Latest news and stories about home insurance in Portugal for expats and residents.
Recent severe weather events have triggered a 20% to 35% surge in demand for new insurance policies, as both individuals and businesses seek enhanced coverage and better risk management.
If Storm Kristin has damaged your home, car or other possessions, act quickly and methodically to activate your insurance cover. First secure people and property, photograph and timestamp all damage, and make temporary repairs where necessary to prevent further loss. Notify your insurer as soon as possible, check your policy for cover, excesses and time limits, and keep a written record of every contact and expense. For vehicles follow insurer guidance about repairers and avoid admitting liability; for homes document building and contents separately and retain receipts for emergency repairs. Common mistakes to avoid include delayed reporting, inadequate evidence, disposing of damaged items, using unapproved contractors without consent, and agreeing on settlements without written confirmation—knowing your consumer rights and the insurer complaints process will help if disputes arise.
After the passage of the depression Kristin, Ageas Portugal Group, which owns insurers Ageas Seguros and Ocidental, created an online form to report Home Multi-risk claims — which can be accessed by clicking here. By the end of yesterday, Ageas Portugal Group had logged more than 2,300 incidents, guaranteeing...
After Storm Kristin devastated the country's central region, causing at least five deaths, insurer Fidelidade, to speed up compensation payments, is waiving on-site inspections for multi-risk home insurance claims up to €5,000. To be exempt from the inspection, policyholders simply need to send photographs documenting the damage, ...
Multi-risk home insurance policies usually cover storms and natural phenomena, but you must check all the clauses carefully. For motor vehicles, compulsory third-party liability insurance does not cover this type of damage.
Insurtech Frank said that 'in view of the huge volume of incidents in Leiria reported to us by our clients' — who are insurance brokers — it is launching this Sunday a system to 'collect information for home multi-risk (MRH) claims' to help automate part of the work, it says. Intended for brokers ...
Regarding estimates of the claimed losses, Ageas says that “at this stage it is too early to estimate the amounts”.
Storm Kristin, which has already caused five deaths and left a trail of devastation in the centre of the country, has triggered a spike in claims that is testing the insurance sector's response capacity, with insurers trying to cope with the exceptional volume of claims notifications. Overall, insurers operate with teams ...
The damage caused by storm Kristin is still far from being fully assessed and may increase. What should you do about a roof that has been blown off? And what changes with the declaration of a state of calamity?
Rui Silva, spokesperson for the Association of Insurance Agents and Brokers, explains that the first step should be 'gather evidence, take photographs' and then 'get in touch with the insurance company'.
Rui Silva, spokesperson for APROSE (Portuguese Association of Insurance Agents and Brokers), explains that damage caused by weather events is covered by insurers.
Having insurance is not enough; it must be up to date, particularly with regard to the sum insured.
Portugal is one of the European countries most vulnerable to fires, high waters, floods, droughts and heatwaves. With Storm Ingrid hitting the continent, two studies warn that a large proportion of families and businesses do not have their assets insured.
