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After a flood in France: what to do in the first weeks

If your home has flooded, it is hard to know where to start. This is a short list, in plain English, of the practical steps that keep your claim file in order. French terms are in brackets so you can recognise them in letters and forms. Take it one step at a time.

Admin only. This checklist is general information from official French sources. It is not advice on what your policy covers or what you may receive. Your contract and your insurer have the final word.

1. ☐

   Step 1: Safety first

   People come before paperwork. If anyone is in danger, call the emergency services (secours): 112 (European emergency number), 18 for the fire brigade (pompiers), 15 for medical help (SAMU). Follow instructions from the mairie and the préfecture.

   Do not go back into a flooded home until it is safe. Keep away from electrics and gas until they have been checked. Nothing on this list matters more than that.

2. ☐

   Step 2: Tell your insurer as soon as you can

   Make a claim declaration (déclaration de sinistre) to your insurer, or to the broker or agent who manages your contract.

   • Natural disaster (catastrophe naturelle): declare as soon as you know about the damage. The law sets a deadline for declaring, which runs from publication of the government order (arrêté interministériel) in the Journal officiel; check the current rules on service-public.fr. You don't need to wait for the order to tell your insurer.
   • Other damage (for example storm, or water damage (dégât des eaux)): check your contract. The deadline is set by your contract, and the law says it can't be shorter than 5 working days (jours ouvrés).

   Your contract number and your insurer's details are on your policy and your premium notices (avis d'échéance). Give your name and address, the contract number, what happened (date, time, place) and a first list of what was damaged.

   Sources: Service-public.fr · Légifrance · France Assureurs

3. ☐

   Step 3: Photos and video before you clean up

   Before you move, throw away or repair anything, photograph and film every room, inside and out: the water line on the walls, floors, furniture, appliances, the garden and outbuildings. Take wide shots, then close-ups. Keep the original files.

   Official guidance describes steps policyholders may take to limit further damage (mesures conservatoires), such as pumping out water or airing rooms (see the France Assureurs source below); check with your insurer. Record what you do and keep the evidence.

   Source: France Assureurs

4. ☐

   Step 4: Keep damaged items, or samples

   Keep damaged belongings where you safely can, so the insurer's expert can see them. For bulky or unhealthy items (soaked carpet, plasterboard, a mattress), photograph them, keep a sample if possible (a cut piece of carpet or flooring, a label or serial plate), and ask your insurer before you throw them away.

   Sources: Service-public.fr · economie.gouv.fr

5. ☐

   Step 5: List what was lost or damaged

   Make a list, room by room, of everything lost or damaged (état estimatif des pertes). For each item, note what it was, roughly when you bought it, and any proof.

   If receipts (factures) were destroyed, other evidence can help: bank and card statements, online order histories, emails, photos from before the flood (holiday and family photos often show furniture), user manuals, warranty cards, or notarial and rental documents.

   Sources: Service-public.fr · France Assureurs

6. ☐

   Step 6: Keep receipts for emergency costs

   Keep every receipt for urgent spending: pumps, dehumidifiers, cleaning, tarpaulins, emergency repairs, materials, a locksmith. Note the date and why it was needed. Whether a cost is covered depends on your contract; your job here is simply to keep the paper trail.

   Source: Service-public.fr

7. ☐

   Step 7: If you can't stay in your home: rehousing

   If your home can't be lived in (logement inhabitable), tell your insurer straight away and ask how emergency rehousing (relogement d'urgence) works under your contract. Your mairie can also help with immediate shelter. Keep hotel, rental and travel receipts, and note the dates you were out of your home.

   Source: Service-public.fr

8. ☐

   Step 8: The expert's visit

   Your insurer may send an expert (expert d'assurance) to look at the damage and its cause. Have your file ready: photos, video, your list, receipts and the items you kept. Ask for a copy of the report (rapport d'expertise).

   Some policyholders choose to bring their own independent expert (expert d'assuré); check your contract. If you are thinking about this, keep a note of their details and any paperwork in your file alongside the rest.

   Source: Service-public.fr

9. ☐

   Step 9: Check whether your commune has an arrêté CatNat

   A flood is only treated as a natural disaster once a government order recognises it for your commune and for those dates. The mairie applies to the préfet; tell your mairie about your damage so it is counted.

   The orders are published in the Journal officiel. You can search them by commune on the CCR list of arrêtés Cat Nat, or on Légifrance. Note the publication date: the CatNat declaration deadline runs from there (see service-public.fr).

   Sources: CCR (Caisse Centrale de Réassurance) · Ministère de l'Intérieur, Sécurité civile · economie.gouv.fr

10. ☐

    Step 10: Keep copies of everything, and use recorded post

    Send your declaration and any important letter by recorded post with proof of receipt (lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception). Keep a copy of every letter, email and form, the postal receipt and the signed AR card. Write down every phone call: date, who you spoke to, and what was said.

    Sources: Service-public.fr · economie.gouv.fr

ClaimPont is building a tool to keep this kind of file organised, in English. If that would help, you can join the waitlist or tell us about your experience in our short survey (email optional).

claimpont.com/flood-checklist · general information, not advice