When you want to turn your investment in Portugal into a short-term rental, you will find out that you need a Civil Liability Insurance, or “Seguro de Responsabilidade Civil”. What is this insurance, why is it needed, and how do you obtain it? You will read all about it here.
What is a 'Seguro de Responsabilidade Civil'?
Also known as Liability Insurance, the “Seguro de Responsabilidade Civil” is an insurance that is mandatory by law for short-term rentals (meaning, Alojamento Local – AL) in Portugal.
It is an insurance that covers costs due to property damage and other accidents that might happen to guests and third parties while being at your alojamento local.
The property owner can take care of getting its own insurance, or requesting the assistance of a company such as Lisbeyond to help them with the process and most importantly, maintain the relationship with the insurance company.
- Let us share an example: if a guest falls from the stairs and breaks his or her leg, they could come back to you to claim the costs of this incident, as it happened while staying at your property, using your stairs. These costs can then be claimed back with the insurance. Or, if a guest accidently breaks the oven while staying at your property, the costs for the repairs or replacement can also be claimed with the insurance – if you insured the furniture and electrical appliances as well.
If you choose Lisbeyond, we will manage the communication with the insurance company and the guest and make sure all claims are taken care of, making sure matters like these will be resolved quickly.
How do I get the ‘Seguro de Responsabilidade Civil’ and which information do I need to provide to apply?
There are several insurance companies in the market that can provide property owners with a ‘Responsabilidade Civil’ insurance. A simple search through Google will show you several options.
If you prefer to have this process handled by us, that is also possible. Lisbeyond works with a reliable partner and has experience to make sure this part of your short-term rental business is well managed.
What information is necessary to get a 'Seguro de Responsabilidade Civil'?
Besides standard contact information, such as your Name, NIF and e-mail address, the following details also need to be send to the insurance company:
- The Postal Code of the property;
- The number of guests allowed in the property;
- The year of construction of the building;
- The intended insured capital for furniture and other items inside the property;
- The total capital insured by the Civil Liability insurance (this has to be at least €75.000).
What are the costs?
The costs of the insurance vary from property to property, but for a renovated one bedroom apartment the costs are usually not higher than € 100 per year.
In the real estate business, you want to make sure you feel safe with the state of your property and guests staying at your property.
The Civil Liability Insurance is mandatory by Portuguese law for short-term rentals, but we also believe that it is important to have a good insurance in place in general. You never know what could happen and in this way, you can be assured that most risks are covered.
At Lisbeyond we always strive to provide you with the best results, keep the guests happy, safe, and the management of your rental as hassle free as possible, from the beginning and during every step of the process!
LisBeyond is always here to help, and also to answer all your questions, so if you have any ideas on a topic you would like to read, feel free to contact us only a click away.
Follow Us
We aim to share our best tips with you, local and authentic, and of partners that we trust. Get ready to get to know the Portugal we love so much! Follow us on social media to never miss an update
