Switching French mortgage borrower insurance at any time (loi Lemoine): steps and letter template

Quick answer

Since the loi Lemoine (law no. 2022-270 of 28 February 2022), borrower insurance on a French mortgage can be cancelled at any time, free of charge (article L113-12-2 of the Insurance Code). The method: take out a new contract with equivalent guarantees, send the bank a substitution request with the new contract enclosed — by registered mail with proof of receipt — then await its answer, due within 10 working days. Refusal is only allowed for lack of equivalence, and must be reasoned. The bank then issues a free amendment to the loan, with no change to the rate.

1. What the loi Lemoine changed

Three advances for borrowers:

• Cancellation at any time: no need to wait for the first anniversary; substitution is possible from the signature of the offer and throughout the life of the loan.
• No more medical questionnaire when the insured share is under €200,000 per insured and the loan ends before the borrower turns 60.
• Right to be forgotten cut to 5 years for cancers and hepatitis C: no extra premium or exclusion to declare beyond that.

The insurer must also remind you every year of this cancellation right.

2. Equivalent guarantees, the key to substitution

When the loan was granted, the bank provided a standardised information sheet (FSI) listing its requirements (death, total loss of autonomy, temporary/permanent incapacity, insured shares…). The new contract must cover at least those criteria. In practice:

• Ask for the FSI or the list of CCSF criteria used by your bank.
• Have the new insurer issue a point-by-point equivalence certificate.
• Keep the new contract's general terms: the bank will review them.

3. Step by step

1. Take out the new contract with equivalent guarantees (effective date conditional on the bank's agreement).
2. Send the substitution request to the bank by registered mail with proof of receipt, enclosing the new contract and the equivalence certificate.
3. The bank answers within 10 working days: acceptance, or a fully reasoned refusal.
4. If accepted, it issues a free amendment to the loan contract; the new insurer or you cancel the old contract as of the effective date.

4. Substitution letter template

Subject: Borrower insurance substitution request — loan no. [X] (art. L113-12-2 of the Insurance Code)

Dear Sir or Madam,

As holder of mortgage no. [X] with your institution, I hereby notify you of my decision to replace the current group insurance contract with contract [insurer, reference]; enclosed are its general terms, its schedule and the guarantee equivalence certificate.

In accordance with article L113-12-2 of the Insurance Code, please notify me of your decision within 10 working days of receipt of this letter and, if accepted, send me the loan amendment free of charge.

Any refusal must be fully and precisely reasoned, by reference to the requirements of the standardised information sheet.

Yours faithfully,

[Date — Signature]

Need to send this letter with solid proof? MaisonMail can print and dispatch your request through an available registered service. Origin market, delivery times, tracking and the proof-of-receipt slip are confirmed before payment. See also: sending a registered letter online.

5. Why registered mail with proof of receipt matters

• The bank's 10-working-day deadline runs from receipt: the slip makes it indisputable.
• Faced with silence or a stalling refusal, the proof of receipt grounds your complaint and then referral to the banking ombudsman.
• Banks process huge volumes: proof of dispatch prevents "requests never received".

6. After sending

• Acceptance: check the amendment (rate unchanged, nothing billed), the new contract's effective date and the actual cancellation of the old one.
• Refusal: demand the detailed reasons; adjust the guarantees with the new insurer and resubmit, or refer the case to the bank's ombudsman.
• Silence beyond 10 working days: follow up by registered mail, then complain — the breach is sanctionable.
• Keep every slip and letter until the loan ends.

7. Common mistakes

• Cancelling the old contract before the bank's written agreement: a cover gap on a loan that requires insurance.
• Neglecting guarantee equivalence and collecting an avoidable refusal.
• Forgetting the equivalence certificate or the general terms in the envelope.
• Accepting an unreasoned or late refusal without contesting it.
• Not matching the insured shares (split between co-borrowers) identically.

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In short: the loi Lemoine lets you switch borrower insurance at any time, free of charge. Take out a contract with equivalent guarantees, notify the bank by registered mail with proof of receipt, require an answer within 10 working days and a reasoned refusal if any, then sign the amendment. The payoff is often thousands of euros saved over the life of the loan.