How can I claim the damages caused by the rains in my car or my home?
Many areas of the east of the peninsula, especially Catalonia and the Balearic Islands have been affected by the storm of recent days. The heavy rains have been felt in many places, leaving behind floods, floods, fallen trees, collapsed walls ... Many citizens have seen how their vehicles, their shops or their homes suffered the consequences but who is made charge of these damages ?. The OCU clarifies some of the most frequent questions:
Extraordinary risks? The Consortium responds
Insurers consider extraordinary risks caused by natural phenomena, from floods, hurricanes, earthquakes ... and also damage caused by acts of terrorism. In principle, these risks are not assumed by private insurers, but by the Insurance Compensation Consortium, a public body that acts as an insurer in the face of those losses caused by extraordinary events. However, the Consortium only responds if the user has previously contracted insurance.
In the face of the storm and the floods of these days, in those areas where the conditions established for an extraordinary risk have been established by the Insurance Compensation Consortium, this body will be in charge of compensation for vehicles and homes, provided that are insured, even if only with Civil Liability.
What if my damages are not extraordinary?
If due to inclement weather you have suffered damages that do not come from an extraordinary risk, check your insurance, because you could take care of those damages ... provided you have contracted the adequate coverage:
In the case of automobiles, they can claim damages from insurance companies users who have contracted their own damage insurance in the form of any risk (where hail damage is usually covered as impact or collision of objects), those who have insurance with moons, in if there was a break in them, and also those who have insurance covering only the Civil Liability, since since July 2016 these policies also include the surcharge for extraordinary risks.
In homes, there are some risks and phenomena of nature that are covered by home insurance when they do not reach the intensity limits from which the Consortium intervenes.
So you must act if the storm or storm has caused damage:
1. Review the conditions of your insurance and claim:
If the incident is clearly extraordinary, you must immediately inform the Consortium: you can do so at www.consorseguros.es.
If it is not clear, tell both your insurer and the Consortium.
2. Collect tests
It is important to collect all the evidence you can to prove the origin and consequences of the damage (from newspaper clippings, photos, reports of Emergencies, Police, Civil Protection, Firemen ...) and, if possible, look for witnesses.
