Burglary in English is the dishonest appropriation of money or goods from a building. The closest Spanish translation Robo is defined as the subtraction of property by a person against the will of its owner.
For this to be considered robo it needs to be done by means of force or violence. Robo and burglary are thus not exactly the same thing.
Throughout the article burglary will have the meaning of Robo. That is, the theft of a computer, camera or any other items that you have at home will be considered burglary if the perpetrator breaks a door or a window or forces the lock.
Instead, theft (In Spanish, hurto) is the subtraction of property by a person against the will of its owner but without any force or violence.
Taking the example above, the same act would be considered theft if the doors or windows of your house are open. The thief, taking advantage of an oversight, can steal goods that are in your home, as he did not have to force the door, or break a window. Coverage for theft and burglary in home insurance It is interesting to know the difference between theft and burglary because it is treated differently in home insurance contracts.
In this regard it is important to note that virtually every company cover damages for burglary in home insurances (you should read carefully the different clauses of the contract because not everything will be compensated). The companies that insure the lock or the window that was broken by the burglar.
It is common that insurance companies do not cover theft, because it implies negligence or oversight by the insured. Despite these general characteristics, there are some companies in their home insurance that do not provide protection from burglary. Therefore we recommend that you check before buying a home insurance.
Can I insure all objects that I have in my house?
It depends. High value items like jewels or antiques will have to be itemised separately in the insurance contract with their value. Of course the higher the value the higher will be the insurance premium. It is also interesting to know that if you buy goods subsequent to buying the policy, you may include them in the insurance. It is important to keep invoices and purchase to demonstrate the value of the stolen objects.
What if the burglary happened when I was outside the house?
Most insurance companies include in their home a number of restrictive clauses for this situation. These clauses tend to put limits on how much the maximum compensation in cases of burglary when the owner is outside the house. For example:
* Clothing or personal effects are usually covered up to 500 euros.
* For cash the maximum compensation is 150 euros
* In some insurance policies there is only a generic maximum amount that can be compensated.
What objects will not be covered in case of theft?
It is interesting to note that most companies also put limitation clauses in the location of the objects. Thus, a bike that you have in your garden will be treated differently than a computer inside the house. Companies often do not cover stolen objects in terraces, gardens, storage rooms or open spaces even if they belong to the house.
It should be noted that if you have alarms or other security systems, the company may not cover the loss if at the time of the burglary the alarm was disconnected.
Requirements to apply for compensation in case of burglary
It is imperative that you denounce the burglary at the Guardia Civil or the Police. Without this, the insurance company will refuse any compensation. In general, companies give a period of seven days to communicate the incident. Do not try to repair locks or windows before the insurance company has accessed the damages otherwise, the company will refuse any compensation.