Storm Damage From Charles? Check Whether Your Policy Covers Storms and Photograph Everything, the Insurance Regulator Tells Households
Natural-phenomena cover is common but not compulsory in home policies and rarely in basic car policies, the ASF says. Keep photos and receipts, report within your contract's deadline (eight days if none is set), and complain to the regulator if refused.
As depression Charles crosses mainland Portugal today under red warnings, the insurance regulator is telling households to check their policies before they file a claim. The Autoridade de Supervisão de Seguros e Fundos de Pensões (ASF, the supervisor of insurers and pension funds) says anyone whose home or car is damaged should confirm what their policy actually covers and keep every piece of evidence they can gather, according to Lusa, via Notícias ao Minuto.
The advice repeats a guide the ASF drew up after storm Kristin. For today's warnings and closures, see our report on the red warnings and the nationwide state of alert.
Home insurance: storm cover is common, not guaranteed
Even a multirriscos habitação (multi-risk home) policy does not automatically cover storms. The ASF says cover for natural phenomena, such as storms and floods, is not compulsory in these policies, although it is often included. It tells policyholders to confirm whether that cover is in their contract, which damage it pays for and which situations are excluded.
Car insurance: usually not in the basic policy
For cars the gap is wider. Unlike home policies, the regulator says, cover for natural phenomena is not usually part of the base car policy. A driver whose car is hit by a falling tree or flooded should check whether the policy includes that cover and what damage it pays for.
What to do if you have damage
- Collect evidence. The ASF says to keep "all the evidence it is possible to gather": photos, videos and receipts that identify the damage and help put a value on it.
- Report the claim on time. A claim (sinistro) must be reported within the deadline set in your contract. If the contract sets none, the limit is eight days.
- If you cannot report it in time. The regulator says that if you can prove you were prevented from meeting the deadline, this cannot lead to the loss or reduction of your cover.
If your claim is refused
The ASF's consumer portal lists each insurer's complaints manager (gestor de reclamações) and customer ombudsman (provedor), and takes complaints against insurers through an online complaint form. You can also call the ASF information line on 217 983 983 on working days from 09:00 to 16:00, or write to [email protected].
What it means for you
Many households will find they are not covered. In a speech published on the ASF website this month, the regulator's president said only about 19 percent of homes in Portugal have earthquake cover and about 45 percent have no cover for climate events. He put the overall losses from the run of storms at the start of the year at more than 5 billion euros, of which only about 26 percent was insured. He also urged the government to implement the natural catastrophe protection system the ASF has proposed, which the government included in June in its recovery programme (PTRR). That system is not yet in force, as we reported when the 2027 budget counted on mandatory catastrophe insurance.
