Going Away For Christmas - Security Ideas

Christmas is just around the corner and by now most of us have our plans in place for the festive period. Unfortunately, thieves also have their plans in place too. Here are a few ideas to make sure that your plans don't coincide! If you are going away for Christmas, whether on holiday or to visit family, tell as few people as possible outside of those that need to know. We all like to chat about our plans for the festive season, especially over a glass of wine or two, but do you know who might be listening in? Arrange for a friend or neighbour to keep an eye on your property, or maybe park their spare car outside your house, so it looks like someone is coming and going. Install timers on a couple of lights and maybe the radio. At a glance it will look like someone is there. DON'T put comments on Facebook, Twitter or any of the other social media network sites. You might be seeing the grandchildren shortly or heading off to the sun, but do you know who is reading your postings and possibly rubbing their hands in glee, as they now know you won't be there. Likewise, make sure that children don't make these postings either. If you have recently purchased new electrical equipment make sure that you dispose of the packaging properly. Don't leave it outside your home or on view, you are advertising that there is something new available. If you have an alarm system make sure that you use it, even if you only plan to be away from home for a few hours, going out to dinner. It is a deterrent. Most of these things are common sense and we know that we are probably telling you how to suck eggs, but better to be safe. Most of all, have a Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year from all of us at Dragon Insurance. We will be back with more information and advice in 2014.

Home Insurance - Are You Fully Covered?

Home Insurance is one of those things that you know you should have, especially if you have a mortgage. So what do you do? Most people call a couple of companies, answer the never ending list of questions, agree the price, receive a document and shove it in the drawer until the renewal becomes due next year. Sound familiar?

Are you confident that you will be fully covered if you need to make a claim?

Like most things, you get what you pay for, so if you paid a really low premium or got the cover free when you took out another insurance, chances are the cover is minimal. It is always worth reading the policy schedule, if not the full document so you are clear what is covered and that the information on the document i.e. name, address etc are correct. If there is an error it is better to rectify it sooner rather than later. If you move or make changes to your property, advise your insurance so that the details can be updated. No point in paying for insurance on a property you no longer live in and if you have to make a claim there could be a problem.

If you have a mortgage on the property your mortgage provider will want to see a copy of the policy with their name and relevant account number listed. They will also want to see that the buildings value in the policy fully covers the outstanding mortgage. If not, they might just set up a policy for you without your authorisation, especially the Spanish banks.

Every company will ask you about security measures. Why do they need to know this and why is it important? If you state that your property has an alarm, whenever you leave the property it MUST be used. If you choose not to bother and you have a break in, then your claim might not be paid out. Not the plan.

Make sure you have the helpline number for the insurers in a convenient place. Important if you have a problem and need to contact the insurers in an emergency. All policies come with contact details on the policy or on a small card. We recommend you either add the phone number to your phone book/mobile phone, or keep the card by the telephone. In an emergency situation it's not ideal to be trawling through drawers to find the document with the phone number on it.

Contents value is something that you should consider seriously. Before calling for a quote just go around the rooms of your house and do a mental calculation of how much it would cost to replace everything, you will be surprised. Don't forget to include clothes and any shoe or handbag collections that maybe in the wardrobe. The figure will probably be higher than you think.

Whether your property is a permanent home, holiday home, rented out or being modernised, we can offer a range of policies to suit and are happy to provide any advice or information needed.

Cyclists - Is Your Bike Registered?

With the current credit crunch many people are now taking to cycling as a means of transport, as it is a cheap way of getting around. How many of you have either insured or registered your bicycle? As with most things, now that cycling has become more popular stealing bicycles has become more popular. In an attempt to reduce the numbers, an office has been set up in Alicante for cyclists to register their bikes. In the next few weeks the website will be also be available www.biciregistro.es to take registrations online, or as an alternative most authorised cycle shops will do the registration for you. It is always worth checking with your house insurer if your bikes are covered, or if they can be covered (sometimes an optional extra). Another consideration when cycling is Public Liability Insurance. If you have an accident and cause damage or injury to someone else this would cover you. Annual premiums from as little as 37.59euros. If you have any questions on cycling cover, do not hesitate to contact us for help and advice.

You've Sold Your Car - But Are You Still Responsible?

This is something that comes up on a regular basis and has been commented on various social media sites recently.

You have agreed a sale for your Spanish registered car, either by part exchange at the garage or by private sale to an individual. There is a piece of paper to show what you agreed, so it's all good. Or is it? Have you confirmed that the car documents have been transferred into the new person's name?

The system in Spain when you sell a vehicle is very different to the UK. You don't both just sign the V5C and send it off to DVLA, then a few weeks later the new owner gets a new V5 in their name all for the cost of a stamp and envelope. In Spain it is somewhat more complicate and generally requires the assistance of someone who knows what they are doing like a Gestor.

The person listed as the registered owner of the vehicle in the database at Trafico is the person considered to be responsible for anything relating to the vehicle. All Suma bills, fines, damage etc will come back to you. In addition, as the car is insured and not the person, you will be responsible for ensuring that the car is insured (this is a legal requirement).

You might think that by selling/part exchanging your vehicle at a garage this will all be done for you - wrong. You need to ask what they intend to do about the transfer. In some cases they will do the transfer straight away, but in others they will wait until they have a purchaser and do the transfer from you to the purchaser, so they don't incur additional costs. Yes, like everything else there is a cost. The costs depends upon a variety of factors including age of the vehicle, value etc.

Whilst some insurance companies will accept a sale/compraventa document to cancel the insurance, most of the Spanish companies will want the document that shows the transfer of ownership is in progress 'Justificante' or a copy of the 'Permiso de Circulación' in the name of the new person.

If you sell privately, arrange a time with the purchaser to visit the Gestor and arrange the transfer. This way you can get a copy of the Justificante and know that everything is being done properly, so no nasty surprises in the future.

Drinking and Driving in Spain - Do You Know the Consequences?

The sun is out, the sky is blue, evenings are warmer and longer so the temptation to get together with friends for a drink is probably higher up the to do list than normal. But how many alcoholic drinks can you have before you are over the limit to drive and what are the consequences?

Realistically, we all know the consequences and always intend to have 'just the one', but a second/third one won't hurt will it?

At present the levels of alcohol allowed in Spain before driving are as follows:

General Drivers - 0.3mg alcohol per litre of air or 0.5g alcohol per litre blood.
Young or Professional Drivers - 0.15mg alcohol per litre of air or 0.3g per litre of blood.

There has been talk of zero tolerance which is still under discussion.

As you can see by the limits above, the levels are not high. Reaction to alcohol will differ from person to person and the percentage of alchol in wine for instance can differ, so not one can actually say whether the limit is reached with 1 glass, 2 or more.

If you are stopped by the police and asked to take a breath test it is advisable to take the test and not refuse. As you can imagine in Spain, like most other countries there are penalties for refusing. If the first test comes up positive, you can ask for another test to be take 10 minutes later and then request the results be confirmed by a blood test.

So what are the penalties?
The penalty you receive will depend how far over the limit you are. At present the fines range between 300.15 - 601.01euros, but there is ongoing discussion to increase this to 1.000euros plus. In addition, you could be looking at loss of your licence for 3 months to 4 years, community service or imprisonment.

Is that extra drink really worth the risk?

Travelling or Visitors Arriving this Summer? - Information from the British Embassy

Whether you are looking to take off yourself on holiday, or playing the host with the most to family, friends or guests this summer, you need to advise your visitors to ensure that they get an EHIC health card and travel insurance.

The British Embassy is urging people to remember to bring the often forgotten and essential European Health Card. 

When your visitors ask what the weather is like and what to bring, make sure that the EHIC and travel insurance are on the list.

The EHIC card is easy to obtain before you travel - check out www.ehic.org.uk - it costs nothing to obtain.

Getting this card will provide peace of mind. Whilst we all have ideas of fun filled, sunny, trouble free days, things can go wrong when you least expect it. The EHIC will help ensure that you don't end up with a large hospital bill that you didn't anticipate.

Comprehensive Travel Insurance should also be on the list for both your travels and your visitors. It covers all the extras that the EHIC doesn't, such as repatriation in the case of medical emergency. The EHIC will cover emergency treatment at the local doctors or hospital, but that is all, it won't get you home.

When taking your travel insurance, remember to advise the insurer if you have any pre-existing medical conditions and check that they will be covered. Most companies will either accept conditions as part of the policy, or ask you a few questions and you might need to pay a little extra for the health coverage. Either way, if you don't declare medical conditions this could invalidate the cover on your policy. You won't fool the insurers, they will investigate and they will find out your history.

Every year Consular staff in Spain are asked to assist hundreds of Britons who have failed to take out travel insurance, or who have invalidated their policies, and who have ended up facing huge bills when attending a private clinic or hospital.

Visitors to Spain should be aware that they do not have to provide travel insurance as payment for urgent/necessary medical treatment in a public or state healthcare facility. They should insist that their EHIC is accepted. Anyone asked to sign a form or disclaimer in a state hospital should check that they are not forfeiting the right to be treated under an EHIC. 

If an EHIC is refused or there are other concerns about using an EHIC whilst in Spain, call the Department of Health team at the British Consulate on 902 109 356.

A visitor who needs to see a doctor and doesn't have an EHIC with them can also get a Provisional Replacement Certificate from the Overseas Heathcare Team in Newcastle on +44 191 218 1999.

For more information on EHIC entitlements, visit www.healthcareinspain.eu

Travel safely knowing that you have the right documents and are fully covered.

Car Insurance - Should I Cancel It Whilst I'm Away?

Many of you will spend part of your year living in Spain and part in another country, but have a vehicle that you leave here in Spain whilst you are away. We are sometimes asked to cancel insurance policies on vehicles "because I won't be using it for the next x number of months". How many of you realise that this isn't legal?

With a Spanish insurance you will usually insure the vehicle for any driver over the age of x (check with your company as they all vary), or you will expressly state named drivers. In the UK the insurance covers the person and not the vehicle, totally different.

The law in Spain states that every vehicle must be insured, unless it is listed in Trafico records as being off the road or scrapped (like the UK Sorn).

Many of you will lock the vehicle in a garage, behind locked gates, in secure parking etc, but what happens if you have cancelled the insurance and the vehicle does get stolen?  You, as the registered owner would be held liable for any accidents, damage or personal injury that occurs if the vehicle is being driven by an unauthorised driver, as it is your responsibility as the registered owner to have the vehicle insured at all times.

None of us have a crystal ball to know whether this will happen or not, but in the current climate where people are getting desperate, it is worth giving serious thought before you ask for the policy to be cancelled, as it could cost you more than a year's insurance.