TeamSpirit

Hello, we are looking to rent a property considered as "isolated" in insurance jargon. It is a few kilometres outside a village but within a closed and electronically guarded finca. I would appreciate any info on your experiences with house insurance policies for rural/off-grid properties. Also, is car insurance a lot more expensive if you are registered at a rural address, rather than in the town?
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

Fred James

TeamSpirit

Thank you for replying, and sorry for not explaining better!. I was actually not sure I could even get cover! So if I understand you correctly, what you're saying is that getting cover is possible out in the sticks, but it depends upon the security level of the house? There are bars on the windows, but the entrance door is one of those old-fashioned type metal doors made to look like wood with decorative iron studs horizontally. It's about 15-20 years old, no 5 cylinder lock, just a normal cylinder lock. The back door is the same. There is no alarm system. "Electronically guarded" - sorry, I couldn't think how else to describe this more briefly: the house is in the middle of a 3 hectare cooperative orange/olive finca, on private grounds belonging to one of the members. The 3 hectares are completely enclosed by high fencing and you can only enter through a 2m high automatic gate by entering a code in your mobile phone. Inside this enclosure you have to open a further locked gate manually to get inside the private grounds, and the house is within yet a further fenced/gated area. How does that sound, security wise? Would you mind explaining what you mean "claims pay out very little"? Do they pay out if there's water or fire damage, or someone steals stuff, or not really? Then what would be the point of having one?
I actually would like to know the names of companies which fellow expats have had good experiences with, if possible.

VEDShappy

In my experience, the standard questions are firstly location i.e. in town, on an urbanisation etc, you may have to explain to them as you have done here. Obviously the fact that you will not have neighbours may affect the premium.
Secondly, are all windows below 3 metres fitted with bars.
Thirdly do you have a solid or security type front door.
Do you have a safe
Finally do you have an alarm.
I have never been asked about the type of locks fitted, there seems to be no consideration for the likes of 5 lever mortice etc.
A lot, if not all, home insurance includes home assistance for the likes of water leakage, electrical problems, locksmith etc.
I expect that you are able to get house insurance but the price and cover may vary.
As mentioned, you never really find out how good the cover is until you have to claim!
Personal recommendation...... don't use Sabadell.

Johncarzx

Hello TeamSpirit

Did you know. The 1964 Grand National was the 118th renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 21 March 1964. Thirty-three horses ran and the race was won narrowly by American-owned 12-year-old Team Spirit, at odds of 18/1.

Now let’s try and look at some common sense to your insurance concerns.

If you are renting the property why are you concerned about buildings insurance? Not your responsibility or liability.

Contents insurance. Why bother, you probably only have a TV and computer worth nicking.

Car insurance. Just shop round for the cheapest you can get, then put a big steering wheel lock on it. Or even do a Mr Bean and take the steering wheel off when not in use.

spouse of scouse

I like your Mr Bean advice Re contents insurance though - you don't just have this in case of theft. If your home burns down, is flooded, is whatever, you'd lose everything if you didn't have contents insurance. Furniture, electricals, clothing, jewellery, paintings, linen, household effects, all your personal stuff - everything. Most people would find replacing all that rather expensive.

Johncarzx

Hi Spouse what does Concierge mean? Are you French?

Yes you are correct in what you say. I paid building and contents insurance for years, then after giving it thought of the cost and the risks stopped. Firstly I have enough money to rectify any event. But also look at the realistic risks.

Jewellery and paintings, possibly items for the Queens policy.

Personal stuff, the only personal stuff I have is the TV, we have a him and hers remote control.

Linen and household, job lot 5 bob down the market.

Flood, what chance of that if you live somewhere flat or elevated, also this is Spain it doesn’t rain enough, there is no such thing as flood areas here. Mains water I turn off in the road if I leave the property for days.

Fire, most of us don’t have mains gas or open fires. Do you know any property in your area that has burnt down in the last 20 years.

Earthquake and subsidence, mostly excluded on policies, act of God whoever he is.

Insurance is money for old rope unless you live on a UK council estate where everyone who gets burgled have been on state benefits all their lives but have a gold Rolex stolen.

Rosemary

Have you not heard of the Gota Fria and the forest fires that spread quickly.

Rosemary

spouse of scouse

Concierge on BE - in my case welcoming new members who post in the Welcome Inn and pointing them in the right direction to get the information they're looking for.

No I'm not French, I'm Australian.

Contents insurance - entirely up to the individual. Not something I'd be without, but that's my choice.

UK council estates, people on benefits, insurance fraud - sweeping generalisations and negative stereotypes are not something I'm interested in.

Johncarzx

Hello Rosemary how you doing?

Yes you are correct as always. It’s a case of assessing your own risks, if you live in the forest it would indeed be wise to be insured against fire if any insurance company would insure you, and it’s a bit the same with Gota Fria areas but be mindful some budget policies have exclusions and limitations and they don’t always promote until a claim arises.

Hello Spouse, I thought post contents were for everyone and not just your personal interests and tastes. I did not mean to offend you or cause you any distress.

TeamSpirit

VEDShappy, thank you for your thoughts. I can only agree with you re. Sabadell, a pain in the derrière as a bank, so I dread to think what insurance with them would be like. We have also found Mapfre hair-raising - the degree of incompetence was staggering, so I was hoping to hear from other expats about their hopefully more positive insurance experiences and with whom.
I can see I will have to drag a few ins. agents over to the house and see what they have to say. I would have preferred to be sure I can get insurance before signing the contract, as I've not lived so far from anywhere before and don't know the ins-and-outs in these circumstances. I was a bit alarmed because the first reaction of Liberty, who I have at present for a house in a rural "urbanización", has not been so promising. (I'm also not all that suited personality wise to the "find out as you go along" Spanish experience, it drives me to desire copious amounts of Martini on the rocks!)
There are some neighbours within the finca, the closest are a farm about 500m to one side and another at the same distance behind the house, and then dotted about the countryside. I have no idea if insurance co's will consider the iron doors secure, I could get security door (rejas) made for them which we would lock when asleep or away. It is a bungalow and I believe all the windows have bars. There is no safe or alarm.
The point you make about the proof of an insurance being something we often find out once it's too late is the reason why I am interested to hear other expats experiences. It is also a great help to get clearer by being able to "speak" with someone else about it, thank you!

spouse of scouse

Sorry, don't know what you mean. You wrote stuff, I replied. I'm not in the slightest bit offended or distressed

TeamSpirit

Hello Mr Carzx, I of course have to ask how you know about that horse??!!

I would like to see your face when you read the next paragraph, but first I'll tell you, that although it is all completely true, my favourite T-Shirt says "Think Pink", and I do so voluntarily, however I personally like to balance optimism with practical caution, as I see it, which would be contents insurance in this case. My caution is perhaps due to the fact that I have so far survived/escaped the following by a hair's breath:
2 IRA bombs
attempted murder
head on car collision
head on train collision
my house being completely burned down
being made homeless in London
being made homeless in Europe
burst pipes with water streaming through the facade at first floor level
storm damage with water streaming through the roof like out of a firebrigade hose
the whole ground floor being flooded with sewage
my closest family narrowly escaped being killed together

and a load more stuff, but I think you get the picture. So I consider myself very lucky indeed, but I nevertheless prefer to be insured. It's turned out to be cheaper!

TeamSpirit

Hi Mrs Spouse of Scouse, I was wondering how you are? Are you really back in Oz??!!

Re. insurance - I can say from experience that it is much cheaper to be insured, even if you don't have anything even vaguely like valuables, you are looking at a huge sum to replace losing everything.

spouse of scouse

Hi TS - yes, back in Australia after 3 years in the UK. The Australian (me) loved the winters over there, but after 25 years in Australia the Brit husband couldn't cope