Just a thought… with this cold snap… many of us will be chucking logs on the fire … and newcomers may be using their chimney for the first time.
Despite our best efforts, we had 2 chimney fires in the early years…swiftly dealt with… but they were both very scary. I’ve since discovered what I should and should not do with our log burner… and all is well… and the chimney is swept professionally every year (and OH does it too mid year, for my peace of mind).
Under our local by-laws chimneys have to be swept professionally with a certificate twice a year. Worth peeps finding out what their local law says, the mairie will tell them.
Good Point… Anna…
It’s only once a year here… but every area has its own Laws.
Don’t forget that a certificate, given by whoever professionally sweeps your chimney, is also required for your house insurance.
We have a lovely lady sweep here, very professional and not a speck of soot left afterwards 
We have ours done every year without fail by a local guy but he has never suggested doing it more than once, looks like a trip the Mairie is required.
Sorry Ann, not true (certainly not for all policies anyway).
Well good luck to anyone trying to claim on their house insurance if they can’t produce a’ certificate de rammonage’
We all know how insurance companies hate to pay out claims Mark, so I hope everyone reads the small print or talks to their insurers ! 
I read all of my small print, and spoke to my broker. He told me it’s a myth (although it might be of use). Have a friend who has same broker and insurance company who has just had a chimney fire - caused by “dubious” lighting techniques, no cert of rammonage and he is getting a pay out to rebuild his chimney as the pompiers ripped it off the roof to put the fire out.
Same here Mark with our insurers Groupama, they trust the owners to keep them clean themselves.
Voilà up to you if you want to take a risk but it’s clearly written here and on other sites …
Fédération Français de l’assurance …
Le ramonage est-il obligatoire ?
Oui, le ramonage est obligatoire. Le défaut de ramonage constitue une contravention sanctionnée par une amende de troisième classe pouvant aller jusqu’à 450 euros.
Par ailleurs, si vous ne respectez pas cette obligation, l’indemnité d’assurance peut être réduite en cas de sinistre.
And this …
Le ramonage régulier de la cheminée est une obligation légale qui incombe à tout utilisateur, propriétaire ou locataire. À défaut de respecter la réglementation en vigueur, vous commettez une infraction mais courez également le risque d’une minoration, voire d’une annulation pure et simple de votre indemnisation en cas d’incendie de votre logement.
https://www.jechange.fr/assurance/habitation/guides/ramonage-assurance-4240
Trust the owners until there is a fire Michael, then try getting them to pay up when they deny it . Do you have this in writing ?
Also don’t forget that central heating boilers must be checked as well, lots of dangerous fumes can be produced (silent killer) no good saying when it’s too late, and someone has died, ’ I wish I had done that’ !
we moved into our house late last year. we had both chimneys cleaned properly. this weekend I lit the back fire for 3 days and on saturday head a big crack. followed by another and few smaller ones. the stone around the chimney above the fire literally cracked open on both sides. this is just the bottom of each. Now its in the back of the house which is not in use but i was working out there hence why I lit the fire, frightened the life out of me though. both cracks are about 3 to 4 foot long and go right through to the fire. I checked the upper part and that is fine with no damage at all on the first floor all the damage contained to the ground floor. the living room fire we have opted to install a burner with the pipe.
I can’t see an insurance company paying out if investigations showed the cause of the fire being related to a poorly maintained chimney and you had no certificate. If the cause is related to a poorly maintained chimney and you have a certificate, your sweep’s insurance will be the ones who have to pay. My last certificate has a new section so it not only confirms sweeping, it also confirms the installation has been inspected and is free of faults.
On the other hand if investigations show that the cause of the fire is not related to the condition of the chimney then they would be out of order using this as an excuse to not pay. Unless of course they specifically stated in the T&C that you need a certificate, thus by not having one you’ve broken the general T&Cs, but even so…
Good 'eavens Harry, how many logs did you have on the fire to do that ???
not many it was just on solid for 3 days, fire has not been lit in that fireplace for probably 20 years or so. my guy came round yesterday he said its safe to use and is going to remove the part later this year when we redo the room and instal the pellet burner
as the walls heated up it just decided it was time to split lol
the room was full of junk (it was full to the ceiling) and its currently home to the boiler only (its very big room) we are converting it into a laundry room eventually and the pellet burner will be for heating the house and building a wall where the boiler currently is to close it off.
That doesn’t say you have to have any specific person to sweep your chimney, just you are under an obligation to sweep the chimney.
I checked with our last insurer and we were OK to do it ourselves and the same with our current insurer.
This topic does the rounds every year. Why do All Brico sheds sell chimney brushes if only the Pro can do it.
Some people don’t feel they can do it so that’s fine, use the ramoneur. I can do mine, I use my camera to check it so it won’t catch fire. The crappier the fire the more frequently it should be swept, also the condition of the logs makes a difference.
Absolutely fine by me… if folk choose to do the chimney sweeping themselves … and ignore the advice/obligation (widely advertised) to use a professional at least once a year …(see more info at the Mairie)
I do have some experience of what happens after a house-fire re Pompiers/Insurers/Loss Adjusters/Forensic Experts etc etc. One of the first questions asked at each level was “when was the chimney swept” .
BUT…The Loss Adjusters are looking for ways to reduce the payout… that is their duty, if you like… to only payout what is truly due.
With a certificate from the Chimney Sweep… if (and only if) the Experts deem the chimney to be the cause… the victim, will be paid for the damage etc and the Insurers will go after the Chimney Sweep to recoup their losses ( he will have Insurance to cover this) .
In such a case, if there is no certificate/proof from the Chimney Sweep, the Experts will reduce any payout by a percentage…according to how negligent they consider the householder to be. The Owner would have to prove that he/she has obeyed the by-laws and had done absolutely everything correctly, to ensure the good condition of said chimney… not so easy as you might think.
***Another thing for folk to ruminate on… during the process with which I was involved…the number of rooms was questioned, as it did not agree with the number declared for Insurance. Quick as a flash, the Adjuster said “ah well, that means a 20% reduction already, now let’s keep looking”. I know folk who have added rooms, turned a large landing into a bedroom/study… that sort of thing… but never corrected the info with their Insurers…either through negligence or for fear of incurring an increased premium. If you are insuring your property… it surely makes sense to ensure the details are up-to-date.
Well John we are all adults and make our own choices. Do you have it in writing from your insurer that you are covered if you don’t have a certificate of rammonage ? I would rather pay 75 euros and have the chimney swept by a professional, have no mess to clear up afterwards and have a certificate for the insurance.
I am so with Anna (whose advice I value greatly )
on this one …I will quote her here…
"I can’t see an insurance company paying out if investigations showed the cause of the fire being related to a poorly maintained chimney and you had no certificate. If the cause is related to a poorly maintained chimney and you have a certificate, your sweep’s insurance will be the ones who have to pay. My last certificate has a new section so it not only confirms sweeping, it also confirms the installation has been inspected and is free of faults.
On the other hand if investigations show that the cause of the fire is not related to the condition of the chimney then they would be out of order using this as an excuse to not pay. Unless of course they specifically stated in the T&C that you need a certificate, thus by not having one you’ve broken the general T&Cs, but even so…"
There’s lots of things I could do differently that would save me money but they could lead to problems in the future. Having our flues cleaned out once a year by a pro who issues a certificate is an expense but gives us peace of mind that should we have a chimney fire the insurance company will have one less excuse not to pay out. I didn’t have to have my RHD van re-registered as our ins company was happy to provide cover for as long as I wanted however I know that this is a grey area and I may not have full cover should I have a serious accident, again peace of mind.
People are free to do whatever they want, just don’t whinge if things go wrong.
