PNO Insurance in Paris: Coverage, Cost and Rules for Non-Occupant Owners

You own a Paris apartment. You don't live in it. Maybe you bought it as an investment, you're posted abroad for a few years, or you're managing a family property from London or New York. Either way, the moment your name is on a Paris title deed and you are not the person sleeping there, your legal and financial exposure changes.

This guide explains what PNO insurance is, what it actually covers, whether you are legally required to have it, and what it costs in 2026. It also covers a distinction most landlords only learn about when something goes wrong: the difference between PNO and GLI, and why getting both right matters more than finding the cheapest annual premium.

If you manage your Paris property from abroad, this guide also addresses a practical question that no policy document answers for you: what happens when something goes wrong at the Paris end, and you are the person a continent away trying to handle it.

PNO insurance, or assurance propriétaire non occupant, is home insurance for owners who do not live in their property. It protects the owner's liability and the property itself when the apartment is rented out, vacant, or temporarily unoccupied.

This matters because a Paris apartment can still create risk even when the owner is not there. A water leak can affect a neighbour's ceiling. A fire can damage fixed installations. A claim can arise during a vacancy period between two tenants. In these situations, the tenant's home insurance may not apply, and the copropriété's building policy may not fully protect the individual owner.

PNO insurance fills that gap. When a covered event happens, the policy responds on the owner's behalf. It can cover civil liability, damage to the apartment, and certain risks linked to vacancy periods. Depending on the contract, it may also include legal protection or additional guarantees.

PNO does not replace the tenant's assurance habitation. The tenant's policy covers their personal belongings and their liability if they cause damage. PNO covers the owner's exposure and the property itself. In practice, both policies often work side by side, each covering the part of the claim that falls within its scope.

PNO insurance is relevant for any Paris property owner who is not living in the property. The legal obligation in copropriété applies regardless of how the property is used, but the practical reasons to hold PNO go well beyond compliance.

Investment property owners

Owners who purchase a Paris apartment as a rental investment and do not live there are, by definition, propriétaires non occupants. If the property is in a copropriété (which it almost certainly is in Paris), PNO is legally mandatory from the moment of acquisition, not only from the first day of tenancy. The rental cycle itself creates a recurring gap: the vacancy period between one tenant leaving and the next moving in is when no tenant insurance is active and when undetected damage can develop longest.

Non-resident and expat owners

Owners based outside France carry the same legal obligations as any resident landlord, but with far fewer options for immediate local response when something goes wrong. PNO provides the coverage framework. What non-resident owners also need, and what PNO does not provide, is someone who can act on that coverage locally when a claim arises. The combination of appropriate insurance and structured local management is the operational model that actually works for absentee ownership in Paris.

Owners of vacant properties

A vacant Paris apartment, whether waiting for renovation, between lettings, or held without active rental for any reason, carries risks that neither tenant insurance nor copropriété collective policy covers. PNO is the layer that protects the owner during these periods. A slow water leak in an unoccupied flat can go unnoticed for weeks. The repair cost and the liability exposure fall entirely on the owner without PNO.

Owners of second homes in Paris

A pied-à-terre in Paris, used occasionally but not as a primary residence, qualifies as non-occupant ownership for most of the calendar year. If the property is in a copropriété (as the vast majority of Paris apartments are), Article 9-1 of the loi du 10 juillet 1965 requires civil liability coverage regardless of how often the owner visits. When the property is empty between stays, the same vacancy risks apply as for any unoccupied property.

SCI property owners

A Société Civile Immobilière (SCI) can hold legal title to a Paris property, but the underlying obligations do not disappear because of the corporate structure. If the SCI owns a lot in a copropriété, the civil liability obligation applies at the SCI level. A PNO policy subscribed in the SCI's name is the standard approach. The tax treatment of premiums and the accounting rules differ from individual ownership, and the correct setup should be confirmed with a professional familiar with French SCI structures.

LMNP landlords

LMNP (loueur meublé non professionnel) status applies to furnished property owners below the professional revenue threshold. The PNO obligation in copropriété applies regardless of the tax regime chosen. For LMNP landlords, PNO premiums are deductible as operating charges under the régime réel, alongside other allowable expenses. The furnished rental context, with its typically shorter bail meublé lease terms and more frequent tenant turnover, also creates more vacancy periods where PNO coverage matters practically, not just legally.

PNO insurance is a multirisque habitation contract designed for owners who are not the occupants. It covers what a standard tenant's home insurance cannot: the building itself, the owner's liability, and the periods when no one is in the property.

The practical scope is broader than most owners expect when they first encounter it.

The core protections

A PNO policy typically includes:

• Dommages au bâti (building damage): fire, water damage, explosion, natural disaster, and storm damage to the structure and fixed installations, whether the property is occupied or not.
• Responsabilité civile propriétaire (owner's civil liability): claims from neighbours or third parties if damage originates in your property, regardless of whether a tenant is in residence at the time.
• Vacance locative (vacancy coverage): protection during the gap between two tenants, when no tenant insurance is active. A hidden pipe leak in January, discovered in March, is a typical example. Without PNO, the repair and liability are entirely yours.
• Protection juridique (optional add-on): legal support if a dispute with a tenant or third party escalates to a formal procedure.

In Paris, approximately 75% of residential dwellings are located in copropriétés. Damage that starts in your apartment doesn't stay there. A water leak on a 7th-floor flat can affect several units below before anyone is aware of the problem. The civil liability coverage in a PNO policy is what covers that exposure from the owner's side.

What PNO does not cover

PNO does not cover unpaid rent. That is often the first point of confusion, because both PNO and GLI are described as "landlord protection."

The distinction is structural. PNO protects the asset: the physical property and the owner's liability. GLI (garantie loyers impayés) protects the income: it reimburses unpaid rent when a tenant stops paying. Some insurers offer GLI as an option inside a PNO contract. Others sell it separately. Either way, it is a different product with a different premium calculation.

There is also no vacancy income protection included by default. If your Paris apartment sits empty for three months between tenants and you are losing rental income during that period, a standard PNO policy will not compensate that loss. A minority of insurers offer a rental vacancy option as a paid add-on, but the exclusions are worth reading carefully before relying on it.

The answer depends on the type of property. And in Paris, it matters more than in most French cities precisely because of the city's housing structure.

The copropriété rule

Since the ALUR law of 24 March 2014, every co-owner in a copropriété, whether they occupy their apartment or not, must hold at a minimum an insurance covering responsabilité civile (civil liability). This obligation is set out in Article 9-1 of the loi n°65-557 du 10 juillet 1965, the foundational law governing copropriété in France, as amended by the ALUR reform. A PNO policy is the standard way to satisfy this requirement.

If you fail to insure and the syndic (copropriété management body) identifies you as non-compliant, they can take out a policy on your behalf with no input from you on coverage or cost, and charge you the premium plus a 10% administrative surcharge. That outcome is one of the more common consequences of passive non-compliance rather than deliberate avoidance, and it is entirely avoidable.

The legal minimum is a civil liability guarantee. It does not require a full multirisk PNO, but in practice, most owners take out a proper PNO rather than a bare RC-only contract, because the pricing difference is small and the coverage difference is significant. Service-Public.fr provides a clear overview of the insurance obligations that apply to property owners in France.

For houses and individual buildings

If you own a standalone maison individuelle or an immeuble entier in monopropriété (where you own the entire building rather than a lot within a shared copropriété), the Article 9-1 obligation does not apply. There is no equivalent national requirement for individual landlords in those structures.

That said, recommending against coverage would be genuinely poor advice. An uninsured vacant house that suffers a fire, structural water damage, or a liability claim from a neighbour can produce out-of-pocket costs that far exceed any premium saving. In most cases, the annual premium for a standalone house PNO is a modest expense relative to the asset value and the risk of going without it.

PNO insurance is one of the less expensive property protection products available in France. For Paris apartments, premiums tend to sit at the lower end of the national range, partly because the copropriété's own building insurance already covers certain shared-structure risks.

Typical cost for a Paris apartment

A realistic budget for a Paris apartment in 2026, broken down by coverage level:

• Basic civil liability-only formula (minimum legal compliance for copropriété): from roughly €60 to €90 per year.
• Standard multirisque PNO (civil liability, building damage, vacancy coverage): approximately €100 to €170 per year for a small to mid-size Parisian apartment.
• Extended formula with legal protection and a GLI add-on: €200 to €270 per year and above.

For a 40m² studio or a two-room flat in the 7th, 8th, or 16th arrondissement, most standard formulas sit between €100 and €130 annually (market comparator data, 2025-2026, sources: AssurancesLabs, GoodAssur). Published market averages across all apartment types and regions for 2026 range from approximately €105 per year on budget online panels to around €266 per year for fuller multirisque profiles (sources: AssurancesLabs, Selectra, 2026).

What pushes the price up or down

Several factors determine where your premium lands:

• Surface area: The single largest driver. Each additional square metre adds to the base premium calculation across all formulas.
• Number of rooms: More rooms mean more fixed installations, more surfaces, and more exposure to certain claim types such as water damage.
• Coverage level: The jump from a basic RC-only policy to a full multirisque with vacancy coverage can double the premium. Choosing the right formula for your actual risk profile matters more than comparing headline prices.
• Optional guarantees: Adding legal protection, GLI, or a relogement (tenant rehousing) guarantee each adds to the annual cost. These additions are worth evaluating against the specific risk they address.
• Insurer and distribution channel: Online direct insurers typically offer lower premiums than traditional brokered networks for equivalent formulas. The trade-off is sometimes in claims service and English-language support, both relevant for foreign-resident owners.

The 2025-2026 price increase

PNO premiums across France rose by approximately 7.5% to 8% in 2026. The driver was the CatNat (catastrophes naturelles) contribution rate, which increased from 12% to 20% of all property insurance premiums on 1 January 2025, following a ministerial arrêté published in the Journal Officiel in late December 2024. France Assureurs has documented this structural increase and the underlying trend: climate-related claims roughly doubled over the decade to 2025, creating sustained pressure on the CatNat fund.

This is not a one-year adjustment. Factor the higher baseline into any multi-year budget for a Paris property.

Is PNO insurance tax-deductible?

Yes. PNO premiums are fully deductible from rental income under the régime réel d'imposition, declared on form 2044 for unfurnished lettings (revenus fonciers) or within the LMNP accounting framework for furnished rentals. The same applies to GLI premiums when held separately.

Under the micro-foncier regime, which applies a flat 30% deduction to gross rental income, no individual charge deductions apply. If your Paris rental income sits close to the €15,000 annual threshold where the choice between micro-foncier and régime réel becomes relevant, the deductibility of PNO and GLI premiums is one of the factors worth calculating before the next declaration.

PNO premiums vary considerably depending on what you own. Surface area is the primary driver, but the structural category of the property also changes how insurers assess the risk and price the contract.

Studio apartments

Studios and very small apartments (typically under 30m²) represent the lowest-cost PNO category. In Paris, annual premiums for a basic to standard multirisque PNO formula typically range from €70 to €120, depending on coverage level and insurer (comparator data, 2025-2026). Entry-level policies with basic civil liability coverage can start closer to €60 to €70. The copropriété structure covers some shared risks, which helps keep the individual premium lower than it would be for a standalone property of the same surface.

One-bedroom apartments

For a one-bedroom apartment (T2) in Paris, a standard PNO formula with civil liability and building coverage typically runs approximately €100 to €150 per year. Surface area is the primary variable within this category. A 40m² one-bedroom in the 11th arrondissement will be priced differently from a 65m² one-bedroom in the 16th, even under the same formula with the same insurer.

Family apartments

Larger apartments, three bedrooms and above, carry higher premiums due to surface area and the greater potential exposure from more rooms, more fixed installations, and more surface over which water or fire damage can spread. In Paris, a full multirisque PNO for a three-bedroom (T4) of 80m² to 100m² typically ranges from €140 to €200 per year. Comparator data shows apartments of 71 to 90m² averaging around €149 per year, and those above 91m² averaging around €186 per year. Paris premiums run approximately 40% to 60% higher than provincial averages for equivalent apartment sizes, which places the realistic Paris range for a T4 squarely within this bracket (comparator data, 2025-2026).

Standalone houses

PNO for a standalone house is consistently more expensive than for apartment equivalents. The roof, garden, outbuildings, and perimeter structure add risk categories that a copropriété apartment does not carry. Market data for 2026 shows PNO premiums for houses ranging from approximately €200 to €336 per year for standard formulas (sources: AssurancesLabs, Selectra, 2026). For larger, older, or climate-risk-zone properties, premiums can exceed this range.

Entire buildings

Owners of an immeuble entier in monopropriété face a different insurance structure altogether. There is no copropriété RC obligation, but the exposure is greater because the owner is liable for the entire structure, including all common areas and the exterior. Insurance for a whole building is typically a commercial or specialized residential property policy rather than a standard PNO contract, and premiums are calculated on a bespoke basis depending on the building's total surface area, age, location, and condition.

What factors influence premiums most?

Across all property types, the variables with the greatest effect on PNO premiums are: surface area (the single largest driver in every category), the coverage formula chosen (from basic RC-only to full multirisque with add-ons), the insurer and distribution channel, and the specific risk profile of the property, including location, age of construction, building condition, and claims history. For Paris properties, arrondissement can also be a factor, particularly in older housing stock or areas with higher reported water damage frequency.

Choosing a PNO policy involves more than comparing annual premiums. The coverage level, exclusions, claims process, and optional guarantees determine how much protection you actually have when something goes wrong. Two policies priced at €110 per year can look identical from the outside and be structurally very different.

Tip #1: Minimum guarantees to look for

At minimum, any PNO policy for a Paris copropriété apartment should include:

• Responsabilité civile (civil liability): mandatory in copropriété and the legal floor. Without it, you are in breach of Article 9-1.
• Dégât des eaux (water damage): one of the most frequent claims in Paris apartment buildings, where older pipe systems, inter-floor installations, and shared risers are common sources of damage.
• Incendie (fire): structural fire coverage is a core guarantee in every multirisque contract and should never be absent.
• Catastrophes naturelles (natural disasters): legally required in all French property insurance by default.
• Vacance locative: coverage that remains active when the property is unoccupied. Some basic formulas limit or suspend this after 90 consecutive days of vacancy. Check the exact terms before signing.

A policy covering only civil liability satisfies the legal minimum but leaves the building and vacancy risks fully uncovered. For any landlord actively renting a Paris property, a full multirisque formula is the practical standard.

Tip #2: Recommended optional coverages

Beyond the core multirisque formula, four options are worth evaluating based on your specific situation:

• Legal protection (protection juridique): Covers legal costs and procedural support in the event of a dispute with a tenant, a contractor, or a third party. Relevant for any landlord who may face a contested deposit claim, an eviction procedure, or a warranty dispute with a tradesperson.
• Vacancy protection: Provides explicit coverage during extended vacancy periods. Some standard formulas limit certain guarantees if the property has been empty beyond a defined number of days, often 90. An explicit vacancy protection option removes or extends that threshold.
• Rent loss protection: Compensates the owner for rental income lost if the property becomes uninhabitable due to an insured event such as severe water damage or fire. Not standard and not cheap, but relevant if your rental income is a significant part of your financial planning.
• Extended liability coverage: Increases the civil liability ceiling above the standard contract limit. Relevant for high-value properties or buildings where the potential cost of damage to neighbouring units or common areas could be substantial.

Tip #3: Questions to ask before signing

Before committing to a PNO contract, these questions reveal the real quality of the coverage:

• What is the maximum consecutive vacancy period before specific guarantees are suspended or reduced?
• What are the main exclusions? Pre-existing damage, gradual deterioration, and certain types of tenant-caused damage are commonly excluded.
• What is the excess (franchise) for each type of claim?
• Is there an English-language claims process, or will all communication require French?
• What is the cancellation notice period, and can the policy be transferred if the property is sold?

Tip #4: Comparing quotes effectively

Comparing PNO quotes requires comparing like-for-like. Fix the coverage level first, decide which guarantees and options you need, then compare premiums for equivalent formulas across a range of insurers. A premium difference of €30 per year between two policies is rarely meaningful if the exclusions, excess levels, or vacancy thresholds are different.

Online comparators (such as those offered by Selectra or AssurancesLabs) are useful for getting a fast market overview. The limitation is that they show prices, not claims experiences or service quality. For absentee or non-resident owners whose claims may need to be handled remotely and in English, the insurer's support model matters as much as the headline annual cost.

These three products overlap in timing but cover entirely different things. Getting the boundary right prevents both coverage gaps and unnecessary duplication.

PNO (propriétaire non occupant) covers:

• The building structure and fixed installations
• The owner's civil liability toward neighbours and third parties
• The property during vacancy periods between tenants
• Optional add-ons: legal protection and sometimes GLI

GLI (garantie loyers impayés) covers:

• Unpaid rent and charges if the tenant defaults
• Legal costs of the recovery procedure
• Sometimes: damage caused by the departing tenant, above what the deposit covers

Tenant's assurance habitation covers:

• The tenant's personal belongings
• The tenant's civil liability for damage they cause to the property or neighbours

These three products are complementary, not interchangeable. Your tenant's home insurance is mandatory for them and a condition of receiving the keys, but it does not protect you as the owner. It does not cover periods when the property is empty, and it does not cover structural damage the tenant did not cause.

One legal point that directly affects the GLI decision: since the loi ÉLAN of 2018, a landlord cannot combine a GLI policy with a personal caution solidaire (private guarantor) for the same tenant, except when that tenant is a student or apprentice. You must choose one or the other at lease-signing. The mechanics of that choice, and the guarantor options available for international tenant profiles, are covered in detail in the guide to getting a guarantor in Paris.

GLI usually costs between 2.5% and 5% of the annual rent, including charges. The exact premium depends on the insurer, the tenant profile, and the level of cover selected.

For example, a furnished one-bedroom apartment in the 8th arrondissement may rent for around €2,200 per month, or €26,400 per year. At that rent level, GLI would cost approximately €660 to €1,320 per year.

• For a larger family apartment renting between €3,500 and €7,000 per month, the annual premium becomes much more significant. This is why GLI should not be treated as an automatic add-on.
• For some landlords, GLI is a valuable layer of protection. For others, a strong tenant dossier, a professional guarantor, or a Visale guarantee may provide enough security at a lower cost.

The right decision should be made during tenant screening, not after a payment issue appears. An experienced property manager will assess the tenant's income, employment situation, guarantee options, lease type, and risk profile before recommending whether GLI is worth the premium.

If you manage a Paris property from abroad, non-occupant owner insurance gives you essential protection. But a PNO policy does not manage the apartment for you. The real risk is not only whether damage is covered, but whether someone can act quickly, in French, and during Paris working hours when something goes wrong.

For absentee owners, three situations create the most common gaps.

1. First, a water leak happens while the apartment is vacant between tenants. Your PNO policy may cover the structural damage, but someone still needs to declare the claim, contact the plumber, speak with the syndic, document the damage, and prepare the apartment before the next état des lieux. If you are in New York, London, or Singapore, that coordination still happens on Paris time.
2. Second, the tenant stops paying rent. If you have GLI, the policy may cover unpaid rent, but the claim still needs to be opened correctly and within the insurer's deadline. You also need to provide the right documents, communicate with the insurer or legal team in French, and follow the required procedure. An incomplete file can delay the claim, even when the policy itself is valid.
3. Third, the property needs an energy compliance review. A poor DPE rating can affect your right to rent the apartment and the rent level you can achieve. Class G properties have been restricted from the rental market since January 2025, and Class F restrictions are scheduled to take effect in 2028. PNO insurance does not tell you which works to prioritize or how to keep the property compliant.

None of this means you should avoid PNO insurance. It means you should not treat it as the whole solution. PNO protects against defined risks, but it does not replace local coordination, tenant screening, compliance follow-up, claim management, or proper move-in and move-out documentation.

One Paris-specific point matters for deposit disputes: the état des lieux is your main evidence. A detailed move-in and move-out inspection protects the owner, the tenant, and the property manager if damage, wear, or responsibility becomes unclear. For more details, read the Relocation in Paris guide on protecting your deposit with a Paris apartment inventory.

PNO insurance protects your apartment against defined risks. It does not manage the property, screen tenants, coordinate claims, or monitor compliance. Relocation in Paris supports owners with the operational side of owning a Paris apartment from abroad.

Our property management service helps owners handle tenant communication, syndic coordination, maintenance, vacancy periods, move-in and move-out inspections, and key compliance points such as DPE requirements and rent control.

We also help reduce rental risk from the start through tenant placement. This includes sourcing qualified tenants, reviewing the dossier, structuring the right guarantor solution, preparing the lease, and checking that the rent aligns with the applicable loyer de référence majoré. More on how guarantor options work alongside GLI decisions is available in the guide to guarantors for rental property.

For owners based outside France, the value is simple: one English-speaking team on the ground that knows your apartment, your tenant, your lease, and your building. When something happens in Paris, it is handled locally, before a small issue becomes a larger one.

Find out more about our Find a Tenant service.