What your home insurance already covers and you never claim

What your home insurance covers that almost nobody claims

Did you know that the locksmith bill when you leave your keys inside your home is paid by your home insurance? And that a broken glass-ceramic hob or bathroom fittings are usually covered? Most home and funeral insurance policyholders are unaware of the real scope of their coverage until the loss occurs. And by then, it is too late to read the fine print.

The list of overlooked benefits is long: legal advice on employment matters, damage to third parties in public spaces, theft outside the home, broken glasses or dental prostheses, damage caused by pets or while cycling, handyman and locksmith services. In funeral insurance, medical assistance abroad or travel and accommodation expenses when a family member falls ill outside Spain.

The locksmith, the star coverage nobody uses

The most common case is the locksmith. An industry professional sums it up wryly: the assistance phone number is in the policy, and the policy is inside the house. The solution is to call your broker, even on a Sunday night. One user says he saved a bundle when the owner of his rented flat activated the insurance, after having paid 100 euros out of his own pocket for the same service on another occasion, including the weekend call-out surcharge.

Glass breakage is another of the great unknowns. Not just windows: also the glass-ceramic hob, the marble countertop, a glass table or any ceramic element in the bathroom and kitchen, such as sinks, basins, bathtubs and showers. Some argue that the cosmetic damage coverage allows replacing all the bathroom fittings when matching parts cannot be found. One striking case: an owner had the toilet, bidet, bathtub and washbasin replaced because the original toilet was a discontinued shade of pink.

The fine print: what insurance does not cover

Here comes the nuance you need to be clear about. Home insurance is not a maintenance contract. It covers sudden, unforeseeable and one-off events. The woodworm that gradually damaged a door over years is not covered: it is a maintenance defect. Damp caused by poor sealing around the bathtub is not either, although collateral damage may be covered depending on the policy.

Theft without violence in public spaces is barely covered by any policy. Broken glasses or dental prostheses require comprehensive coverage. Damage caused by pets depends on the animal's breed and may require an add-on. And the handyman service usually includes travel and the first three hours of work, but not replacement parts.

What if a guest causes the damage?

A frequent question: if a guest sits on your glasses and breaks them, is the host's insurance liable? The technical answer is that home insurance covers the policyholder's civil liability, not that of third parties. If the person responsible has their own policy, it is theirs that should be activated. The homeowner's insurance has no role in that claim.

Funeral insurance: the abroad assistance they try to sell you separately

Funeral insurance policies include coverages that are often marketed as standalone products when travelling: medical assistance abroad, travel and accommodation expenses if a family member falls ill outside Spain. They also cover children up to a certain age, just like many home insurance policies.

Which companies respond best

A professional with more than a decade in the sector points out that not all policies are equal and that home insurance is the most neglected one, where cheap ends up expensive. He names four companies with their own assistance networks and comprehensive basic policies: Ocaso, Mapfre, Allianz and Santa Lucía. Regarding Caser, historically marketed by Spanish savings banks, he warns of a difficult period after the sector's mergers.

The fire brigade bill is another expense many are unaware of: if you don't have insurance, you pay it.

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In the end, the conclusion is always the same: insurance only seems expensive until the big loss happens. And then you discover that the policy covered things you didn't even know existed. Or that it didn't cover them. It depends on whether you read it in time.