evilroyslade

Can anyone save me loadsa time and point me in the best direction to go to get some basic house and contents insurance for our house in Spain? It will only be occupied by us for holidays for at least the next 8 years and I know UK insurance companies get funny if a property is vacant for more than 30 days at a time.

Mitzyboy

So do some Spanish Insurance companies. You probably will need a keyholder who "visits" every so often.

If you have a Spanish bank account, to make things easier suggest you make them your first stop

Otherwise you have English speaking companies like Knights Insurance over here (google it)

agoreira

Not living in Spain I have no idea, however in another forum, this appeared recently, might help.
http://www.andalucia.com/forums/view...hp?f=1&t=22341

evilroyslade

Thanks - I'll give Intasure a go

bonbon

Direct line are good..

evilroyslade

They don't do houses in Spain

paintermujer

Yes they do-linea directa.

Our home insurance is with them.

missile

Yes they do. I am insured with them for house and car https://www.lineadirecta.com/LDAWeb/home/Home.faces

evilroyslade

Aha! Linea Directa not Direct Line! That would explain why I had no joy on the Direct Line website or telephone! Thanks - I'll give them a whirl. So far the best has been Knights.

agoreira

What's the best? Cheapest or based on previous claims? The only reason I gave the link I did was because they are real people,with real claims, and they all seemed very pleased with the way their claims were handled.

evilroyslade

Ah, yes - point taken. I am very cynical when it comes to insurance and always go for the cheapest quote, be it house or motor for the same reason that I always fly with Ryanair. I feel that so long as I am covered for my main risks and there are no "get out" clauses, I will suffer some bad service - particularly as the chance of me claiming is low.
Intasure were coming in at £300 and Knights were £140.

Now, new strand to this thread - what should I put for rebuilding costs? I have an old, stone farm type house with a pool so I guess that is going to be more expensive than a new build. I don't want to under insure. I don't suppose it is as simple as putting down the purchase price. But are there any general, per metre perhaps, rough guides?

missile

Knights are very helpful, they are a broker. Obvoiusly the "quality" of the cover will depend on which insurer you choose.

I have found linea directa to be very good when you need to make a claim.

Just like in UK, you need to look out for the small print. My previous insurers did not cover me when a builder who was carrying out work @ the property stole tools from my garage. One of their exclusions = covered theft only where force had been used to break in.

missile

You get what you pay for .......

evilroyslade

Yes, that's my point - they all have these little clauses lurking in there, no matter if you pay a large or small premium. It's the same with any insurance eg the definition of "modified" for a car or motorcycle - you might think that means something major but I know people who have had claims declined for just putting a different seat on etc. And for travel insurance - the intricate requirements and tight timescales for claims procedures. I am quite happy to bear my own, minor and accidental losses and just want cover if there is eg a fire with house insurance or a major illness for travel insurance etc.

missile

Each to their own, freedom of choice. I have learned from (my) experience and would rather pay a little bit more for better cover from a company which does not make one jump through hoops if and when you make a claim.