By PLB
Posted 50 minutes ago
Every year in France, New Year’s Eve rhymes with burning cars. MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP
Filing a complaint and reporting the loss are the two mandatory steps so that your insurance can initiate the procedure with the aim of compensating you.
It has become a chestnut tree over the years. With 745 vehicles burned on New Year’s Eve, 690 last year and 874 in 2022, New Year’s Eve is conducive to the excesses of arsonists. If the number of cars set on fire has tended to decrease in recent years, there were up to 1,541 in 2020 and half as many in 2023, the fact remains that some have the unpleasant surprise of discovering their property completely destroyed . But then, what to do in this situation? Is it possible to receive compensation? If yes, what procedure should be followed?
First of all, it should be noted that not all car insurance contracts provide compensation. You must have fire coverage to hope to receive compensation commensurate with the loss. This protection, which is therefore optional, covers damage caused by a fire or explosion on a vehicle. But be careful, this only applies to fires of accidental origin (short circuit, climatic event) or of malicious origin (act of vandalism or attack).
What should I do if I am insured against this loss?
«Filing a complaint and reporting the loss are the two mandatory steps so that your insurance can initiate the procedure with the aim of compensating you.», reminds Matmut, who advises you to go as quickly as possible to the police station nearest to you “in order to file a complaint” then “make a car claim report to your insurance company within 5 working days following the date you noticed the fire in your vehicle».
The latter must take the form of a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. All elements of the claim must be included, which will be analyzed by an automobile expert responsible for assessing the extent of the damage. If you are well insured for this incident, the insurer relies on this analysis to reimburse the repair costs. If the car is completely destroyed, compensation will be up to the value of your vehicle at the latest Argus.
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What should I do if I am not insured?
If your car insurance contract does not include fire coverage, there are still recourses available. If your reference tax income is less than 26,050 euros per year (for 2022 resources), it is possible to contact the Crime Victims Compensation Commission (CIVI). This compensation is nevertheless limited to 4,602 euros (ceiling set in January 2023). It is also possible to contact your prefecture, and make a complaint there, invoking the responsibility of the State when the fire in your car results from circumstances of particular seriousness (riot, violent demonstrations, exceptional gatherings). …).
Exceptional case if your car caught fire because of the one next to it. In this situation, we are faced with a disaster of so-called “exogenous” origin, and the damage is then considered as an accident caused by a third party. Consequently, it is the insurance of the owner of the other vehicle which will be responsible for compensating you. But know that in all cases, filing a complaint is important. In fact, this will allow you to pay the costs of moving and destroying the carcass, which is doomed to end up in the scrapyard in the event of irreparable damage.
2024-01-01 09:11:48
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