Real estate: be careful, these territories represent a risk for your investments

Trégastel. Quiberon. Arcachon. Biarritz or even Saint-Nazaire. No, this is not the top 5 cities to invest in, but rather a non-exhaustive list of municipalities where investors should think twice about buying. Municipalities that belong to 16,000 municipalities having part of its territory flooded according to data from the Ministry of Ecological Transition“the first natural risk in terms of the amount of damage it causes», the Ministry clarifies. Accelerating global warming prompts buyers to consider natural hazards that may affect the cities in which they invest. Remember that real estate is a long-term investment par excellence and that by buying a property in an exposed municipality you run the risk of paying more for home insurance, but also of having to do more work in the event of an ominous case. Therefore, be careful if you decide to invest on the coast of Brittany, Normandy or the Nouvelle Aquitaine region or on the beaches of Martinique, Guadeloupe and Guyana. It is here that the vast majority of municipalities with a high risk of flooding are concentrated.

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Fires and earthquakes: cities at risk

When it comes to earthquakes or fires, it is more about the regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Occitanie and the eastern part of New Aquitaine, especially the municipalities of Cannes, Antibes, Le Grau-du-Roi, Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël. For example, the city of Menton is exposed to both a high risk of earthquake and fire. Face has the multiplication of disasters of all kinds, the president of France Assureurs, Florence Lustman, spoke in favor of the increase 6% surcharge for natural disasters. A decision that only the state can make. Today set on 12% home insurance, this additional premium could be increased to 18% in 2024..

Find out about local risks

To find out if the property is a risk or not, check the risk report that buyers must provide when they first visit the property from January 1, 2023 and no longer at the time of transaction completion. The seller is obliged to update it if an incident occurs between the first visit and the signing of the compromise. Also write the address of your future accommodation on the Géorisks website. With one click, you can access all the risks identified in the territory with different alert levels, from low to significant. You can also ask the seller for a claim certificate issued by their insurer to gauge the frequency of risk you are exposed to. And finally, don’t forget that it is possible to find natural disaster orders issued by prefects on the Internet. This will give you an idea of ​​the frequency of complaints where you shop.

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Respect the valid spatial planning rules

Also consider visiting the town hall before shopping. You will be able to consult the city’s prevention plan as well as obligations related to property maintenance. For example, the Ardèche communes, which are at risk of fire, require owners to regularly clear brush if their house is located less than 200 meters from the forest or the forest. Obligations you will need to comply with if you wish to be compensated in the event of a disaster.