What the comunidad de propietarios policy covers — and the cover you still need yourself as a flat owner.
What the comunidad de propietarios policy covers — and the cover you still need yourself as a flat owner.
It's the question almost every expat apartment owner in Spain asks, usually after paying a community fee that includes insurance: if the building is already covered, do I need my own policy? It feels like you'd be paying twice. You wouldn't — because the community policy and your own policy cover completely different things, and the gap between them is exactly where the most common Spanish home claims fall. This guide explains precisely what your comunidad de propietarios policy covers, what it leaves to you, and why most flat owners still need their own cover.
In a block of flats or an urbanisation, the community of owners — the comunidad de propietarios — holds a single insurance policy for the building as a whole, paid collectively through your community fees (cuotas) and arranged by the administrator. Spanish law requires communities to maintain the building, and most carry a policy to back that up; in several regions it's effectively compulsory. So far, so reassuring — but the scope is narrower than owners assume.
It looks after the shared parts of the building — the things no single owner owns alone:
The structure — foundations, load-bearing walls, roof and façade. The common areas — entrance halls, stairwells, lifts, communal pools, gardens and parking. The shared installations — communal water, electrical and heating systems. And the community's own liability, for example if a roof tile falls and injures a passer-by in a communal area.
The community policy stops at your front door. It does not cover:
Your contents — furniture, electronics, clothing, belongings. The interior of your flat — your fitted kitchen, flooring, decoration, improvements. Your personal liability — most importantly, if a leak that starts in your flat damages the neighbour below. And accidental damage and theft inside your home, or alternative accommodation if your flat becomes uninhabitable.
A pipe under your kitchen sink fails while you're away. Water ruins your units and flooring and seeps into the flat below. Here's how it plays out: the community policy won't pay for your kitchen or your belongings, and it won't cover the neighbour's claim against you. Your own home policy's contents cover pays for your kitchen and possessions, and your liability cover handles the neighbour's claim. This single scenario — by far the most common in Spanish apartments — is why owners are so relieved to have their own policy when it happens.
Water damage (daños por agua) is the most frequent home insurance claim in Spain, and apartments are where it bites hardest because flats are stacked and water travels. A single failed joint routinely involves two or three households. The community policy doesn't bridge between your flat and your neighbour's — your own liability cover does. In an apartment, that liability element is arguably the most valuable cover you can carry.
For most apartment owners, the right setup is a policy covering your contents (at replacement value), the interior of your flat, and a solid public-liability limit — with home assistance for emergencies. Some owners add their own buildings cover too, for extra protection beyond the community policy. See apartment insurance for the detail, and our full community vs home insurance comparison.
Ask your administrator (administrador de fincas) for the community policy schedule. It will confirm what's insured and to what limits — and it will almost certainly confirm that your flat's interior, contents and liability are not. We're happy to look at the schedule and tell you in plain English exactly where the gaps are, so your own policy fills them precisely.
General guidance only — not personal insurance advice. Cover, limits and exclusions vary by insurer and policy, so always check your policy terms. Last updated: May 2026.
No — it covers the building's structure and common areas only. Your contents, the interior of your flat and your personal liability are not included. Cover varies by insurer and policy, so always check your policy terms.
Because the two cover different things. The community insures the shared building; your policy insures what's inside your flat and your liability — including if your leak damages a neighbour.
Your personal liability cover responds. The community policy won't pay the neighbour's claim, so without your own cover you could be liable yourself.
No. Fixed interior elements like your fitted kitchen, flooring and built-in wardrobes are your responsibility, not the community's.
Ask your administrator (administrador de fincas) for the policy schedule. We're happy to review it and explain in English where the gaps are.
Tell us about your property and we'll recommend the right cover — in plain English, with no pressure.
