Have you ever wondered what happens if you decide not to continue with your home insurance, but forget to notify the company? The reality is that the time to communicate this decision is limited, and missing it can cost you money. Knowing the deadline for non-renewal of your home insurance will help you plan ahead and avoid problems.
At Ambler, we help companies and individuals manage their risks to gain peace of mind in their daily lives. We accompany you in managing policies with different insurers so that you understand what you are signing, what coverage you have, and what your rights are as the policyholder.
On this occasion, we look at the details about the deadline for non-renewal of home insurance so that you have total control over the renewal of your policy.
How much notice do I have to give to not renew my insurance?
In Spain, the deadline for non-renewal of home insurance is supported by Article 22 of the Law on Insurance Contracts (Law 50/1980). This article indicates that insurance contracts are automatically renewed, unless one of the parties opposes the extension within the legal deadline. After the reform introduced by Law 20/2015, the current situation is:
- The policyholder can oppose the extension up to one month before the policy’s expiration.
- The insurer must communicate changes in conditions or their decision not to renew with at least two months’ notice.
Right of withdrawal
This is another important date to consider for remotely contracted insurance: you have 14 calendar days to withdraw from the contract if the policy was signed remotely (telephone, internet, non-face-to-face mediation).
What are the consequences of missing the deadline?
If you do not communicate your intention not to renew within the month before the expiry date, the usual is that:
- The policy is automatically extended for one more year.
- The insurer has the right to claim the full premium for the following year from you, even if you want to move to another entity.
- A situation of double insurance may arise if you take out another policy without having cancelled the first one, with the complications this entails.
What happens if I switch home insurance without giving notice?
If you contract new home insurance but fail to communicate within the deadline that you do not wish to continue with the previous one, you may find yourself with two active policies on the same dwelling.
Spanish regulations do not prohibit having more than one insurance policy on the same asset, but they regulate the concurrency of insurance to prevent collecting twice for the same damage. This implies that:
- You will not receive two full indemnities for the same claim.
- The companies will have to coordinate, and the processing of the claim may become slower and more complex.
- You would be paying two premiums to cover, for the most part, the same risks.
Can I ask them to cancel the “old” insurance once it has been renewed?
Once the expiry date has passed and the contract has been extended, the insurer has a solid argument to demand the full premium for the year.
In some cases, the company may be flexible, for example:
- If you demonstrate that you have taken out other home insurance with the same effective date.
- If the property has been sold and you prove the change of ownership.
- If there are very significant changes in the risk that justify a deep review.
But this flexibility is not a general right guaranteed by law, but a commercial decision of each entity. The truly safe way to avoid problems is to respect the deadline for non-renewal of home insurance and keep proof of your communication.
How to not renew your home insurance
To avoid inconvenience, always follow these steps:
Step 1: Identify the exact expiration date
The first step is to know exactly when the policy expires. This information usually appears in:
- The particular conditions of the home insurance.
- The last annual receipt, where the coverage period is normally shown.
- Your private area on the insurer’s website or app, if they have one.
Once you have the clear date, subtract one month: there you have the legal frontier to communicate that you do not want to renew.
Step 2: Review the renewal conditions
Next, it is advisable to review the section of the policy that talks about:
- Contract duration.
- Automatic extension.
- Form and period of notice.
Although the law sets the minimum that protects you as the policyholder, some policies detail practical issues (channels, delivery addresses, formal requirements) that are worth following to the letter to avoid subsequent discussions.
Step 3: Decide whether you want to not renew or improve what you already have
Before executing the cancellation, it is useful to consider:
- If the problem is the price or the coverage.
- If your home, assets, or family situation have changed and it is advisable to adjust capital sums.
- If you need to reinforce key coverage (civil liability, water damage, legal defence, etc.).
Step 4: Prepare the cancellation notice with sufficient time
Once the decision has been made, it is advisable not to cut it close to the legal one-month deadline.
From professional practice, the most prudent thing is to send the communication with a little more margin (for example, 5–10 extra days), so that there is time left over in case there is any incident with the sending or you are asked for clarifications.
The sooner you have everything resolved, the less risk there will be that the deadline for non-renewal of your home insurance will be practically too short.
How to communicate to the insurer that you do not wish to renew
Each company details in its documentation which channels are accepted. The most frequent are:
- Certified postal mail addressed to the customer service department or the address listed in the policy.
- Burofax with content certification and acknowledgement of receipt, very useful when you want solid proof of sending and receiving.
- Email to an address enabled by the insurer, sometimes with an electronic signature.
- Form or private client area on the insurer’s website, where you can register your request.
- Offices or physical points, providing proof by means of a sealed receipt.
Minimum content of the non-renewal letter
Although each entity can provide its own templates, the basic content usually includes:
- Your identifying data (full name, DNI or NIE).
- Contact details (phone, email).
- Home insurance policy number.
- Insured address.
- Clear statement that you do not wish for the contract to be extended in the next annual period.
- Date and signature.
How to prove that you have respected the deadline for non-renewal of home insurance
To be able to defend your position if there are discrepancies, the ideal is to keep:
- The receipt of sending of the certified mail or burofax.
- The copy of the letter you have sent.
- The read confirmations or acknowledgement of receipt, if any.
Sometimes, when the deadline for non-renewal of home insurance is very tight, these proofs are decisive to demonstrate that you gave notice within the month prior to the expiry.
What if the insurer alleges that they have not received your communication?
If you have proof of sending and receiving within the deadline, you have elements to dispute the renewal. In such situations, having the support of an insurance brokerage is useful for:
- Reviewing the documentation.
- Analysing whether the company’s position complies with the law and the policy.
- Negotiating or escalating the claim, if applicable, to customer service, the policyholder’s defender or, ultimately, supervisory bodies.
Take control of your home insurance and avoid surprises
Properly managing the deadline for non-renewal of your home insurance is a direct way to protect your finances and your peace of mind.
If you have doubts about your current policy or the coverage you really need, at Ambler we can review your case and help you to:
- Analyse your current home insurance and detect possible improvements.
- Compare offers from different insurers, maintaining the coverage you need.
- Design an orderly transition from one company to another, respecting deadlines and avoiding duplicate payments.
Get in touch with us and we will assess with you whether it is convenient to keep your current insurance, adjust it, or correctly prepare for non-renewal for the next expiry. This way, your home will be protected and your decisions under control.
