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How to make an insurance claim if your property is flooded or water damaged
Tips from the experts about how to claim compensation for weather-related damages in Spain
Spain is famous for basking in more than 300 days of sunshine each year but when autumn arrives, the weather is known to make an abrupt about-turn. Torrential downpours often result in rivers bursting their banks and drainage systems being pushed beyond capacity, leaving streets, homes and businesses badly flooded.
If your home, car or storage facility is flooded or water damaged, you may be entitled to compensation from your insurance company. The whole process can seem like a bit of a minefield in an already stressful situation, but so you’re not left adrift, property development community administrator Resortalia has given their best advice on how to weather the storm.
Who is responsible for the damage?
This depends on the type of insurance coverage you have. In the case of vehicles, a fully comprehensive policy will usually cover storm damage caused by hail or falling branches, as well as broken windows. For homes, it’s a little more complicated. Problems resulting from natural weather phenomena, such as rain or hail, will normally be covered, but anything considered an ‘extraordinary risk’ may not be.
According to the Extraordinary Risk Insurance Regulation, this includes:
- Damage caused by earthquakes and tidal waves, extraordinary floods, volcanic eruptions, atypical cyclonic storms and falls of astral bodies and aerolites.
- Damage caused violently as a result of terrorism, rebellion, sedition, riot and popular unrest.
- Acts or actions of the Armed Forces or the Security Forces and Bodies in peacetime.
How to make a claim
The first port of call will always be to your personal insurance company, whether the damage is to a vehicle, your home or a storage unit. If your firm believes the incident falls into the ‘extraordinary risk’ category, they will instead refer you to the Insurance Compensation Consortium.
Depending on your individual policy, any damage must usually be reported to private insurance within 7 days. However, there is no time limit for submitting a claim to the Insurance Compensation Consortium.
Step 1: Gather the evidence: if your home or property has been damaged by a usual weather occurrence like a flood, take lots of pictures and dig out any receipts that demonstrate the price of the ruined items.
Step 2: Make sure your policy covers it: Check the finer details of your policy and most importantly, ensure that all of your payments are up to date.
Things to have ready for your insurance company
Whether you call your insurance company or turn up in person, they’ll lodge your complaint more quickly once you have all of the right documentation to hand:
Regardless of your claim, before you contact your insurance company, the experts at Resortalia recommend you have these things to hand:
- Policy insurance number
- Personal details including exact address and phone number
- Date and time of the incident
- Bank account details
- Make, model and licence plate number if the damage relates to a vehicle.
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