{"id":25095415,"date":"2026-04-29T12:31:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T10:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pestpatrol.be\/2026\/04\/29\/assurance-habitation-et-termites-peut-on-etre-indemnise\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T12:31:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T10:31:58","slug":"home-insurance-and-termites-can-we-be-compensated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pestpatrol.be\/en\/2026\/04\/29\/assurance-habitation-et-termites-peut-on-etre-indemnise\/","title":{"rendered":"Home insurance and termites: can you get compensation?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Home insurance and termites: all you need to know about compensation<\/h1>\n<h3 id=\"sommaire\">Contents<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary underline toc-link\" href=\"#assurance-habitation-et-termites-pourquoi-l-exclusion-est-la-regle\">Home insurance and termites: why exclusion is the rule<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary underline toc-link\" href=\"#analyse-des-clauses-de-contrats-focus-sur-les-insectes-xylophages\">Analysis of contract clauses: focus on wood-eating insects<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary underline toc-link\" href=\"#recours-et-solutions-comment-etre-dedommage-en-cas-d-infestation\">Remedies and solutions: how can I get compensation in the event of an infestation?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary underline toc-link\" href=\"#conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You've just discovered fine sawdust at the foot of a beam, a hollow-sounding parquet floor, or worse, a sagging floor. The diagnosis: termites. Your first instinct is to call your insurer. And then the cold shower. Your home insurance policy doesn't cover termites. Not a cent. That's the reality for the vast majority of homeowners in Belgium, and yet hardly anyone knows about it until it hits them.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"ce-qu-il-faut-retenir\">Things to remember<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Going beyond the usual simple observation of exclusion to explore contractual mechanisms and legal levers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>We analyze why insurers refuse to accept this risk, and how to activate the warranty for latent defects or professional liability to obtain compensation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Why exclusion is the rule<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Focus on wood-eating insects<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The problem is that most articles on the subject simply say \u00abinsurers exclude termites, period\u00bb. We're going to go a lot further here. Because there are real ways of obtaining compensation, even when your home insurance refuses to cover termites: latent defect, ten-year guarantee, professional liability. You just need to know which ones to activate, and when. And that's exactly what we're going to look at together.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you're the owner of a home in a high-risk zone, or a future buyer who wants to avoid the trap, this article gives you the keys to understanding the contractual mechanisms, the legal loopholes that can be exploited, and practical solutions so that you're not left alone with a treatment bill that can exceed \u20ac15,000.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"assurance-habitation-et-termites-pourquoi-l-exclusion-est-la-regle\">Home insurance and termites: why exclusion is the rule<\/h2>\n<p>Many municipalities are classified as risk zones for wood-boring insects. Despite this, your comprehensive homeowner's policy does not protect you against these insects. Why is this? The answer lies in a fundamental principle of insurance law: hazard.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"max-w-full h-auto rounded-md\" src=\"https:\/\/nghaeknymynesecnqcmd.supabase.co\/storage\/v1\/object\/public\/article-images\/article-1777456048752-assurance-habitation-et-termites-peut-on-etre-indemnise.png\" alt=\"Home insurance and termites: can you get compensation?\"><\/p>\n<p>For a risk to be insurable, it must be unpredictable. A fire, a storm, water damage: no one can predict exactly when it will happen. Termites are different. An infestation develops slowly, sometimes over several years. Insurers consider termites to be a gradual phenomenon, detectable by a vigilant homeowner. In other words, they consider it to be a matter of home maintenance, not a sudden disaster.<\/p>\n<p>Take a look at the general conditions of any comprehensive homeowner's policy. You'll systematically find an exclusion clause covering damage caused by insects, parasites, fungi or vermin. The wording varies from one insurer to another, but the result is the same: termites are not covered by home insurance. Property damage insurance, which covers your building, comes to a screeching halt when it comes to wood-eating insects.<\/p>\n<p>Is it unfair? You might think so. A homeowner who buys a house without knowing it's infested hasn't asked for anything. But from the insurer's point of view, the logic is implacable: if we covered termites, we'd also have to cover mold, capillary rise and rust in the pipes. Everything that comes under the heading of slow deterioration and routine upkeep would no longer be covered by insurance, but by maintenance. Premiums would skyrocket.<\/p>\n<p>There's another argument that insurers rarely put forward publicly, but which carries a lot of weight: anti-selection. If termite cover existed, only homeowners in infested areas would take it out. The pool of contributors would be too small to properly mutualize the risk. A study by the Centre technique du bois et de l'ameublement (CTBA, now FCBA) has already estimated the annual cost of termite damage in France at several hundred million euros. No insurer wants to carry that.<\/p>\n<p>The result: even if you pay top dollar for your home insurance, even if your contract is top-of-the-range with all the options, termites are still excluded. There's no negotiating on this point. It's written in stone in the general conditions. The only theoretical exception would be a tailor-made contract negotiated with a specialized broker, but in practice, no one offers this on the mainstream French market.<\/p>\n<p>The point here is that exclusion is not a whim. It is based on a solid insurance logic. This doesn't mean you have no recourse, far from it. But your first line of defense won't be your home insurance. You'll have to look elsewhere.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"analyse-des-clauses-de-contrats-focus-sur-les-insectes-xylophages\">Analysis of contract clauses: focus on wood-eating insects<\/h2>\n<p>Open your terms and conditions. Really, go and get them. Most owners have never read them, and that's where it all comes in. The clauses relating to wood-eating insects are deliberately broad, to cover as many species as possible. It's not just termites we're talking about.<\/p>\n<p>Contracts generally mention \u00abdamage caused by insects, rodents and parasites\u00bb. Some go even further, mentioning xylophagous insects by name: termites, house beetles, beetles and lyctus. This precision is not insignificant. It closes the door on any attempt to argue that \u00abmy contract excludes termites, but I have house beetles\u00bb. No. All wood-eating insects are excluded, whatever the species.<\/p>\n<p>House longhorn beetles (Hylotrupes bajulus) are well worth a closer look. In some regions, they cause as much damage as termites, sometimes more. Their larvae burrow into softwood trees for three to ten years before becoming adults. By the time they are noticed, the structure can be seriously compromised. Beetles (Anobium punctatum for the small one, Xestobium rufovillosum for the big one) tend to attack old, damp wood. The characteristic round exit holes, 1 to 3 mm in diameter, are often the first visible sign.<\/p>\n<p>Why is this distinction between species important? Because termite surveys, in the strict sense of the termite diagnosis, only cover termites. If your home is infested with capricorns or beetles, the termite diagnosis required for a sale will not necessarily detect them. There is a more comprehensive diagnosis, the \"\u00e9tat parasitaire\", which covers all agents of biological degradation of wood. But it's not compulsory everywhere. Many real estate transactions fall through the cracks.<\/p>\n<p>Back to contractual clauses. Some contracts contain a subtlety that can work in your favor: the distinction between direct damage and consequential damage. Direct damage (wood eaten by termites) is excluded, period. But what about consequential damage? If a beam weakened by wood-eating insects gives way and causes a floor to collapse, some contracts might cover the material damage resulting from this collapse, not the infestation itself. This is a grey area that few homeowners explore, and few insurers highlight.<\/p>\n<p>A ruling by the French Supreme Court (2nd Civil Chamber, 2007) reminded us that the insurer must prove that the exclusion of coverage is \u00abformal and limited\u00bb within the meaning of the French Civil Code. If the clause is too vague or too broad, it may be declared unenforceable against the insured. In practice, contract drafters have since tightened up their wording, but it's always worth having your clauses checked by a specialist lawyer.<\/p>\n<p>A point often overlooked: if you are a co-owner, the common areas are covered by the co-ownership's insurance. The same exclusions generally apply, but the syndic may be held liable if he or she fails to take the necessary measures after an infestation has been reported. This provides additional leverage.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"recours-et-solutions-comment-etre-dedommage-en-cas-d-infestation\">Remedies and solutions: how can I get compensation in the event of an infestation?<\/h2>\n<p>Your insurance doesn't pay. That's fine. But who pays for termite treatment, and more importantly, who pays for structural repairs? The answer depends entirely on whether you're a long-time homeowner, a recent buyer, or a new home under warranty.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hidden defects: your best ally if you've bought recently.<\/strong> If you've bought your home and discover a termite infestation that the seller knew about or should have known about, you're on solid ground. Hidden defects in real estate, governed by articles 1641 to 1649 of the French Civil Code, allow you to demand either cancellation of the sale, or a reduction in the price. The deadline for taking action is two years from the discovery of the defect.<\/p>\n<p>This is where termite diagnosis comes in. All sellers are required to provide a termite diagnosis that is less than six months old. If this diagnosis has been botched, or if the diagnostician has failed to detect an obvious infestation, his professional civil liability may be incurred. In this case, the insurance company pays. We're talking about significant sums: a diagnostician convicted of negligence will have to cover the cost of treatment, repairs, and sometimes even the loss of value of the property. Don't hesitate to ask for such an inspection when selling a property where you suspect the presence of insects.<\/p>\n<p>The courts tend to favor buyers in these cases. A French ruling by the Bordeaux Regional Court ordered a seller and his diagnostician jointly and severally to pay over \u20ac40,000 to a buyer for a faulty termite diagnosis. This is not an isolated case.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ten-year warranty: for recent constructions.<\/strong> If your house is less than ten years old and termites have compromised the solidity of the structure or rendered it unfit for its intended use, the builder's ten-year warranty comes into play. Article 1792 of the French Civil Code is clear on this point. The builder (or his insurer) must make good the damage. The question arises especially when the preventive treatment of the wood was not carried out correctly at the time of construction. Faulty treatment of structural wood is a construction defect, not a maintenance problem. In this case, the ten-year warranty applies in full.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Financial aid: don't count on it too much, but check anyway.<\/strong> There is no specific termite financial aid at national level. Some communes or CPAS may include treatment as part of an overall renovation package, if the dwelling is very run-down and the owner meets the means test. This is done on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n<p>On the budget front, let's be concrete. Termite treatment costs between \u20ac2,000 and \u20ac5,000 for a standard house, with products injected into the walls and floor (chemical barrier). If the frame is affected, you need to add the replacement of damaged wood: \u20ac5,000 to \u20ac20,000, depending on the extent of the problem. Bait traps (stations installed around the house) cost \u20ac1,500 to \u20ac3,000 a year for a follow-up contract. In terms of price, termite treatment represents a heavy investment that no-one wants to bear alone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The practical procedure :<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<p>Have a termite survey carried out by a certified professional (not the same one who did the sales diagnosis, to avoid any conflict of interest).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Report the infestation to your local authority as soon as possible, as this is a legal obligation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>If you've bought recently, consult a real estate lawyer to assess your chances in terms of latent defects.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Check the date of construction: if it's less than ten years old, contact the builder and his ten-year insurer.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Request several treatment quotes from different companies.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>A final point that few people are aware of: if you're a tenant, termite treatment is the landlord's responsibility, not yours. Structural damage is never part of routine maintenance, which is the tenant's responsibility. If your landlord refuses to take action, a formal notice followed by court action is the way to go.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"conclusion\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>There's no such thing as a marriage between home insurance and termites. Your comprehensive policy won't cover infestation, and no option or endorsement will change this reality in today's market. Accepting this fact is the first step to taking effective action.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that there are remedies outside the scope of home insurance: latent defect if you bought an infested property, liability of the diagnostician if he missed the infestation, ten-year guarantee if the construction is recent. These levers work, the courts regularly apply them, and the amounts obtained often cover the entire cost of treatment and repair.<\/p>\n<p>If you're in a high-risk zone or have the slightest doubt, don't waste any time. Have a full diagnosis carried out (not just the statutory termite diagnosis), keep all your purchase documents, and don't hesitate to consult a legal professional. The sooner you act, the greater your chances of recovering the sums you've incurred.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"questions-frequentes\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<details class=\"faq-item\">\n<summary>Why doesn't my home insurance cover termites?<\/summary>\n<p>For insurers, a termite infestation is considered a gradual phenomenon linked to building maintenance, and not a sudden, unforeseeable loss (like a fire). This is why almost all comprehensive home insurance policies include an exclusion clause for wood-eating insects.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"faq-item\">\n<summary>Is there any recourse if I discover termites after buying my house?<\/summary>\n<p>Yes, if the infestation was present prior to the sale and not reported, you can invoke the warranty for hidden defects (articles 1641 et seq. of the French Civil Code). You have two years from the date of discovery to take action against the seller and obtain a price reduction or cancellation of the sale.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"faq-item\">\n<summary>Can the diagnostician be held liable?<\/summary>\n<p>Absolutely. If the termite diagnosis required at the time of sale has been carried out incorrectly, or has failed to detect the obvious presence of insects, you can sue the diagnostician. His professional civil liability can then cover the cost of treatment and structural repairs.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"faq-item\">\n<summary>Does the ten-year warranty cover termite damage to a new house?<\/summary>\n<p>If your home is less than 10 years old, the ten-year warranty may be triggered if termites compromise the solidity of the structure or render the house unfit for habitation. This is often the case when preventive wood treatment was not carried out during construction.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"faq-item\">\n<summary>As a tenant, who pays for termite control?<\/summary>\n<p>Termite treatment and repairs to damaged wood are the sole responsibility of the owner. This work relates to the structure and conservation of the building, and is never part of routine maintenance or minor repairs.<\/p>\n<\/details>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home insurance and termites: all you need to know about compensationSummaryHome insurance and termites: why exclusion is the ruleAnalysis of contract clauses: focus on insects x...<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25095414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"dipi_cpt_category":[],"class_list":["post-25095415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-classe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pestpatrol.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25095415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pestpatrol.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pestpatrol.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestpatrol.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestpatrol.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25095415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pestpatrol.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25095415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestpatrol.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25095414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pestpatrol.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25095415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestpatrol.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25095415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestpatrol.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25095415"},{"taxonomy":"dipi_cpt_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestpatrol.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dipi_cpt_category?post=25095415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}