Portugal’s insurance advisor has reminded consumers that not all damage from severe weather is automatically covered, following guidance published during Storm Kristin, which disrupted the country at the beginning of the year.

Homeowners should be particularly careful when reviewing their multirisk home insurance policies, which often include protection against natural disasters, but cover for storms, flooding and extreme weather events is not compulsory.

Therefore, consumers should check whether these protections are covered in their contracts, what types of damage they cover, and whether any exclusions apply.

The ASF recommends reviewing the policy before submitting a claim to avoid unexpected gaps in protection.

Document evidence

Anyone affected should also document the damage as thoroughly as possible.

Photographs, videos, invoices and other supporting documents can help insurers assess the losses and establish the value of any repairs or replacements.

The regulator advises policyholders to keep all available evidence rather than disposing of damaged items before they have been properly documented.

Policyholders must report these claims within the timeframe specified in the insurance contract.

Where no deadline is specified, policyholders generally have eight days to notify their insurer. However, the ASF has clarified that missing this deadline should not automatically result in reduced or withdrawn cover if the policyholder can demonstrate that they were prevented from reporting the incident in time.

Vehicle precautions

Motorists should take similar precautions if their vehicles are affected by the storm.

However, standard car insurance policies usually do not cover natural weather events, unlike some multi-risk home insurance policies.

Drivers should check whether their contracts specifically cover storm damage and what conditions apply before assuming they are entitled to compensation.

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