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READER QUESTIONS

Reader question: Should I insure my Italian home against flood or earthquake damage?

It may not be something you've ever considered in your home country, but if you own a home in Italy you might need additional insurance against floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters.

Published: 31 October 2023 16:29 CET
Updated: 6 November 2023 09:18 CET
Reader question: Should I insure my Italian home against flood or earthquake damage?
Homes and shops damaged by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake in Zafferana Etnea, Sicily, in 2018. While most earthquakes in Italy are small, major quakes have caused enormous damage. Photo: GIOVANNI ISOLINO/AFP

Italy regularly features in the international news due to natural disasters. Most notably, in spring 2023 the region of Emilia Romagna was devastated by flooding, and many other parts of the country regularly experience earthquakes, giant hail, or increasingly frequent and intense storms or wildfires.

People who move to Italy can be alarmed to discover just how common these events are, and an area’s flood or earthquake risk should always be taken into consideration before buying a home. You can check these risk levels on the Italian civil protection agency’s website.

READ ALSO: Which parts of Italy have the highest risk of earthquakes?

Despite these risks, insurance companies say the vast majority of homeowners in Italy do not have policies which would cover damage caused by natural disasters.

Only five percent of Italian homes are adequately covered by insurance, according to Dr Francesco Blasi, commercial director at national insurance broker RC Polizza. A major reason for this is that regular home insurance doesn’t typically cover natural disasters.

“Natural disasters have a variable frequency and intensity that can be difficult to predict,” says Blasi. 

“This makes risk assessment and premium determination more complex than for other types of risks.”

MAP: The parts of Italy most at risk from floods and extreme weather

Natural disaster coverage has become an extension to home insurance policies, but Blasi argues that people shouldn’t see it as optional.

This is especially true for those who live in high flood risk zones such as Venice, or the central regions of Abruzzo, Umbria, and Marche for their earthquakes.

People walk in Venice during floods in 2019 which caused millions of euros worth of damage. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)

“A home is not just four walls and a roof. It is a place of memories, laughter, family moments, a real refuge. A natural disaster can snatch it away in a moment,” he says.

“It’s not just about repairing a roof or a wall. After a disaster, there are a thousand expenses you wouldn’t even think about: clearing away debris, finding a place to stay, putting your belongings away safely

“And then? Would you be able to continue paying a mortgage on a house you no longer have and at the same time pay rent?”

How to insure your home against natural disasters

Costs for such insurance policies range from around 40 euros annually to over 100, according to price comparison site seguigio.it. 

The procedure for getting home insurance for protection against natural disasters depends on the type of insurance company you decide to go with. 

Some are more in depth and ask for geological survey results or building structural certificates, on top of information about your home and where it is. Once all of this has been assessed, a suitable plan is presented to you.

For people who live in apartment blocks, there are two options: you can either take out insurance on the apartment you own, or you can get the other apartment owners involved and take out a policy for the whole building. The premium would be reduced in this case.

International residents can obtain insurance just as Italians can, as long as you own the property and you’re not renting it. 

If you own a property in Italy, but are resident abroad and do not hold an Italian passport, you may need to look for a policy in your country of residence that would cover the Italian property. 

Though uptake is still relatively low, Blasi says, the Italian market is growing following recent events with many seeing that the risks could only increase in future. 

“Images of displaced families and children have deeply touched the collective conscience,” he says.

Overall, the decision of whether or not to get natural disaster protection for your home depends on factors such as budget, residency status and the risks in your part of Italy.

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For members

TRAVEL NEWS

Your questions answered on the UK’s new £10 entry fee for European travellers

From next year, European travellers visiting the UK will be required to pay a £10 Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in order to enter. The Local answers your questions on what that means for people living in the EU or EEA, including EU spouses and dual nationals.

Published: 13 September 2024 12:10 CEST
Your questions answered on the UK's new £10 entry fee for European travellers

The UK has introduced an electronic travel authorisation scheme known as ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) for people paying short visits such as tourists of those visiting family members.

The ETA – which costs £10, lasts for two years and must be applied for online in advance of your trip – is already in place for citizens of some countries, but in the spring of 2025 it will be expanded to include EU and EEA citizens such as French, German or Swiss nationals.

You can find full details of the scheme and how it works here.

The UK government information is largely geared towards tourists, and readers of The Local had questions – especially on how the changes affect people with residency in an EU or EEA country, on the position for EU spouses of a UK national and the changes for dual nationals.

Does this affect Brits who are resident in an EU/EEA country?

This system all depends on the passport you are travelling on, not where you live or whether you have a residency permit for another country.

So in short if you are travelling on your UK passport, you will be treated like every other Brit and won’t need an ETA. If you are a dual national, it depends on the passport you are travelling on (more on that below).

However Brits who have an EU partner or spouse (who don’t have a British passport) should be aware that the changes will apply to their spouse.

Does this limit stays in the UK for EU citizens who are married to a Brit?

ETA, like the EU’s new EES biometric passport checks and ETIAS visa waiver, does not change any of the existing rules around immigration or long-stay visas.

At present, citizens of a number of countries – including all EU/EEA countries and a number of non-EU countries such as the USA and Canada – benefit from visa-free travel to the UK for short visits. Those people can stay in the UK for up to 180 days per year without needing a visa, although they cannot work in the UK.

This category would cover tourists and people making short visits to family. Anyone who wants to stay longer than 180 days in a year, or who wants to work in the UK, would need a visa or to apply for residency through other routes such as the EU Settled Status scheme. This includes EU nationals who have a British spouse.

What changes under ETA is that the people making short stays will no longer benefit from visa-free travel – instead they must apply online for the ETA visa before travel.

Those who wish to stay longer or to work in the UK must apply for the relevant visa or residency permit type, exactly as they do now.

What about Irish passport holders?

The exception to these rules is for people travelling on an Irish passport. Because of the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland, those travelling on an Irish passport will not be required to get an ETA, and in fact nothing changes for them.

The exemption only applies if you are using your Irish passport to travel – if you have an Irish passport but are using another non-UK passport to travel you will be treated according to the passport you present. 

Likewise, UK nationals are also exempt from the requirement – but only if they are using their UK passport to travel.

Do children need an ETA?

Yes, everyone entering the UK will need an ETA, including children and babies. The travel authorisation costs £10 for everyone – unlike the EU’s ETIAS, there is no cost exemption for over 70s or under 18s.

Do I need an ETA as an airline transit passenger? That seems mad if I’m only passing through the airport?

Yes, an ETA is required for everyone, even if you’re only passing through a UK airport as part of a connecting flight. This has sparked fury from the UK’s ‘hub’ airports such as Heathrow, where bosses say the change could cost them up to 4 million passengers a year.

The government says: “Requiring transit passengers to obtain an ETA stops people who may use connecting flights to avoid gaining permission to travel to the UK.”

What about dual nationals?

The key thing for dual nationals to remember is that your passports are not ‘linked’ – so the immigration official that you present your passport to has no way of knowing that you also have the passport of another country.

Dual nationals are therefore treated according to the passport they present. So let’s say you have a UK passport and an Italian one – if you travel to the UK on the UK passport, you will not need an ETA. However if you travel on the Italian passport you will need an ETA.

It is perfectly legal to use two passports while making a trip, so that you can enter the UK showing your UK passport and then on your return to Italy show the Italian passport – this allows you to avoid the formalities for foreigners in both countries. If you are doing this, you will just need to take care when supplying Advance Passenger Information (API) to your travel provider that you are supplying the right information for the passport that you will be using for each leg of the journey.

When does this start?

The ETA requirement is already in place for citizens of certain countries and then will continue the roll-out in two subsequent stages.

Citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates already need an ETA to enter the UK. From January 8th 2025 it will be extended to citizens of all non-EU/non-EEA countries and then from April 2nd it will be required for all EU/EEA citizens (with the exception of Ireland). Find the full list of countries here.

How do I get the ETA?

You apply and pay online before you travel – the UK government says that applications should be processed within three working days but that some could take longer. You cannot enter the UK until your application is processed.

Once issued, the ETA lasts for two years and allows multiple trips – although if your passport is renewed during that two-year period you will have to apply for a new ETA.

Find full details of how to apply here.

Why is the UK doing this?

It’s a security measure and is part of the UK’s plan to digitise its borders. The scheme is intended to reduce queues at the border, “helping to speed up legitimate journeys to the UK”, a government spokesman said.

It is very similar to the EU’s ETIAS visa waiver – due to come into effect in the spring of 2025 – and the US’s ESTA visa, which has been required for all visitors since 2009.

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