Steps to making an insurance claim after DANA.
If you have suffered damage caused by the recent floods in Spain, it is essential to have the appropriate insurance to cover any potential losses.
The severe floods caused by the DANA “cold drop” that has affected the southwest (Murcia and Alicante) and center regions of Spain have caused innumerable and costly damages.
When the water enters your property due to a flood coming from the overflow of a river or the formation of ramps and avalanches generated by torrential rains, it will be the Insurance Compensation Consortium who will take care of the compensation in these extraordinary circumstances.
If you have home insurance:
– Report your claim to your home insurance company, and if necessary, they will process the claim with the Insurance Compensation Consortium.
– Report your claim in writing, as promptly as possible – it should be submitted within a week of the natural disaster at the latest, although it is non-prescriptive.
– Once you have submitted your claim, make sure to get your claim number and write it down , to ensure the Insurance company Claims Departments can locate your file promptly if you need to contact them further.
– Make as thorough a list of your possessions as you can, as you will have to prove the damage to receive the right compensation:
- Keep your damaged possessions (unless that’s impossible because they are perishable and are rotting etc.)
- Take your own photos and videos of the damage in every room, if you can do so safely.
- Try to retrieve documents or receipts for possessions that have been damaged so that the expert evaluator can determine the correct price of the damage.
- Make an exhaustive list of damages. Take your time when calculating damages and do not throw anything away, even if it is unusable before the insurer’s expert examines it.
If the losses are very large or affect the safety of the home, we recommend that you order a notarised certificate of presence with photographs, it may be the most effective way to support a claim because the notary will attest that on a particular day he/she had personally seen the damage and taken photographs to reflect the condition of the property.
However, it’s important to keep in mind the additional cost of the notary’s fees.
What if you don’t have home insurance?
You will have to wait for the government to declare your area a “catastrophe zone” and then see what assistance is offered.
Fuster & Associates’ Litigation Lawyer, José Ignacio Sánchez , advises that “ in the case of the recent floods and seeing how extensive the damage was, patience will be required, and insists on the importance of taking as many photos as possible and reporting the damage to your insurer as soon as possible”.
If you are experiencing trouble with flood insurance claims, we are here to help you. So, please, don’t hesitate to contact us.
We want to help you navigate all the legal complexities that come with your home buying in Spain, but this article is legal information and should not be seen as legal advice.
