. Some insurers limit theft cover when a home is empty for more than 90 days a year. If you let the property, ask for cover as a non-occupying owner, known as PNO, and for claims made by your guests. If the property is in a copropriété the liability cover described above is compulsory whether you let it or not.
Sources: Groupama on holiday let insurance, May 2026; Cardif on second home insurance, September 2026.
How do our insurance introductions work?
If you would like quotes, tick insurance on our enquiry form or ask through our contact form. With your agreement we pass your name and contact details to one of the insurance brokers we work with, who deals with you directly. We only introduce you to firms that hold the registration their work needs. We do not sell, recommend or advise on insurance, and you are free to use any insurer you choose. Suppliers we introduce you to may pay us a fee when an introduction leads to business. We tell you before we make an introduction.