Historic buildings, as the cultural and identity heritage of every nation, play a vital role in transmitting civilizational values to future generations. However, due to their vulnerability to natural disasters and human-made factors, they are constantly exposed to threats. Despite the adoption of the 2019 Law on Supporting the Restoration and Revitalization of Historic-Cultural Fabrics, Article 17 of this law, which concerns the insurance of historic buildings registered on the National Heritage List, has not been fully implemented even after five years.

Studies indicate that 14,659 historic buildings are covered by this law, of which 74% are privately owned and 26% are state-owned or endowed properties. Nevertheless, insuring these buildings faces numerous challenges, including the difficulty of assessing both the financial and intangible value of heritage properties, their high vulnerability to earthquakes and floods, the lack of monitoring infrastructure, international sanctions, and the weak financial capacity of domestic insurance institutions. In addition, the absence of clear standards for calculating insurance premiums and the lack of specialized insurance companies for historic properties have further complicated the implementation of this matter.

To address these obstacles, it is proposed that Article 17 of the 2019 Law on Supporting the Restoration and Revitalization of Historic-Cultural Fabrics be amended so that the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts is required, in cooperation with the National Organization for Civil Registration, to record the degree of natural and environmental vulnerability as well as the age of historic buildings in the system referred to in Clause (1), Paragraph (P), Article 83 of the Seventh National Development Plan Law. It is also proposed that, in the amendment of the aforementioned article, the Central Insurance of the Islamic Republic of Iran be required to determine the base insurance price solely on the basis of the estimated costs of restoration and revitalization.

Furthermore, earthquake insurance premiums should be determined based on the type of structure and materials used in the building, the building’s dimensions and area, the value of equipment and furnishings located within the site, the reconstruction cost per square meter in the event of earthquake-related destruction, and the building’s level of risk exposure and susceptibility to earthquakes.