What should we check when our insurance renews?

Most Spanish insurance renews automatically every year. The law gives you until a month before the renewal date to cancel in writing, so the time to compare is when the renewal notice arrives, not after the new premium is taken.

Renewal and cancelling: the law

The Insurance Contract Act (Ley 50/1980) sets the rules for most policies:

• A policy can renew automatically for a year at a time
• You can stop it renewing by notice in writing at least 1 month before the end of the current period. Keep proof: an email or letter with a receipt, or the insurer’s app if it confirms
• The insurer must tell you about any change to the contract, including a new price, at least 2 months before the end of the period
• The insurer can refuse to renew, but must tell you in writing at least 2 months ahead
• The policy must show these conditions clearly

Private health insurance

If you are on a non-lucrative or digital nomad visa, your policy is usually part of your permit, so it must keep meeting the rules each year. Never let it lapse. See How does Spanish healthcare work for Brits?

• Price rises: the sector expected rises of around 10% for 2026. Read your renewal notice and compare
• Age: premiums climb with age. One comparison site’s figures put the average over-65 policy without co-payments at €145 a month (about £123), against €96 for people aged 55 to 64
• Age limits for new customers: many insurers only take new customers up to about 65 to 75, though some have senior policies. If you are older, a policy you already hold may be hard to replace
• Health questionnaire: when you take out a policy you must answer the insurer’s questions truthfully. Undeclared conditions can lead to the policy being cancelled or a claim cut
• Waiting periods and co-payments (copago): a new policy usually has waiting periods (carencias) for some treatment. A visa policy usually needs no co-payments and no waiting periods
• Ask before you switch whether the new insurer will cover your existing conditions, and from when

Home insurance (multirriesgo hogar)

• Owners with a mortgage: the lender can require building (damage) insurance, but must accept an equivalent policy from another insurer at the start and at each renewal, without changing your loan terms or charging to check it
• Tenants: your contract may ask you to insure your belongings and liability; read it. For a long-term home rental, a landlord can’t ask for extra security (garantía adicional) worth more than 2 months’ rent on top of the deposit. See How do deposits and rental contracts work?
• Floods and storms: a home policy covering fire, theft, glass or similar also gives you cover from the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros for “extraordinary risks”: extraordinary floods, coastal storms, tornadoes and winds over 120 km/h, earthquakes and more. It pays on the terms of your own policy, so check the sums insured
• Ordinary storm and water damage is covered by your insurer up to the limits in the policy. The Consorcio is still handling claims from the DANA floods of October and November 2024; see What are the cooler months like, and how do we make the most of them?

If you are hit by an extraordinary event, claim from the Consorcio as soon as possible on 900 222 665 (English spoken) or online. You must have a policy in force and be up to date with payments.

Car insurance

• Third-party insurance is compulsory for every car. The legal minimum is €70 million for injury and €15 million for damage to property per accident
• Insurers must give you a certificate of your claims for the last 5 years within 15 working days of your request. Ask for one before you switch
• Bring proof of your UK no-claims history, in English, and ask each insurer whether it gives credit for it
• A car policy also gives you Consorcio cover for extraordinary events, even if it is third party only
• Check the renewal date against your ITV (vehicle inspection) date. See Can I drive on my UK licence?

Complaints

1. Complain in writing to the insurer’s customer service department (servicio de atención al cliente) or its customer ombudsman (defensor del cliente)
2. If it rejects your complaint, or hasn’t answered within 2 months, complain free to the Complaints Service of the Directorate-General for Insurance and Pension Funds (DGSFP)
3. The DGSFP aims to finish within 4 months. Its report isn’t binding: if you need a binding decision, you go to court