Cover for the structure of your Spanish property (continente) — set at the right rebuild value.
Buildings insurance — seguro de continente — is the cover that protects the bricks and mortar of your Spanish property. It's the part a mortgage lender insists on, and the part most likely to be mis-valued, because the right figure isn't the price you paid. This guide explains exactly what continente covers, how to set the rebuild value correctly, and how buildings cover fits with mortgages and combined policies.
Buildings cover protects the permanent structure of your property: the walls, roof, floors and foundations, plus fixed elements like fitted kitchens and bathrooms, built-in wardrobes and permanent flooring, and usually swimming pools, garden walls, fences, gates and outbuildings. It typically responds to fire, escape of water, storm and impact damage, and the Consorcio surcharge within it funds compensation for extraordinary events like major floods and earthquakes.
Insure the structure at what it would cost to rebuild it from scratch — demolition, materials, labour, professional fees — and not the purchase or market price. The land has value but is never destroyed, so it isn't part of the rebuild figure. In sought-after coastal and city locations the market price is often well above the rebuild cost, which means insuring at purchase price leads to over-paying; in a few inland cases the reverse is true. The point is that rebuild cost and market value are simply different numbers.
If you buy with a Spanish mortgage, the lender will require at least buildings cover for the life of the loan, to protect its security. The bank will usually offer its own policy alongside the mortgage, but you're generally free to insure elsewhere as long as the cover meets the lender's requirement — and an independent policy is often cheaper and better. See mortgage home insurance and our guide for buyers.
The table shows how buildings-only cover compares with the alternatives:
| Typical cover | Contents | Buildings | Buildings & Contents | Holiday home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buildings / structure (continente) | ||||
| Contents / belongings (contenido) | ||||
| Public liability (responsabilidad civil) | ||||
| Water damage (daños por agua) | ||||
| Fire, theft & storm + Consorcio | ||||
| Home emergency assistance (24h) | option | option | ||
| Accidental damage / pool / solar | option | option | option | option |
Indicative only — cover, limits and exclusions vary by insurer and policy.
Most owner-occupiers combine buildings with contents in one policy, which is usually simpler and better value — see buildings and contents insurance. Buildings-only cover makes sense in a few situations: a let property where the tenant insures their own contents, or where you specifically only need to satisfy a lender's requirement.
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.
It's not generally compulsory for owner-occupiers, but a mortgage lender will require it for the life of the loan, and it's strongly advisable to protect the structure.
Rebuild cost — what it would cost to reconstruct the property, excluding land. Market or purchase price includes the land and is not the right basis for buildings cover.
Often yes, and they should be in the rebuild value — but it varies by policy, so always check your policy terms. We'll confirm for your property.
Usually not — you can generally insure elsewhere as long as the cover meets the lender's requirement, which is often cheaper.
Tell us about your property and we'll recommend the right cover — in plain English, with no pressure.
