Does your insurer or the state fund pay for storm or flood?

Key rules

• Ordinary events: Ordinary storm and fire damage goes to your private insurer, under your policy terms.
• Extraordinary events: Extraordinary events, such as a major flood or a tornado, go to the Consorcio.
• No policy: If you have no policy, or it excludes the loss, the Consorcio does not pay for fire.
• Final say: The Consorcio alone decides and pays its claims, and your insurer only passes the claim on.

The short answer

Ordinary storm and fire damage goes to your insurer. Extraordinary events go to the Consorcio. The cause of the damage decides which one applies, not how bad it is.

Ordinary storm: your insurer

Wind, hail or heavy rain below the extraordinary levels (see the next section) are paid by your private insurer. The Consorcio does not cover them.

Whether you are covered depends on your policy. Many home policies include storm cover, but with their own wind and rain thresholds, excess and limits. Read your policy wording before you claim.

Extraordinary storm: the Consorcio

An atypical storm counts as extraordinary in these cases:

• Gusts above 120 km/h.
• A tornado.
• Rain above 40 litres per square metre in an hour.

The state meteorological agency (AEMET) data decides whether these levels were reached where you live.

Flood: it depends on the cause

• Local rain, a burst pipe or a sewer problem: this is ordinary flooding. Your insurer pays if your policy covers it.
• Extraordinary flood: this includes rivers or streams rising and overflowing, flash floods, and floods from exceptional rain. The Consorcio pays. Landslides and mudslides that follow floods are covered too.

The Consorcio pays only if your policy includes its cover and your insurer's own policy does not cover the loss. It also pays flood damage when your insurer does not offer flood cover at all.

Fire: your insurer

Fire is an ordinary risk, including wildfire.

The Consorcio steps in only when the fire results from an extraordinary event, such as terrorism, tumult, an earthquake or a volcanic eruption. Even then it pays only if your insurer's policy does not cover the loss. If you have no policy, or it excludes the loss, the Consorcio does not pay.

Who decides

The Consorcio alone decides and pays its claims, and your insurer only passes the claim on. Your insurer gives a first view when it receives your claim, but the Consorcio has the final say.

To judge atypical storms and floods, the Consorcio uses reports from AEMET, the river basin authorities and Civil Protection. It also uses its own expert appraisal (peritaje) and your claim documents. Keep photos, repair quotes and receipts.

What to do

1. Report the damage to your insurer first, even if you think it is extraordinary.
2. Let the insurer pass the claim on to the Consorcio if the event qualifies.
3. Use the decision tool below to check which payer fits your case.

Choosing between options

Which payer covers your storm, flood or fire damage?

• Your private insurer: Fire (including wildfire), ordinary storm with wind, hail or rain below the extraordinary levels, local rain flooding, or a burst pipe or sewer. Your policy sets the cover, excess and limit.

• The state disaster fund (Consorcio): An extraordinary event: gusts above 120 km/h, a tornado, rain above 40 litres per square metre in an hour, or river overflow and flash floods.

• Neither of them: Your policy excludes the loss or you have no policy, and the event is not an extraordinary one. Ask your insurer what your policy covers.

Ordinary storm and fire go to your insurer; extraordinary events go to the Consorcio. The Consorcio judges the event using weather agency and expert reports, and has the final say.

Frequently asked questions

Does a wildfire damaging my home go to the Consorcio?

No, a wildfire is paid by your private insurer if your policy covers fire. The Consorcio steps in only when the fire comes from an extraordinary event such as terrorism, a riot, an earthquake or a volcanic eruption.

How much rain counts as an extraordinary flood?

Rain above 40 litres per square metre in an hour is treated as extraordinary. Flooding from river rises, overflow and flash floods also counts. Damage from a burst pipe or sewer is usually for your insurer, if the policy covers it.

Who decides whether my storm was extraordinary?

The Consorcio decides, and your insurer's first opinion does not settle it. It uses reports from the state weather agency (AEMET), river basin authorities and Civil Protection, plus its own expert inspection. Wind gusts above 120 km/h or a tornado count as extraordinary.

Will the Consorcio pay if my insurer has no storm cover?

Not for ordinary storm damage, because that is left to your insurer and your policy terms. Check your policy's storm cover, excess and limits. For an extraordinary flood, the Consorcio can pay even where the insurer offers no flood cover.