Is Your Spanish Home Safe When You're Not There?

Does your insurance cover your home in Spain when left unoccupied?

As the sun sets on the holiday letting season, it is likely that you are preparing to lock up and leave your Spanish holiday home during the winter months. Before you do, holiday home insurance experts www.schofields.ltd.uk are advising property owners to check their insurance and make sure you understand what is covered and what is excluded when your property is left empty.

What are the policy exclusions relating to unoccupancy? because many so-called holiday home insurance policies place difficult and unreasonable restrictions on cover when your home is left empty. If you claim and then discover you aren’t covered it will be both distressing and expensive, so verify any unoccupancy exclusions now.

It is important that you check your insurance obligations with regards to:

Maintaining a minimum temperature throughout the winter

Frozen pipes and bursts often occur when the heating is switched off completely when owners lock up and leave their Spanish homes. To prevent frozen pipes and bursts some insurers insist that homes are heated to a certain minimum temperature during the winter months.

If there are heating terms in your policy it is likely that you would be uninsured if your heating failed due to a power cut or boiler malfunction, so try to avoid policies that include them.

Draining the water/heating system when you leave your holiday home unoccupied

Some insurance policies will insist that when your property is left empty for a given period (often in excess of 30 days) you will need to turn off the water and drain down the heating system. It can be difficult to ensure complete compliance, especially during unexpected cold snaps when you are hundreds of miles from your home in Spain. Failure to comply will leave you financially responsible following water damage.

What are the security and inspection requirements?

Some insurance policies will exclude theft claims unless door/window locks meet a specified standard and shutters/grilles are installed and used during unoccupancy. Also, some insurers will not settle a claim unless there is physical evidence of a break-in, so be very careful not to leave windows unlocked on departure.

Does your insurance policy require weekly inspections? This can be unfeasible if your second home is hundreds of miles away or for those without a housekeeper.

Check the small print
Certain restrictions can leave your holiday home uninsured when it’s left unoccupied. To avoid having your claim declined due to some clause in the small print that you were unaware of, take some time to review your holiday home insurance small print.

Schofields www.schofields.ltd.uk provide holiday home insurance in Spain that provides full cover during unoccupied periods or when let.

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