The France insurers federation counted 11,300 declarations of claims linked to urban violence. Nearly 90% of the estimated cost of the damage concerned the 3,900 properties of professionals and local authorities affected.
A hefty bill. The cost of damage has now reached 650 million euros after the urban violence that broke out in France. This amount revealed by the professional federation France insurers, Tuesday July 11, is in clear increase after a first point of stage quantified at 280 million euros, last week. A total of 11,300 claims have now been sent to the country’s insurers.
>> Urban violence: how to get compensation in the event of damage or theft?
The nine tenths “of the cost of this urban violence concerns the 3,900 property of professionals and local communities affected”, said Florence Lustman, the president of France insurers, quoted in a press release. The rest mainly concerns damage suffered by individuals for their personal vehicles. In detail, claims on professional property represent 55% of the 650 million euros mentioned and those on the property of local authorities 35%, specifies France Assureurs.
Various invoices depending on the sector
Pell-mell, IIe-de-France Mobilités had already mentioned a bill of 20 million euros for damage to public transport in the Ile-de-France region, with in particular 39 buses burned. And the Ministry of National Education, Pap Ndiaye, had specified that the note would reach several tens of millions of euros in schools: about sixty of them suffered significant damage, of which about ten were destroyed or partially destroyed.
Alain di Crescenzo, president of the Marseille Chamber of Commerce, had estimated the damage to businesses in the city at more than 100 million euros. The detail of the indirect costs of the riots – cancellations in the hotel and catering industry, for example – is difficult to assess and is not the subject of declarations. Depending on the contract to which they have subscribed, some merchants may be compensated for loss of turnover.
Exceptional measures
On July 1, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire asked insurers to extend the declaration deadlines, reduce deductibles and quickly compensate professionals who were victims of the riots. Banks were also asked to show understanding.
Three days later, the France insurers federation had also invited its members to extend “up to 30 days” the time limit for reporting the claim and “reduce” deductibles for “hardest hit small independent traders” by urban violence. She also asked them to “facilitate the payment of installments to deal with the most difficult situations”.
It was heard by certain mutualists such as Covea (which brings together MMA, Maaf and GMF), Macif but also the bank insurers BPCE, Crédit Agricole or Crédit Mutuel, who announced measures for the victims. Axa, Generali and Société Générale had also followed suit.
Damage greater than in 2005
“The nature of the claims linked to the violence of recent days is therefore very different from what our country experienced in 2005”, believes Florence Lustman. At the time, damage and fires to vehicles had represented more than 80% of claims, spread over four weeks, for a total cost of 204 million euros. It remains to be seen whether insurers will react in the same way. A standoff had indeed opposed them to the government on the question of whether the responsibility of the State was engaged.
At the time, wrote The worldthe insurers relied on a law of 1983, which provides that “the State is civilly responsible for the damage” resulting from crimes and misdemeanors committed by “gatherings or gatherings”, against persons or property. The government of the day had invoked several judgments of the Council of State excluding this responsibility when the acts of violence are “premeditated” or due to “small groups”.