The words 'garantie décennale', France's mandatory ten-year structural warranty, reassure on every quote, but almost nobody knows what it covers. It is not a ten-year after-sales service. It is a precise protection, with clear boundaries, and two other lesser-known warranties do the rest of the work. An insured craftsman explains, without the jargon.
Everything starts from one precise moment: the . From that point, three legal warranties kick in, each with its own role and its own duration.
The gold-underlined words are explained on hover. All definitions are in the joinery glossary.
| Warranty | Duration | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Parfait achèvement (perfect completion) | 1 year | Every defect you report, even cosmetic |
| Good working order (biennale) | 2 years | Removable equipment that breaks down |
| Décennale | 10 years | Serious damage: structural soundness, watertightness, an uninhabitable house |
In the first year, you are the best protected you will ever be as a client: the garantie de parfait achèvement obliges the craftsman to put right everything you report in writing, from a cracked tile to a door that rubs. The biennale takes over for equipment that can be removed: a roller shutter that gives up after 18 months is its territory. The décennale, finally, deals only with the serious: whatever affects the structural soundness of the house or makes it .
A detail even many tradesmen are unaware of: since a March 2024 ruling by the Cour de cassation, France's highest court, equipment fitted as a replacement in an existing house falls, in many cases, under the contractual regime rather than the décennale. The boundary has become a matter for lawyers. What it means for you: the décennale is not enough, check that your craftsman also carries professional liability cover, the responsabilité civile professionnelle. Both appear on my quotes.
French law obliges the craftsman to hand you his décennale insurance certificate, the attestation d'assurance décennale, before the site opens, and to mention it on his quotes and invoices. Once you have it in hand, check four things: the SIRET (the French business registration number) matches the company signing the quote, the validity period covers the start date of your work, the insurer is identifiable, and above all, the list of declared activities does include your type of work. That is the sneakiest trap: a craftsman insured for interior joinery who redoes your roof is not covered on your project. In case of doubt, one call to the insurer is enough to check.
My honest opinion: be wary of abnormally low quotes. A joiner's décennale costs €850 to €2,500 a year depending on the activities covered, and a craftsman working without insurance risks a €75,000 fine and six months in prison. When a price defies all competition, the insurance is one of the possible savings, and you are the one carrying the risk for ten years. Asking for the certificate takes two minutes, and it says a lot: mine, with SMA BTP, is attached to every quote, like the reminder at the bottom of every page of this site. The other traps in a quote, I have detailed in how to read a French building quote.
Date everything, put everything in writing, keep everything. In the first year, report each defect by recorded-delivery letter (lettre recommandée) under the parfait achèvement, setting a deadline for the work to be put right. Beyond that, for serious damage, the recorded-delivery letter remains the starting point, addressed to the craftsman and, if he does not answer, to his insurer: the contact details are on the certificate you kept. Even if the business has since closed, the insurer of the time remains liable. And remember the cut-off date: ten years after acceptance, no action is possible any more. It is also why, if you sell, your notaire (the French conveyancing notary) will ask you for these documents: properly insured work passes on with the house, and adds to its value.
For very large projects, finally, know that there is an insurance on the client's side, the dommages-ouvrage, which pre-finances repairs without waiting for liability to be established. Its floor premium, often close to €3,000, reserves it in practice for large-scale projects: for window fitting or a deck, nobody takes it out, and the craftsman's décennale remains your safety net.
No. A piece of furniture, a walk-in wardrobe or a bookcase, even fixed to the wall, can be removed without damaging the house: they do not fall under the décennale. You are protected in other ways: the parfait achèvement warranty for the first year, and the craftsman's contractual liability for 5 years. The décennale, for its part, protects the house itself: its structural soundness and its watertightness.
Ask for it before the work starts, it is a legal obligation. Check four things: that the SIRET number matches the business doing the work, that the validity period covers your project's start date, that the planned activity appears in the list of declared activities, and the identity of the insurer. In case of doubt, call the insurer directly: they will confirm.
That is exactly why the décennale is an insurance and not a promise: even if the business has closed, its insurer remains liable for the projects carried out during the covered period. Hence the importance of keeping the insurance certificate and the invoice for 10 years: they make it possible to trace the insurer and the policy.
A detailed quote, the SMA BTP décennale certificate attached, and a craftsman who still answers the phone after the project. That is how I have worked since 2018. I speak English, so feel free to call or write in English.
+33 6 03 57 45 47Reply within 48 hours, or in writing: contact@agencementklein.fr
