What happens when you need to claim.
Claiming on a Spanish home policy is manageable once you know the steps — and far easier with English-speaking support. You report the claim, prevent further damage and keep evidence; for anything beyond a small claim the insurer appoints a loss adjuster (perito). Water damage is the most common claim, and major declared catastrophes like serious floods are handled by the state Consorcio rather than your insurer.
The answers below explain how to claim, why claims sometimes get reduced, how long it takes, and how we manage the whole process in English on your behalf.
What you do immediately after an incident shapes the whole claim. Stop the source (turn off the water at the mains for a leak), make the property safe, and document everything with photos and an inventory before you move or repair anything — home assistance can send an emergency tradesperson if you're not there. Then report it promptly: late reporting is one of the most common reasons claims are questioned. Keep receipts for any emergency repairs and proof of value for damaged items.
By far the most frequent Spanish claim, especially between neighbouring flats. Your policy covers the damage to your own home and usually the cost of finding and repairing the failed pipe; your liability cover handles damage your leak causes to a neighbour.
Ordinary storm and rain damage is your insurer's responsibility; major, officially-declared floods and storms are compensated by the Consorcio, based on your sums insured. We work out which route a given event takes.
Hinges on your contents valuation and any security conditions, so keep the police report (denuncia) and proof of value for stolen items.
Most disappointing outcomes trace to a short list: under-insurance (the regla proporcional scaling a claim down), undeclared changes to the property or how it's used, unmet conditions (such as water not turned off in an empty home), and late reporting or thin evidence. Keep your sums insured realistic, tell us about any change, meet any empty-property conditions, and report promptly with photos — do that and the great majority of claims go through cleanly.
Once you report a claim, the insurer acknowledges it and, for anything beyond a small loss, appoints a loss adjuster (perito) to inspect the damage — for a holiday or non-resident home this may mean coordinating access while you're abroad, which we help arrange. The perito assesses the cause and the cost against your sums insured and recommends the settlement. Straightforward claims can be resolved quickly; larger or disputed ones take longer, and an extraordinary event handled by the Consorcio follows its own process. Throughout, we chase the insurer and keep you updated, so you're not left wondering where things stand.
For owners abroad, the practical advantage is that you explain what happened to us in plain English and we manage the insurer, the perito and the paperwork. See our full guide to home insurance claims in Spain; the answered questions below cover the common scenarios.
Make the property safe and stop further damage, photograph everything before clearing up, then report it as soon as you can. We report it to the insurer and manage the process in English, including dealing with the loss adjuster. See making a claim.
Stop the source (turn off the water at the mains for a leak), make it safe, and document the damage with photos and an inventory before you move or repair anything — home assistance can send an emergency tradesperson.
Water damage (daños por agua), especially between neighbouring apartments where a leak in one flat damages another. Your liability cover handles the damage your leak causes to a neighbour. See water damage claims.
Major declared catastrophes — serious floods, earthquakes, severe storms — are compensated by the state Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros rather than your insurer, based on your sums insured. Ordinary damage stays with your insurer. We help you file with whichever applies.
For anything beyond a small claim, the insurer or the Consorcio appoints a loss adjuster (perito) to inspect the damage and assess the settlement. We deal with the perito in English on your behalf — the quality of your evidence makes a real difference.
Most often under-insurance (the regla proporcional scaling a claim down), undeclared changes to the property or its use, unmet policy conditions (such as water not turned off in an empty home), or late reporting. Accurate sums insured and honest declarations avoid it.
Yes — you explain what happened to us in plain English and we manage the insurer, the perito and the paperwork. For owners abroad, that's the difference between a manageable process and a stressful one.
It depends on the claim and whether a loss adjuster is appointed; straightforward claims can be quick, larger ones take longer. We keep you updated and chase the insurer on your behalf.
If your leak damages a neighbour, your public liability cover responds to their claim; the community policy won't pay it. This is why liability cover is so important in apartments. See public liability cover.
Keep your sums insured realistic, tell us about any change to the property or how it's used, meet any empty-property conditions, keep the home maintained, and report promptly with evidence. Do that and the great majority of claims go through cleanly.
The process is the same, but damage often goes unnoticed longer in an empty home — which is why meeting the empty-property conditions (water off, security, periodic checks) protects your claim. See claiming on a holiday home.
Tell us about your property and we'll recommend the right cover — in plain English, with no pressure.
