Community Insurance in Spain: A Guide for Expat Apartment Owners
By Andrew Turner — exclusive Generali agent since 2007 · DGS Registry C0467B54657010 · Last reviewed May 2026
Buy an apartment in Spain and you quietly become part of a comunidad de propietarios — with a shared insurance policy most owners never think about until something goes wrong. This guide explains what that policy covers, the gap it leaves for your own flat, and how cross-flat claims work. When you're ready, see our community insurance page or get a quote.
Get a Free Quote →What the community policy is — and isn't
Community insurance (seguro de comunidad) is effectively compulsory for a comunidad de propietarios under the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal. It insures the shared parts of the building: structure, roof, façade, stairwells, the lift, communal pipes, and shared areas like pools, gardens and gates. It also typically carries civil liability up to €1,000,000, board-members' liability (for the presidente and junta), employer's liability for any community staff (cleaners, gardeners), and 24-hour emergency assistance.
The crucial limit: it stops at your front door. The community policy does not cover the inside of your flat — your fittings, your contents, your private liability. That's the job of your own home insurance, and the gap between the two is where most owners get caught out.
The gap the community policy leaves you
Because the comunidad covers only common parts, you still need your own buildings-and-contents cover for everything from the front door inwards — fittings, fitted kitchen, contents, and your personal/family liability. Many expat apartment owners assume the community policy "has it covered" and discover otherwise at claim time. Our home insurance guide explains exactly where your own policy needs to pick up.
Who pays, and how the building is valued
The premium is paid by all owners through the community fees (cuotas), split according to each flat's participation quota (coeficiente). One thing the junta should watch: the building must be insured at its correct rebuild value — under-insure the block and the proportional rule (regla proporcional) reduces every claim, just as it does on a private home policy.
Leaks between flats — the most common dispute
Water is the number-one community claim, and responsibility depends on where the leak starts:
- A leak in a communal pipe (serving the whole block) → the community policy.
- A leak from a neighbour's flat into yours → that neighbour's liability / their home insurance.
- A leak within your own flat → your own home insurance.
This is exactly why every owner in a block should hold personal home insurance — a single uninsured neighbour can cause real headaches when water travels between flats.
Squatters, storms and DANA
Community policies can include okupa (squatter) legal-expenses cover for eviction proceedings affecting communal property, and optional weather-damage cover for exposed coastal blocks. As with all Spanish property cover, extraordinary events — a DANA flood, earthquake or severe storm — are handled by the state Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros, automatically and at no extra premium.
Get the community covered properly, in English
As authorised Generali agents in Jávea, we arrange comunidad insurance for owners' associations across Spain — communal structure, civil liability, board and employer's liability, and 24-hour assistance — and we'll help your junta read the policy in plain English. For a free, no-obligation quote, see our community insurance page, contact us, or call 966 461 625.
Frequently asked questions
Is community insurance mandatory in Spain?
Yes — a comunidad de propietarios is required to insure the building's common parts under the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal. It's arranged collectively, not by individual owners.
What does community insurance cover?
The shared parts: structure, roof, façade, stairwells, the lift, communal pipes and shared areas (pools, gardens, gates), plus civil liability, board-members' and employer's liability, and 24-hour assistance.
Does it cover the inside of my flat?
No. It stops at your front door. Your fittings, contents and personal liability need your own home insurance — the gap between the two is where owners are most often caught out.
What happens if a leak from one flat damages others?
It depends on the source: communal pipes are the community's responsibility; a leak from a neighbour's flat is that neighbour's liability; a leak inside your own flat is your own home insurance. This is why every owner should hold personal cover.
Are squatter (okupa) cover and legal eviction included?
They can be — community policies often offer okupa legal-expenses cover for eviction proceedings affecting communal property. Confirm it's on your block's schedule.
Who pays the premium?
All owners, through the community fees (cuotas), split by each flat's participation quota. The building should be insured at its correct rebuild value to avoid the regla proporcional.
Sources & references
- Ley 49/1960 sobre Propiedad Horizontal (BOE) — the law governing communities of owners.
- Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros — cover for extraordinary risks (DANA, earthquake, storm).
- Home insurance in Spain guide — the cover you need for your own flat.
Get a Community Insurance Quote in Spain
COMUNIDAD COVER · CIVIL LIABILITY · 24H ASSISTANCE · ENGLISH-SPEAKING
This guide is general information, not personalised advice. Cover and limits vary by policy and community. For advice on your situation, contact Turner Insurance.