The September 2017 earthquakes that struck Mexico left many homeowners — especially those who escaped damage but knew people who didn't — asking an uncomfortable question: would my insurance actually pay out if disaster hit? For anyone with a holiday home or permanent base in Mexico, it's worth understanding the answers before the next hurricane season.

Mexico's main property risks are well known: hurricanes, severe flooding and earthquakes, plus wind damage from falling trees and the liability issues that come with them. The good news is that insurers in Mexico have plenty of data to work with — topographical, meteorological and historical claims records mapped against the postal code system — so most homes can be priced and covered fairly accurately. Standard policies typically come in two flavours: "all risks" or "named perils," and both can bundle structural damage, third-party liability (a tree falling on a neighbour's roof, or a guest injuring themselves on your property) and contents cover for burglary or flood damage.

But there are three situations where cover becomes difficult or impossible, and expat buyers should know them before signing anything.

First, untitled land. Some Mexican property changes hands under agrarian terms — you get possession and quiet enjoyment, but no legal title deed recognised by civil courts. Insurers may demand the title deed when a claim is filed, not proof of possession, so a home destroyed by a hurricane on agrarian land could leave you funding the rebuild yourself.

Second, palapas. Those attractive open-air structures of wood, bamboo and palm leaves are excluded from virtually every residential policy. They're too exposed to the elements and too much of a fire risk for insurers to touch — so if a storm takes yours out, that's on you.

Third, the Yucatán peninsula. For geological reasons, many underwriters won't quote for Yucatán, Campeche or Quintana Roo postal codes at all. It isn't a blanket exclusion — specialist providers such as MexPro do now offer cover for peninsula properties — but online quote engines often simply won't price the region.

Two more wrinkles worth flagging. Commercial property needs a specialist local broker and a bespoke quotation. And if you run any commercial activity from your home (beyond a home office) or rent out part of it while living there — so-called "simultaneous occupancy" — you'll need a commercial policy too, which is both more complex and more expensive than a standard residential one.

For travellers, this matters most if Mexico is where you plan to buy a winter retreat, a rental investment or a full-time base. A property you can't insure is a property carrying catastrophic risk alone — the 2017 quakes showed how expensive demolition and rebuilding can be. Check the title status before you buy, budget for the fact that palapas are effectively self-insured, and if you're eyeing the Riviera Maya or Mérida, seek out insurers who explicitly write Yucatán-region policies. Rental income plans should also be declared upfront, or a future claim could be voided. Quotes can be arranged online in minutes, so there's little excuse for leaving your biggest asset exposed.