Personal liability insurance
Cover for damage caused to third parties by the insured, spouse, minor children and pets in private life; often included in home insurance, it is little known yet essential.
The French Civil Code makes everyone liable for damage caused by their fault, but also for damage caused by their minor children, the animals in their care and the things they use. A child who breaks a shop window with a ball, a dog that bites a passer-by, a bicycle that knocks over a pedestrian, a flowerpot falling from a balcony: in each case, the family must pay, sometimes considerable sums when a person is seriously injured. Personal liability insurance, historically called head-of-household liability, covers such damage caused to third parties outside any professional activity. It generally protects the insured, spouse or partner, their minor and sometimes dependent adult children, and pets, except dogs classified as dangerous, which are subject to a specific obligation. It is most often included in the home insurance policy, which explains why many households do not know they have it. It excludes intentional damage, professional activities, motor vehicles, which belong to motor insurance, and certain risky sports or activities. Its limits for bodily injury are high, often several million euros, because a serious accident can lead to lifelong compensation for the victim.
Textbook case: a fourteen-year-old cyclist hits an elderly person, who breaks a hip and loses autonomy. The personal liability cover included in the parents' home insurance compensates the victim, care, home help and damages, for 350,000 euros.
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