Ten-year construction liability insurance (RC Décennale) is mandatory for all building professionals in France. Article 1792 of the Civil Code. Multi-formula cover for tradespeople, SMEs and specialist companies. Free past-work cover for new businesses, subcontracting up to 30% of turnover.
Request my quoteSole trader, SME, pool or solar specialist, profile after cancellation: every case has its levers. We configure the contract best suited to your turnover, your activities and your claims history.
You work alone or as a sole proprietorship. Entry-level formula up to 1 M€ turnover, up to 5 declared activities. Affordable rate, fast underwriting. If you are just starting out (business created less than 6 months ago), retroactive cover for past work is free.
Headcount of 2 to 10 staff including the company director(s). Up to 8 declarable activities. Subcontracting possible up to 30 % of pre-tax turnover. Flexible formula with optional cover depending on your typical projects.
For businesses with turnover above 500 K€, underwriting requires an enhanced file: prior-year balance sheet, payslips of the most qualified employees, org chart. Above 800 K€, a following-year accounting projection and a site coordinator certificate are required.
Targeted activities with specialised partner insurers. Builders of masonry pools, veranda fitters, manufacturers of pool enclosures, terraces, pergolas. Cover tailored to the specific technical risks of each structure.
Regulated activity requiring specific qualifications (QualiPV36, QualiPV500, Qualifelec SPV). Proof of 4 years of experience over the last 5 years. Acceptance of processes under standard techniques or technical assessment, subject to insurer validation.
You have been cancelled for non-payment, you have 1 or 2 at-fault claims over 3 years, your previous insurer no longer covers you. Solutions with our specialised partner insurers through an enhanced file: settlement of overdue premiums, detailed claims record.
If you are the project owner (private individual, SCI, developer) having a building constructed or renovated, what you need is not RC Décennale but Dommages-Ouvrage. The two contracts are complementary.
Four steps to get your RC Décennale certificate quickly.
3 minutes to describe your activity, your turnover and your history.
A conversation to confirm the activities to declare and list the supporting documents (Kbis, experience).
A comparison of the main insurers on the market based on your profile and your claims record.
Signature, first payment, RC Décennale certificate issued to present to project owners.
A full questionnaire to prepare your file for the insurers. Allow 5 to 7 minutes.
Select all the activities you carry out, then adjust the percentage of each (the total must be 100%). Maximum 7 activities (rises to 10 if your turnover exceeds 200,000 €).
The turnover for the last closed financial year. If your business is being set up, give the projected turnover.
Total number of people working on the sites, including the company manager(s).
The cumulative experience that can be evidenced for the declared activities (work certificate, payslips, employer's statement). Include the manager's seniority with their former employer where relevant.
A qualification related to the declared activities can supplement or replace professional experience (useful for finishing trades in particular).
Qualibat, Qualifelec, RGE, QualiPV, Qualit'EnR… Qualifications can lower the premium and unlock certain policies.
To steer you towards the insurer best suited to your profile.
Past-work cover covers projects already completed without ten-year liability insurance. It is generally free for a new business (up to 12 months of prior activity). Essential if you have already carried out structural works.
A mandatory legal question. A positive answer does not prevent subscription but steers you towards specialist insurers.
Split your turnover between private clients and professional clients. The total must be 100%.
Split your turnover between new-build work and renovation work. The total must be 100%.
Percentage of your turnover carried out as a subcontractor on behalf of another company (the ordering party).
Percentage of your turnover delegated to other companies as subcontracting. Most insurers cap this at 30% of turnover excluding tax.
Buying and reselling materials, or manufacturing, without installation on site. A significant share of trading may require an additional policy.
To prepare the file in advance (legal form, sector, people involved).
A quick reply by email and phone. Your data is only shared with the insurers we consult (RGPD).
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All building professionals who work on structures subject to the ten-year guarantee obligation (article 1792 of the Civil Code): tradespeople (self-employed, sole traders), building SMEs, architects, project managers, engineering firms, single-family home builders, developer-builders. This obligation must be met before opening any worksite.
Three consequences. Criminal penalties: 6 months in prison and a 75,000 € fine. Civil penalties: unlimited personal liability for 10 years after handover, your personal assets can be seized. Commercial consequences: unable to win projects (the project owner always requires the certificate).
The classification covers the whole building trade: earthworks, VRD, masonry and reinforced concrete, timber and metal framing, roofing, waterproofing, interior and exterior joinery, plastering, metalwork, glazing, painting, thermal insulation, kitchen and bathroom fitting, plumbing, heating, electricity, and photovoltaic panel installation.
Standard RC Décennale policies include: RCD for works subject to the obligation, RCD for works not subject to it, proper-functioning guarantee (removable equipment, 2 years), intermediate damage, general liability before and after handover, legal protection. Options: past-work cover (free for new businesses), material damage during works.
Highly variable depending on the profile. The pricing depends on turnover, the number of activities, the claims record, the insurance history, the chosen formula, the professional qualifications and the experience. A sole trader pays a far more modest premium than an SME with several employees. Request your personalised quote.
Administrative documents: Kbis extract or INSEE record less than 3 months old, letterhead paper, RIB and SEPA mandate. Documents related to the activities: at least 1 year of experience over the last 5 years in each declared activity. Accepted documents: work certificate, payslip, employer's statement.
Easier conditions apply to businesses set up less than 6 months ago. Past-work cover is free. To demonstrate your experience, provide: payslips from your previous employer, work certificate, statement. If you have already started certain activities: 5 work invoices spread over 12 months for activities representing more than 20% of turnover.
Solutions exist. Cancellation for non-payment: proof of settlement required. At-fault claims: claims statistics for the last 60 months, dated less than 3 months ago. A higher premium is possible but subscription is available with our specialist partner insurers. Our role: build up the strengthened file and negotiate the best price despite the history.
The two policies are complementary. RC Décennale is taken out by the building professionals who carry out the works, and covers their liability for 10 years. Dommages-Ouvrage is taken out by the project owner (private individual, SCI, developer) and allows repairs to be pre-financed in the event of a claim.
Ten-year professional liability insurance (RCD) is required by article 1792 of the Civil Code of every building trade professional working on a structure subject to the mandatory ten-year warranty. In practice: craftsmen (self-employed, sole proprietorships), construction SMEs, architects, project managers, technical design offices, individual home builders, developer-builders. Without valid RCD, you cannot legally open a building site.
The contract covers your professional civil liability for 10 years from the acceptance of the works. In the event of a defect falling under the ten-year warranty (compromising the structural soundness of the works or making them unfit for their intended purpose), your insurer takes charge of the repair, in place of your unlimited personal liability.
Three texts frame the obligation. Article 1792 of the Civil Code defines the ten-year warranty: any builder of a structure is automatically liable to the project owner for damage that compromises the structural soundness of the works or makes them unfit for their intended purpose. The loi Spinetta de 1978 makes insurance mandatory (article L.241-1 of the Insurance Code). Article L.243-2 penalises a lack of insurance with 6 months' imprisonment and a 75 000 € fine.
All builders of structures: construction companies (structural work, second-fix work, finishes), architects and project managers, technical design offices (structure, building services, thermal), technical inspectors, manufacturers of equipment components, individual home builders, property developers, kit home manufacturers. Also concerned are self-employed craftsmen and micro-enterprises.
The classification of insurable activities covers the full spectrum of the building trade. Structural work: earthworks, VRD, masonry and reinforced concrete, timber and metal framing, roofing, waterproofing, facade renovation, external thermal insulation. Second-fix work: interior and exterior joinery, plastering, metalwork, glazing, mirror work, cladding, renders, painting. Finishes: surface coverings, kitchen and bathroom fitting. Technical trades: plumbing, sanitary installations, HVAC, air handling, electrical work, flue and chimney work, photovoltaic panels. Specialties: masonry pools, verandas, blown-in insulation.
Standard RC Décennale contracts include: RCD for structures subject to the obligation (the ten-year warranty in the strict sense), RCD for structures not subject to the obligation, two-year proper functioning warranty (removable equipment, 2 years), intermediate damage, general civil liability before and after acceptance, legal protection. Recommended options: retroactive cover for past work (free for newly created businesses), material damage during works.
Sole traders (turnover up to 1 M€) can access entry-level formulas with up to 5 declarable activities. For headcounts of 2 to 10 people, up to 8 declarable activities. Subcontracting allowed up to 30 % of pre-tax turnover. Trading in materials up to 15 % of pre-tax turnover. Territorial scope: mainland France, Corsica included. For turnover above 500 K€: prior-year balance sheet and payslips of qualified employees required. For turnover above 800 K€: add a following-year projection, org chart and site coordinator certificate.
The insurer checks your experience in each declared activity. General rule: at least 1 year of experience over the last 5 years. Sector-specific exceptions: 1 year out of 3 for plumbing, HVAC, air handling, electrical work, ITE; 3 years out of 3 for flue and chimney work; 4 years out of 5 for photovoltaic panels with QualiPV qualifications. Accepted proof: work certificate, payslips, employer's certificate.
You have been cancelled by your previous insurer, you have 1 or 2 at-fault claims over the last 3 years, you are coming from a refusal at another broker: there are solutions with our specialised partner insurers. The rate is higher but market access remains possible. Our role: put together the enhanced file with the detailed claims record, the proof of settlement, and negotiate the best possible rate despite the profile.
The RCD market is complex: around twenty insurers with very different positioning depending on the profile. Our role as a broker is to compare the main insurers on the market without commercial bias. In practice: precisely map out your activities, put together the file with the appropriate supporting documents, consult several insurers in parallel, negotiate the terms and support you over the long term.
Request your RC Décennale quote using the form above. Craftsman, SME, specialist or profile after cancellation: we configure the contract best suited to your business.
« Plastering and painting company (SARL), 4 employees, 380 K€ turnover, I had been cancelled by my previous insurer after 1 claim. Several brokers had turned me down. Atmo put together the enhanced file with the detailed claims record, placed me with a specialised partner insurer at an acceptable rate. Certificate received in 8 days, I was able to resume my projects immediately. »
« Starting a business installing photovoltaic panels, I was coming off 5 years of experience with an installer. Atmo guided me on the QualiPV qualifications to obtain, put together the file with my payslips, and placed me with a specialised partner insurer with free retroactive cover for past work. A clean start, a certificate to show from my very first project. »
Multi-formula cover for tradespeople, SMEs and specialists. Free past-work cover for new businesses, subcontracting up to 30%, complex profiles accepted.
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