Decennial insurance for plumbers: plumbing, sanitary ware and heating
A leaking concealed pipe or a badly laid drainage network can make a home unfit to live in. Plumbers and heating engineers are therefore subject to the decennial guarantee. Lev Assurances helps you declare your activities and obtain a suitable certificate.
- Plumbing, sanitary ware, drainage
- Heating and hot water systems
- Certificate to attach to your quotes
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Plumbing activities to declare
- Concealed or surface water pipes
- Drainage and sanitary appliances
- Central heating and boilers
- Heat pumps and renewables
- Walk-in showers (waterproofing)
What decennial cover means for plumbers
Typical plumbing claims are leaks in concealed pipework and drainage defects. When they make the building unfit for purpose, they fall under the decennial guarantee. Removable equipment (a tap, an appliance replaceable without damaging the structure) falls rather under the two-year proper-functioning guarantee.
Insurers often distinguish sanitary plumbing, heating, air conditioning and renewable energy (heat pumps, solar thermal). The latter may require specific qualifications. Declare every activity you actually carry out: see covered activities and exclusions.
Walk-in showers need special attention: the waterproofing under the tiles is a frequent source of claims, at the boundary between plumbing and tiling. Make clear who carries out the waterproofing on your projects.
Finally, professional liability covers damage caused during the works, such as water damage next door. The decennial insurance cost varies with these activities.
More about decennial insurance
Construction insurance
Overview of construction insurance in France: decennial, dommages-ouvrage, professional liability.
Decennial liability (BTP)
Our main page on decennial insurance for construction professionals.
Decennial certificate
What the certificate must contain and when to give it to the client.
Covered activities and exclusions
Why declared activities determine what is covered.
Dommages-ouvrage insurance
The project owner’s insurance, complementary to decennial cover.
How we review your decennial insurance
Specify your plumbing work
Sanitary plumbing, heating, boilers, heat pumps, ventilation, air conditioning: each activity must be declared.
Prove your plumbing experience
Qualification (CAP or BP) or proven experience, business registration, any certifications (RGE, gas), previous certificates and claims history.
Review cover and excesses
Limits, excesses and exclusions (for example undeclared HVAC or renewable energy work) are reviewed with you.
Receive your certificate
If accepted and the policy is taken out, the certificate listing the insured activities must be attached to your quotes and invoices, in line with Article L. 243-2 of the French Insurance Code.
Let’s review your decennial insurance as a plumber
Describe your plumbing, heating or HVAC work, your experience and your turnover: Lev Assurances reviews your file and, if an insurer accepts it, supports you through to the certificate.
Frequently asked questions
Must a plumber have decennial insurance?
Yes, when the work concerns the structure (concealed pipework, installations built into the building). Cover must be in place before work starts.
Is water damage after the works covered by decennial insurance?
Not always. After handover, decennial liability may apply if the damage undermines the structure’s solidity or makes it unfit for its purpose. During the year following handover, a defect reported under Article 1792-6 of the French Civil Code may fall under the one-year completion guarantee. Other damage may fall under contractual liability or other guarantees in the insurance policy.
Is heat pump installation covered?
Only if the corresponding activity, such as heat pump installation or HVAC, is declared and insured under the policy. To qualify for some energy renovation grants, the work must also be carried out by a professional holding the appropriate RGE certification.
Who is responsible for waterproofing a walk-in shower?
Whoever carries it out. Agree the split with the tiler and check the activity appears on your certificate.
Decennial insurance suited to your trade
Decennial insurance is chosen according to the activities you actually carry out, your experience and your projects. Lev Assurances helps you declare the right activities and understand your contract — Lev Assurances, broker registered with ORIAS no. 24001858, supervised by the ACPR (French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority).