Most storms that make the news here never make landfall. They pass offshore, drop a few days of heavy rain, push the surf up, and move on. What they leave behind is usually not dramatic. It is water in places it should not be — and water is patient. The damage that costs real money is rarely what you see the next morning. It is the stain that appears three weeks later, the closet that starts to smell, the breaker that keeps tripping in November.
For a stretch of my career I administered properties myself, and this is the checklist I would want every owner to run once the authorities give the all-clear. It takes an afternoon. It is also the cheapest insurance you will ever buy.
Hurricane Polo gave a mild version of exactly that pattern in late September. It stayed far offshore, a handful of streets saw brief flooding from the rain, and the city was back to normal quickly — the kind of storm Vallarta handles well when people prepare ahead of time. The calm after a storm is exactly when this check is worth doing: not because anything is wrong, but because a quiet afternoon is when you actually find out.
First, let the authorities finish their job
Wait for Protección Civil to lift the alert before you go up to the roof, down to the beach, or across any arroyo. Arroyos here can go from dry to running in under an hour, and they stay unpredictable for a while after the rain stops. Nothing on this list is urgent enough to beat that. Your house will still be there tomorrow.
The first walk-through: fifteen minutes, phone in hand
Before you mop, sweep or move anything, photograph and film everything. Every room, every ceiling, every window track, the terrace, the roof if you can reach it safely. Say the date out loud at the start of the video. Insurers and administrators respond to evidence, and the evidence disappears the moment you start cleaning.
Then walk the unit slowly, looking up as much as down. Water that came in through the roof or a terrace above you shows up on ceilings and at the top corners of walls first.
Water: where it got in, and where it is hiding
In Puerto Vallarta construction — concrete, block, tile and flat roofs — water gets in through a short and predictable list of places:
- Roof and terrace drains (coladeras). Leaves, sand and bougainvillea petals clog them, water pools, and pooled water finds any crack in the waterproofing. Clear them first.
- The waterproofing itself (impermeabilización). Look for blistering, cracking or soft spots on a flat roof. A roof that held for years can fail after one long soaking.
- Window and sliding-door tracks. Most have small drain holes at the bottom of the frame. If those are blocked, rain driven sideways by wind comes straight over the sill.
- Walls that face the weather. Check the base of exterior walls and the inside of closets built against them. Closets are where moisture hides longest, because nobody opens them.
- Under sinks and around the water heater. Not storm damage in the strict sense, but a heavy rain is a good moment to find a slow leak you already had.
If you find wet drywall, mattresses, rugs or furniture, the widely used rule is to get it dry within 24 to 48 hours — fans, dehumidifier, air conditioning on, doors open if the air outside is drier than inside. After that window, mold becomes a real possibility, and in this climate it does not wait.
Power: before you switch everything back on
If water reached an outlet, a light fixture or the breaker panel, leave that circuit off and call an electrician before you use it. That is not a step to improvise.
Even with a dry house, the moment the grid comes back is when voltage swings the most. Unplug computers, televisions and anything with a compressor until power has been stable for a while, then plug them back in one at a time. I wrote a longer piece on voltage protection and keeping electronics alive — the short version is that a good regulator costs less than one fried refrigerator board.
If an appliance was damaged by the power supply, you can file a claim with CFE. It is free, but it has rules:
- It is done in person at a CFE customer service center (Centro de Atención a Clientes).
- You have 15 business days from the damage.
- Bring an ID, the original purchase invoice for the appliance, and your RPU — the twelve-digit service number on your CFE bill.
- CFE responds within about 10 business days; you can follow up at 071 with your folio number.
CFE reviews each case on its own merits. Filing costs you nothing but a morning.
Insurance: the five-day clock
This is the part people miss. Under Mexico’s insurance contract law (Ley sobre el Contrato de Seguro, article 66), you have a maximum of five days from the moment you know about the damage to notify your insurer — in writing, unless your policy says otherwise. Call your agent, then follow up by email so there is a record with a date on it.
Three things to know before you call:
- Storm damage is its own coverage. In Mexican home policies it is usually listed as hydrometeorological risk (fenómenos hidrometeorológicos), and it often carries its own deductible — frequently written as a percentage of the insured value rather than a flat amount. Read that line in your policy now, not after the next storm.
- Do not throw away damaged items before the adjuster sees them, unless they are a health hazard. If you must discard something, photograph it first, with the label or serial number visible.
- Keep every receipt for emergency work — tarps, pumps, fans, a plumber called at night. Reasonable steps to stop further damage are part of the claim.
If you own a condo, remember that the building’s master policy almost never covers the inside of your unit. I covered that in detail in the guide to home insurance in Puerto Vallarta. And if an insurer treats you unfairly, CONDUSEF — the federal financial consumer protection agency — handles complaints against insurance companies.
If you own a condo: what to ask the administrator
The roof, the facade, the shared drains and the common areas belong to the condominium, and so does the responsibility for checking them. A well-run building will already be on it. A few questions tell you quickly which kind of building you are in:
- Has someone inspected the roof and the common drains since the storm, and is there a written note of what they found?
- Is the building filing a claim on its master policy, and for what?
- Is anyone discussing an extraordinary assessment to cover repairs?
On that last point: under the Jalisco Civil Code, a resolution approving new works or improvements has to set out, in that same resolution, how their cost will be covered. If you are asked for money, ask to see the resolution. That is not being difficult — it is how the system is designed to work. I went through what to look for in a building’s books in what to check about the HOA before you buy, and most of it applies just as well to the building you already own in.
If you own here and you are abroad
The most useful thing you can ask for is not “is everything okay?” It is dated photos of each room, the ceilings and the terrace, taken after the rain stopped. “All good” is an opinion. A photo of a dry ceiling is a fact.
If your administrator, cleaner or neighbor can do that for you, you are set. If you do not have anyone on the ground who will, message me and I will help you find someone who will go and look.
If you are in the middle of buying
Here is the part that works against my own interest. A heavy storm is the best free inspection a buyer will ever get. If you are under contract or close to it, ask to see the property again after the rain — ceilings, closets, window tracks, the roof. If a unit took water, I would much rather you find out now than after closing, even if it changes the deal. A pre-purchase inspection done in the weeks after a storm tells you more than one done in a dry April.
Why this is worth an afternoon
None of this is a reason to worry about owning here. Storms are part of the season, most of them pass offshore, and the buildings that come through well are simply the ones where somebody clears the drains and reads the policy. That is the whole secret. For more on how the season actually feels on the ground, see hurricane season in Puerto Vallarta.
If you want a second pair of eyes on your property, your policy or a building you are thinking of buying into, I am happy to help.
— Neft Román, Legacy Vallarta Realty
Affiliate of AMPI Puerto Vallarta y Compostela
This guide is general information, not legal, insurance or engineering advice. Coverage, deductibles and deadlines depend on the exact wording of your policy — read it and confirm with your insurer or agent. For anything involving the structure, the electrical system or water in the walls, hire a qualified professional.
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