If a power surge burns out my appliances, will my insurance pay?

Question

José Manuel Alburquerque · Accepted Answer

If your home insurance includes electrical damage, yes, although usually with a limit and sometimes only for appliances below a certain age. In addition, liability for a power surge on the grid usually lies with the distribution network operator, which owns the cables, not with the electricity supplier you have your contract with. In Barcelona, several judgments of the “Audiencia Provincial”, the provincial appeal court, have held that, once the power surge has been proved, it is for the distribution network operator to prove that it was not responsible, for example because the cause was lightning or a fault in your home's electrical installation. You can claim against it yourself or leave it to your insurer to do so once it has paid you. Under your home insurance Check that you have electrical damage cover, what its limit is and whether it makes deductions for the age of the appliances. Notify the insurer within seven days and do not throw away the damaged appliances until the loss adjuster has seen them. Ask the repair service for a report stating that the fault was caused by a power surge. You have two years to bring a claim against your insurer. Against the distribution network operator The name of the distribution network operator appears on your electricity bill. Claim against it in writing, with the technical report, photos of the appliances and of their rating plates and the price you paid for them or the cost of replacing them. Ask your neighbours whether the same thing happened to them. If several of them had appliances break down at the same time, that supports the view that the fault lay in the grid. Even if your insurer pays you, you can claim from the distribution network operator whatever the insurance has not covered, such as the excess or the amount deducted for the age of the appliances. Claim as soon as possible, ideally within a year. The time limit for taking it to court is unclear and depends on how the claim is classified. If it was lightning Home insurance policies usually cover lightning damage under the electrical damage cover or the fire cover. The distribution network operator, on the other hand, is usually not liable, because lightning is a cause it could not have prevented.