When you take out an insurance contract, two dates must be distinguished:
The subscription date: this is the date on which you sign the contract
The effect date: this is the date when your contract is activated, when you begin to be covered by your guarantees
👉 The principle of anteriority is a rule in your contract which says that we will not be able to cover for claims that took place before the effect date of your contract.
This rule applies, even if you only notice the damages after the activation of your guaranties, or did not have the information necessary to manage the claim.
Example: my contract starts on June 1st, the water damage which occurred in May and which is still in progress in June is not covered, even is new damages appear in June.
In this case, you will need to contact:
Your former insurer if you already lived in this accommodation
Your landlord, if you are a tenant and notice damage that occurred before you moved into your new home.
Some examples :
I have just moved into my flat, and I discover a broken window that has occurred since my last visit.
→ I contact my landlord, who will manage the claim with his insurance
I just changed insurance for Luko, and I notice traces of mould on the wall, around a leak that I thought had been fixed.
→ I contact my old insurer who covered the accommodation when the leak causing the damage occurred.
☝️ Good to know :
The principle of anteriority applies to all guaranties, including those you subscribe later, in addition to your initial cover.
So if you add an option to your contract, it will only cover damage that occurred after it was subscribed, even if your contract was already active.
For example :
If you add the "Outdoor installations" option to your already active contract, we will cover the damages from the date of addition. If your fence is damaged the next day, you are well covered.
On the other hand, if your portal was damaged before you added the option, we will not be able to cover the repair costs.
☝️ This also works for civil liability guarantees :
If you caused damage to someone before the effective date of your Luko contract, you must contact the insurer who covered you for civil liability at the time of the incident.
They will take care of the compensation of the third party.
Likewise, if you suffered damage before activating your Luko contract, you will need to contact the insurance which covered you in defence and recourse at the time of the facts.