Buying Guide · 10 min

Home Insurance in Spain: What Non-Residents and Expats Actually Need

9 June 2026 · Hansson & Hertzell

Home insurance in Spain works differently from the UK or Sweden. Community buildings insurance covers the structure — but not your contents, liability, or interior fittings. Here's what you need and what to avoid.

One of the most common mistakes international property buyers make in Spain is assuming they're fully insured when they're not. If you own a property in a community (urbanisation, apartment block), there's a buildings insurance policy in place — but it covers far less than you think.

This guide explains the Spanish insurance landscape, what's covered, what's not, and what policy you actually need as a non-resident or expat property owner on the Costa Blanca.

Community Buildings Insurance vs Your Own Policy

If your property is in an urbanisation (comunidad de propietarios), the community pays for buildings insurance through the community fees. This is legally required under Spanish property law (Ley de Propiedad Horizontal). It covers:

Structural damage — fire, storm damage to the building fabric, subsidence Communal areas — shared pool, garden, corridors, lifts Third-party liability for communal areas

It does NOT cover:

• Your furniture, appliances, or personal belongings
• Your interior fittings (kitchen, bathroom suites, fitted wardrobes — even though fixed to the building)
• Water damage originating inside your property
• Glass breakage on your property
• Your own liability as an individual owner
• Theft or burglary of your belongings
• Damage caused by short-term rental guests

This is why you need your own individual policy on top of the community policy.

What Your Individual Policy Should Cover

Contenidos (contents insurance): Covers furniture, electronics, personal belongings, and portable items. Essential if you have anything of value inside.

Continente privativo (your private part of the building): Covers your interior fittings — the kitchen, bathroom suite, flooring, walls, doors — which the community policy typically excludes. This is critical and widely misunderstood.

Responsabilidad civil (civil liability): Covers you if damage originates in your property and affects neighbours — a leak from your washing machine that floods the apartment below, for example. Without this, you pay the full cost of third-party damage.

Robo (theft/burglary): Important for holiday homes that may sit empty for months. Many standard policies require you to declare the property is a secondary residence (residencia secundaria) and may have higher excesses for break-ins at unoccupied properties.

Daños por agua (water damage): Water leaks are the most common home insurance claim in Spain. Pipes bursting, appliance failures, and condensation damage are all relevant. Some policies exclude damage from slow leaks discovered after months — check the wording.

Cristales (glass): Covers window glass, glass tables, mirrors, ceramic hobs, and similar. A minor add-on but worthwhile.

Asistencia en viaje (travel assistance): Available on some policies for non-residents — covers emergency accommodation and repatriation if you're in Spain and the property becomes uninhabitable.

Holiday Home vs Primary Residence Policies

The most important disclosure when buying home insurance in Spain is the use of the property. Policies are structured differently for:

Residencia habitual (primary residence): For properties occupied year-round. The insurer assumes the property is monitored and maintained continuously. Better coverage, lower premiums for some risks.

Residencia secundaria / no habitual: For holiday homes occupied less than 180 days/year. Insurers apply stricter conditions: longer minimum locks, some require alarm systems for burglary coverage, and some exclude pipe freeze damage (though less relevant in coastal Spain).

Rental properties: If you short-term rent (Airbnb, etc.), a standard residential policy will often not cover damage caused by paying guests. Dedicated holiday rental insurance (seguro para alquiler vacacional) is a separate product and required by many regional regulations for licensed rentals.

Declaring your usage accurately is not just honest — it's essential. A false declaration (falsedad en la declaración del riesgo) gives the insurer grounds to reject any claim entirely.

Spanish vs International Insurers

Spanish insurance companies: Direct insurers (Mapfre, Allianz, AXA, Generali) offer competitively priced policies designed for the Spanish market. Claims are handled in Spain, policies are in Spanish (though often with English summaries available). Well-capitalised and reliable.

Expatriate specialist insurers: Companies like AXA Assistance, Cigna, or brokers like Sanitas focus on expat needs and provide English-language policies and claims support. Premiums are slightly higher but the experience is often smoother for non-Spanish speakers.

UK/Swedish insurers: Most UK and Swedish home insurers do not cover Spanish properties. A few specialist overseas property divisions exist (e.g., Allianz Global Assistance UK) but this is not standard home insurance — you'll need a specifically Spanish or expat property policy.

How Much Does It Cost?

For a typical Costa Blanca property, budgets:

• 2-bed apartment (70m², €180k value): €200–350/year for a comprehensive individual policy
• 3-bed villa (150m², €400k value): €350–600/year
• Luxury villa with pool, alarm, high-value contents: €800–1,500/year

Premiums vary significantly based on: location (flood risk, crime rate), construction type (concrete vs older stone), swimming pool presence, alarm system (often required or discounted for burglary cover), and excess amounts chosen.

Practical Tips

Check what the community policy actually covers before buying individual cover — request a copy from the community administrator. Understand the overlap and the gaps.

Set up payment by direct debit from your Spanish bank account. Many policies are void if premiums are unpaid — and non-residents often forget to update card details.

Photographs on entry. Take a photographic inventory of contents and condition before renting or leaving the property vacant. This is invaluable for claims.

Declare the property to your home-country insurer. UK and Swedish household policies typically exclude overseas property but some include an element of portable contents coverage — worth checking.

Annual renewal. Spanish policies auto-renew automatically (unlike some other countries). You'll receive a renewal notice — check the premium hasn't changed significantly and shop around every few years.