# Property insurance



## sjhoward (Jan 18, 2015)

Hello

My neighbours in a local village told me that when the forest fires swept through in Autumn 2017, some of the houses which were destroyed were insured but the insurance companies refused to pay out. I must stress I don't know the reasons behind this and which insurance companies were involved.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good insurer? I want to insure my property in Portugal against all risks and ensure that in the event of a forest fire or any other accident, that I get the full benefit of the insurance.

I currently insure with Intasure in London but the annual cost is quite high plus I find it increasingly difficult to understand all the jargon in the terms and conditions. The wording is a tangle of words, it's not using Plain English at all and I'm often left confused as to what the insurance policy covers. I do regularly email the insurance company to clarify things and they always respond.

My post isn't intended to be alarmist, it's just I worked so hard for my property, it brings me such joy to spend time there with my family (we don't live there full-time) and I want to do everything I can to protect it and ensure it's there for the future.

I'd be interested in hearing other people's opinions about insurance companies and their experiences and any recommendations. If you know of any occurrences relating to properties damaged by forest fire and the outcome, please feel free to post.

I don't really know whether it's better to insure with a British insurer or a Portuguese one. What are your views?

Some of my Portuguese and German neighbours in the village in Portugal where we have our house openly admit they have no insurance whatsoever and don't intend on buying any, and just shrug their shoulders and say "it won't happen". Maybe I'm being paranoid.

And as for the devastation caused by 2017 and 2018 forest fires, it's horrendous. I've seen houses destroyed, animals and family members caught in the fire and killed. 

thank you for any advice or recommendations.

SJ


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

We were in the epicentre of the Pedrogao Grande firestorm & you're right in that many didn't have any insurance & also that some insurance companies either didn't pay out, were slow to pay out or quibbled & from the stories I'm aware of the biggest culprits were the banks that had sold policies to their customers. 

We saw the fire coming from 30 metres, grabbed the cat & dog & got the hell out & couldn't get back for 3 days. When we did, we found the house had survived but had significant damage. We sent an SMS to our insurance company telling them we'd be making a claim & within a few hours we had a message back telling us their assessor would be with us at 10am the next morning. 

He arrived on time with our insurance agent, a builder & not one but two translators & he told us to show him everything & assured they were going to make the process as easy as possible for us. 

Within the week we had an extremely substantial payment in our account & a message that said it was an interim payment & to let them know if we found any more damage and/or needed more money. 

Earlier this year we has Storm Lesley & at 0900 hours the next morning we had an SMS saying to claim if we needed to. 

The company was Allianz & they've been brilliant................... & will have our business forever. 

I'd add that you should buy from a local agent & NEVER from a bank.


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## sjhoward (Jan 18, 2015)

Hi travelling man

I'm really sorry to hear what happened to you and your home, but glad that you and your family and dogs and cats got out.

It sounds like you had a really positive experience with your insurer.

I don't live full-time in Portugal so my home is just a holiday home at the current time at which we spend between 6 weeks and 4 months every year.

I'm certainly going to be making enquiries of Allianz after your recommendation.

As I'm out of Portugal (in England) at the moment, do you know if I can buy this type of insurance online or via an agency? May I please ask how you bought your insurance, ie was it in person at an Allianz office in Portugal?

Thanks for taking the time to respond!


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

sjhoward said:


> Hi travelling man
> 
> I'm really sorry to hear what happened to you and your home, but glad that you and your family and dogs and cats got out.
> 
> ...


We bought our policy from the local insurance agent & this forum has a no advertising rule but I'll send you a PM with contact details of a good agent


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