Community Insurance in Spain: What Every Apartment Owner Needs to Know

28 Apr 2026 Updated 18 Apr 2026 2 min read 39 views

If you own an apartment or townhouse in a Spanish urbanización, you're part of a comunidad de propietarios — a community of owners that collectively manages the shared elements of the development. One of the community's legal obligations is to hold community insurance. But understanding what that policy covers — and crucially what it doesn't — is something many expat apartment owners get wrong.

What Is Community Insurance?

Community insurance (seguro de comunidad) is held by the community of owners as a collective, arranged by the community president and administrator, and funded through the community fees all owners pay. Under Spain's Horizontal Property Law (Ley de Propiedad Horizontal), every community in a building with two or more floors is legally required to hold insurance covering civil liability from communal areas.

What the Community Policy Covers

The shared structure: roof, external walls, foundations, stairwells, lifts, communal corridors and car park
Communal contents: gym equipment, pool furniture, CCTV equipment
Civil liability as community: if a communal area causes injury or damage to a resident or third party
Communal glass: entrance doors, pool enclosures, balustrades
Legal defence if the community is sued

What the Community Policy Does NOT Cover

This is where most misunderstandings arise. The community policy does NOT cover:

Your individual apartment interior — internal walls, flooring, kitchen fittings, fixtures
Your personal contents — furniture, electronics, clothing, jewellery
Your civil liability as apartment occupier — if your burst pipe floods the apartment below
Damage to your property caused by a neighbour (you must claim on your own policy)

The Classic Confusion: Water Damage

Water damage is the most common source of disputes in Spanish apartment buildings. If water enters your apartment from a communal pipe, the community policy responds. If water enters from your neighbour's apartment, their individual policy should respond. If water originates within your apartment and damages the apartment below, your individual policy must cover it.

Without your own policy, you have no cover for interior damage and no civil liability protection for damage you cause to neighbours.

What to Check About Your Community's Policy

At the annual community meeting (junta de propietarios), verify:

Is the rebuild value on the buildings section sufficient and up to date?
Is civil liability cover adequate (minimum €600,000 — €1 million for larger developments)?
When was the policy last competitively tendered? Community premiums often go unreviewed for years.

An independent broker can review the community policy on behalf of owners and advise on whether it represents good value and adequate protection for the development.

Key Takeaways

✓ Community insurance in Spain is mandatory for all buildings with two or more floors and covers shared structure, communal areas, and civil liability from the community—but NOT individual apartments or personal contents.
✓ Community insurance does not cover your apartment interior, personal belongings, or civil liability for damage you cause to neighbors; you must have your own individual apartment insurance for these.
✓ Water damage claims are the most common disputes in Spanish apartment buildings, with coverage depending on whether the water originates from communal pipes, a neighbor's apartment, or your own apartment.
✓ At your annual community meeting, verify that the rebuild value is adequate, civil liability cover meets minimum requirements (€600,000-€1 million), and the policy has been competitively reviewed recently.
✓ Many expat apartment owners mistakenly believe community insurance covers their interior apartment and contents, creating dangerous gaps in protection that leave them personally liable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers on insurance in spain

No. Community insurance only covers shared building elements like the roof, external walls, and communal areas. You must purchase your own individual apartment insurance to cover your interior, fixtures, fittings, and personal contents.

If the water originates from inside your apartment (such as from a burst pipe you own), your individual apartment insurance must cover the damage to your neighbor's property. Community insurance will not cover this civil liability.

Yes, community insurance is legally mandatory for all buildings with two or more floors under Spain's Horizontal Property Law (Ley de Propiedad Horizontal). The community administrator arranges it and funds it through community fees.

The minimum civil liability cover is €600,000, though larger developments typically carry €1 million. You should verify at your annual community meeting that your building's coverage meets or exceeds these minimums.

The community president and administrator arrange community insurance on behalf of all owners. It is funded through the community fees (cuotas de comunidad) that all apartment owners pay monthly or annually.