# Insurance for a tourist home: what it must cover and why normal home insurance is not enough

> It is not required by law in Andalusia, but renting without declaring tourist use to the insurer can leave you without cover. What to ask for: buildings, contents, public liability and guest damage.
>
> Topic: Day to day · Reviewed: 2026-09-22 · URL: https://mipisoturistico.app/en/guides/insurance-for-a-tourist-home-what-it-must-cover-and-why-normal-home-insurance-is-not-enough
> Published by Mi Piso Turístico (Torremolinos Gestión Vacacional), a holiday-rental management company on the Costa del Sol.

**Short answer:** the Andalusian tourist dwelling rules **do not require insurance**, but renting with your usual home insurance, without telling the insurer, is a real risk: in a claim they can argue that the use was not the one declared. The right thing is a home policy that **declares holiday rental use**, with **buildings, contents, public liability** and, if possible, **damage caused by guests**. It costs between €200 and €400 a year.

## What must it cover?

- **Buildings**: the structure and installations (pipes, electrics, windows). It is usually also in the association's insurance, but the association's does not cover the inside of your flat.
- **Contents**: furniture, appliances, bed linen. Value it properly: a flat equipped for tourists has more contents than it seems.
- **Public liability**: if a guest falls down a step, if a leak floods the neighbour below, if the air conditioning causes a fire. It is the most important cover and the cheapest. Ask for at least €150,000-300,000.
- **Guest damage / vandalism**: not all include it; some specific holiday rental policies do.
- **24-hour home assistance**: an emergency plumber and locksmith are part of a holiday flat's daily life.
- **Loss of rent** from a claim: if the flat is unusable for two months because of a flood, some policies compensate the income.

## Why isn't normal home insurance enough?

Standard home policies cover a main home or a second home for own use. Holiday rental is a different use, with more turnover of people and more statistical risk. If it is not declared, the insurer can **reduce or reject** the payout. The solution is simple: call your insurer, declare the use and ask for the change or a specific policy. Several Spanish insurers offer them under that name ("alquiler vacacional", "vivienda turística").

## And the manager's insurance?

A professional manager has their own public liability insurance for their activity (for example, if their cleaner breaks something or hands over keys wrongly). **It does not replace yours**: the flat is yours and the one liable to the flooded neighbour is you. Ask the manager what their policy covers; it is one of the 20 questions in [What to ask a manager before signing](/guias/20-preguntas-antes-de-firmar).

## What do Airbnb and Booking cover?

- **Airbnb**: AirCover for hosts covers damage caused by guests and public liability under certain conditions, but it is a platform protection, with its exclusions and deadlines, not insurance you can use outside Airbnb.
- **Booking**: offers the option of a damage deposit, and in some markets a protection programme, but not general insurance.

Use them as the first line; insurance is the second.

## How much does it cost?

For a 4-place flat on the Costa del Sol, a policy with tourist use declared, contents of €15,000-20,000 and public liability of €300,000 costs between **€200 and €400 a year**. It is deductible on your tax return in proportion to the rented days.

## Three checks before signing

1. That the policy literally states **tourist or holiday rental use**.
2. That the public liability covers **damage to third parties inside and outside** the home (neighbours).
3. That emergency assistance is **24 hours and without an unreasonable limit on call-outs**, because holiday flat breakdowns happen on Saturday night.

## Sources

- [Decree 28/2016 and Decree 31/2024 (BOJA): requirements for tourist dwellings (no specific insurance obligation, in Spanish)](https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/boja/2024/24/50)