You have just signed, and the house comes with a cellar, a garage, perhaps a garden and some newly installed appliances. One question quickly arises: what falls under the basic policy, and what is a matter of choice on your part? Allianz offers a flexible home insurance policy, built around a coverage plan and options to select according to your house.
Your home insurance is built around your situation. Once you have the keys in hand, you often discover that the cover for a property depends first and foremost on the plan you choose. Allianz home insurance is designed as a flexible policy. Allianz explains that it can cover the risks to your home according to the plan you select.
In practice, two homeowners living on the same street may therefore end up with different policies. One lives alone in a single-storey house, the other is raising a family in a larger house with more equipment. Their needs are not alike, and the plan reflects that reality.
What your policy covers, and to what extent, depends on the plan you take out as well as on the limits, exclusions and conditions set out in the policy. Take the time to read them when making your choice, while the move still leaves you a little perspective. For a first purchase, this reading helps you know what you are protecting and spot what deserves further thought.
Your house extends beyond its living areas. In the evening, the car sleeps in the garage. In the cellar, the moving boxes are still piled up, along with the belongings you have not yet had time to put away. Outside, you are starting to picture the garden: a lawn to restore, a few plantings, a spot to sit out on sunny days.
Allianz clearly links the cellar and the garage to the dwelling. Both of these spaces are part of your house within the meaning of the policy.
The garden follows a different logic. Allianz states that it can be covered by an option. In other words, its protection depends on a choice you make when building your policy, alongside the plan selected for the dwelling.
So keep this simple distinction in mind when you look around your property: the cellar and the garage on one side, included in the dwelling, and the garden on the other, which can be covered by an option.
Each option addresses a situation you will recognise. Before going through them, a useful pointer: these options are added by choice. They are not automatically included in your policy, and it is up to you to decide which ones make sense for your house.
Allianz offers options that may cover theft, vandalism, assistance, electrical damage or outdoor installations. To work out which ones to consider, start from your daily life as a homeowner rather than from an abstract list:
Theft: your house stays empty during the holidays, or you regularly go away at weekends.
Vandalism: your façade or fence faces directly onto the street, in full view of passers-by.
Assistance: you want support when something unexpected happens at home, especially in the first few months, while you are still getting to know the house.
Electrical damage: your house is fitted with many plugged-in appliances, from the kitchen to the study and the living room.
Outdoor installations: your grounds are fitted with outdoor equipment, or you plan to landscape them.
Looking at things by situation helps you sort through the options. A townhouse without grounds and a house surrounded by a large landscaped area do not call for the same choices. The details of each option, its conditions and its limits are set out in the policy. That document is the authoritative reference when making your decision. If in doubt, review each option in light of your actual situation.
After a claim, your appliances matter in your daily life. When moving in, many new homeowners equip their kitchen all at once: fridge, oven, washing machine, dishwasher. These purchases represent a real investment, and they set the rhythm of household life from the very first days.
Allianz states that it favours repairing appliances whenever possible. For you, this means that if an appliance is damaged, repair is considered first, provided the situation allows it.
This approach remains subject to the assessment of your claim. Whether repair is possible depends on the appliance, the damage observed and the conditions of your policy. So keep the invoices and relevant information about your recent equipment close at hand. They make discussions easier if a claim arises.
The formalities follow the pace of your move. Between the boxes, the meters to open and the changes of address, you are looking for procedures that fit into your schedule.
With Allianz, the quote and the policy subscription can be completed online. You can thus make progress from home, at a time that suits you, by choosing the plan and options that match your house. Subscription remains subject to verification of your application.
The insurance certificate is made available once the policy takes effect. Remember to plan ahead if you need it by a specific date.
Before you start, make a note of the spaces in your house and the equipment you wish to protect. This list helps you choose your plan and options with greater peace of mind.
Becoming a homeowner also means learning to read your policy. Allianz offers you flexible home insurance, a clear distinction between the cellar and garage included in the dwelling and the garden, which can be covered by an option, as well as attention to repairing your appliances whenever possible. With these pointers, you choose your plan and options according to your house and the life you are building there.
