You choose the lawyer. That is the law, not our promise.

Who this is for

Four situations. They are not brochure examples: they are the ones that come through our door.

• You have had damp coming from above for two years and the junta decides nothing
• You let your apartment and the tenant has stopped paying. Or you are the tenant and the deposit is not coming back
• You paid a builder up front and the work stopped half finished
• You have been dismissed, or somebody is claiming against you, and the deadlines run in days

What these have in common is not the cost of the case. It is the moment before it. Nobody knows whether they are in the right, the procedure runs in Spanish, the written submissions run in Spanish, and a lawyer's first estimate arrives before anybody knows who is right. Many people leave the matter there. That is exactly what legal expenses cover is for: so that the decision to claim does not depend on what asking costs.

And there is one reason here that does not exist on the mainland: half the disputes are between people who share no language, and each side reads the contract its own way. We are in the office in Adeje and we speak all three.

What it pays

The law defines it in a single sentence, and the sentence is worth reading because it draws the boundary well. Article 76 a of Ley 50/1980, the Insurance Contract Act: the insurer undertakes, within the limits of the law and of the contract, "to take charge of the expenses which the insured may incur as a consequence of taking part in an administrative, judicial or arbitral procedure, and to provide the judicial and extrajudicial legal assistance arising from the cover".

In practice, these are the cover items Allianz publishes on its own website as the usual ones for defensa jurídica:

• The costs of court proceedings and the outlay for the expert report the case requires
• Representation in court and in legal procedures
• Specialist guidance by telephone on legal procedures: building works, inheritance, divorce
• Help reviewing and drafting legal texts — a rental contract, for instance
• Disputes with the community of owners and claims arising from works on the property
• Matters around the rental contract and the purchase or sale of the property
• Employment and civil defence, and telephone advice from a lawyer from the first call

You choose the lawyer

This is the part worth reading slowly, because it is a right and not a courtesy from the insurer. Article 76 d of the same law:

• The insured "shall have the right freely to choose the Procurador and Lawyer who are to represent and defend them in any kind of procedure".
• The same right applies "in cases where a conflict of interest arises between the parties to the contract" — that is, also when the dispute is with the insurer itself.
• The Lawyer and Procurador appointed by the insured "shall in no case be subject to the instructions of the insurer".

For a foreign resident in the south of Tenerife that means something very concrete: you can choose a lawyer who speaks your language and already knows your matter, and the insurance pays for that lawyer within the limits of the policy. You are not obliged to accept the one you are offered.

And one more point, from article 76 f: a legal expenses policy "must expressly set out the rights recognised to the insured". So it has to be written in your contract. If you cannot find it, ask us and we will look for it with you.

You may already have it without knowing

Before we sell you a new policy we do the opposite of what people expect from an agency: we check whether you already have it. Legal expenses cover often sits inside another policy, with its own limit and only for the matters of that policy.

• A home policy usually carries legal expenses cover for matters concerning the property.
• A car policy and a motorbike policy, for traffic matters.
• A business policy, for matters of the shop or the trade.
• The community of owners policy, to defend the community's rights.
• And travel and legal cover, for what happens away from home.

Bring us what you have — whichever company it is with — and we will tell you in writing which matter is covered by which policy and up to what limit. Sometimes the answer is "you already have it, buy nothing". We earn nothing that day, and it is the day that brings people back.

What it does not cover

We would rather say it here than after something has happened.

• Fines and penalties, never. This is not small print, it is in the law: article 76 b excludes "the payment of fines and the indemnity of any expense arising from penalties imposed on the insured by administrative or judicial authorities".
• The dispute you already have. Allianz says so on its own website: legal conflicts that arose before the policy was taken out are not covered. It is the most important sentence on this page. Legal expenses cover is not an umbrella you buy once it is already raining.
• Claims against banks are, according to Allianz, among the most usual exclusions. If your matter is with a bank, tell us on day one and we will check it before you build your hopes on it.
• It pays for the procedure, not for the outcome. The policy covers the cost of defending your position; it does not guarantee that the court will find in your favour.
• Limits, waiting periods and a minimum amount in dispute are in the conditions. Some matters are too small for litigation and the policy says so; we show you beforehand.
• We are not a law firm. We do not give legal advice and we do not interpret your contract — we do insurance. The lawyer is the lawyer, and you choose them.

How it works

1. Call us, write on WhatsApp or come into the office. Bring the policies you already hold, all of them: that is the first thing we look at.
2. We tell you what is already covered and what is not. If something is missing, we work out the price and give you the proposal in writing and dated. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
3. If a matter does come up one day, tell us before you instruct anyone. That way the file is opened and it is clear from the start what is covered and up to what limit. It is the difference between an invoice that goes through and an invoice you argue about.

Why with us

• Office in San Eugenio Alto, Adeje. Monday to Thursday, 10:00–17:00. You come in through the door, not through a web form.
• We work in Spanish, German and English. In a legal matter that is not a detail: it is the difference between signing something and understanding what you sign.
• We are an exclusive Allianz agency. The file is opened with us, not with a distant phone number and not with an inbox.
• 4.8 out of 5 on Google, from 52 customer reviews (September 2026). See the reviews (opens in a new window)

Frequently asked questions