This will be a short post because I don’t really have much to say. When you rent an apartment you have to have insurance. Obviously if you rent a tourist rental, or if you rent through Airbnb, you will not be asked for it, but for any standard rental, insurance is required, and you must show proof when you sign your lease (so you need it before). 

Assurance habitation, or rental insurance, is pretty important because it covers things like fire, theft, and water damage. It covers natural disasters as well. As I live near the Seine, flood insurance is needed, but I’ve lived through a few Paris floods, and I know my building won’t actually ever deal with that (famous last words). They will even pay for a locksmith if you take the necessary steps to contact them when you get locked out. In some cases they will cover legal fees if your insurance policy provides protection juridique. Be sure to note that there are claim limits; 2 days for theft, 5 days for man made disasters, and 10 days for natural disasters. Your claim must be filed within those times frames or you’re sore out of luck. 

It’s one of the most important things you will ever have. If you follow any French groups, or even just life in France, you will at some point see a post, or hear of someone asking, or talking about, their rental insurance. Everything goes through your rental insurance. Without it nothing gets done. 

You have the option of choosing the big names; AXA, MAAF, Allianz, Matmut, etc. but I was given the recommendation to go to a startup by my guarantor service. The application was pretty simple and my agent set it all up for me when we were at my apartment signing the contracts. 

I don’t really have much to say. I pay $18 a month automatically by bank draft. I never deal with them. And I pray we keep this symbiotic relationship. 

If you own your apartment (you only need insurance if you live in a copropriété, which is most of Paris) I would definitely recommend using a more comprehensive insurance plan. But if you’re renting, they’re not a bad option. Even my agent was impressed by the coverage. You can sign up by using my personal link here: . It will give you one month free.