Dear editor,

I have had a good response from the ad in Etcetera and I am very pleased with the results. I would like to take this opportunity to suggest a possible subject matter which I feel needs airing. You may well have covered the subject already in previous editions, if so ignore the following.

It has come to my attention, when talking to fellow tradesmen in the area, that there is a high number of builders etc who are registered with a siret but have failed to take out the obligatory deccenale insurance. There are two reasons why I feel that this subject should be highlighted. One is to protect the public from inadvertently employing tradesmen who are registered but not insured. Usually the insurance comes as a package so if they don't have deccenale, they most probably don't have any public liability either. This could be a huge problem for the unaware should something go wrong whilst they have work carried out on their property.

Secondly it is very difficult for tradesmen and women who are doing it all legally to compete on prices. I have to find 400 euros per month just for the deccenale. I am sure you can see that a tradesperson without deccenale can easily undercut the legitimate traders. I feel that an article in etcetera outlining the hazards of employing uninsured tradesmen and women and the possible consequences would help the public avoid the problem. I am sure that many of the public are not even aware of the deccenale system here in France.

Name and address witheld by etcetera

We asked Lindsey Queriaud of Cast to reply.

“Decinel insurance is a guarantee on work undertaken by a builder, plumber, electrician etc. It covers the work for a period of a minimum ten years. The sum paid in insurance premiums is based on turnover or for a future activity, their projected turnover. Obviously the risk taken on a roof and the risk taken on fitting a window are not the same. So the types of activites undertaken by the company is also taken into consideration. It is not obligatory, but should be. Most french companies don't think twice about paying it, even though it is expensive. The British tend to say "I will pay it later".

The problem is that it is difficult to find an insurance company to cover anyone more than six months after the start of an activity, because they are responsible for all the work the builder has undertaken. They are also becoming wary of the British building sector, because they do not necessary run their business for very long or they go back to the UK. The insurance company is still liable to cover the risk for the ten year period, but do not receive any premiums. A builder etc. is required to take out an insurance 'responsibilité civile' as well to cover any accidents or damaged caused or related to their business”.