Insuring an Empty House After the Death of the Owner

Losing someone you love is hard; you probably aren’t thinking clearly, and the emotions of dealing with probate and then thinking about insuring the property of the person you loved can be overwhelming.

Most people in your situation don’t realise the extent of their liability when acting as an executor or administrator.  The fact is, you have a legal duty to protect the estate — and that includes the property.

If you get this wrong and arrange — or extend — a policy with gaps in cover or underinsurance, that creates a financial shortfall when there is a claim, it can fall to you and others in the same role to foot the bill at your own expense.

We know this isn't what you want to be thinking about right now, and we're sorry you're having to, but it is better to understand your risks now than further down the line.

Our founder, Rob, knows how you are feeling. After his mother died unexpectedly, he saw how confusing the probate insurance market was — limited products, slow processes, and very little clear guidance for executors who'd never done this before. He built Insuristic to fix that, and this page is part of that mission: a plain-English guide to insuring a property after a death, written for the people who actually have to do it.

You will find useful information on this page, but it is also worth taking the time to read the following articles, which will help you understand your liability and common mistakes made when arranging unoccupied probate property insurance:

• Executor Home Insurance guide to understand your legal responsibilities.
• The Risks of Extending Home Insurance in Probate
• What Is The Risk Of Building Underinsurance In Probate?
• Probate House Insurance - to learn more about our cover, get a quote or buy a policy.
• Building insurance during probate

If you have a question while reading, the chat icon at the bottom of the page will reach us, and we'll get back to you by email if we're offline.

Probate property insurance is specialist cover for a home that's become unoccupied because the owner has died, designed to protect the property and the personal representatives' liability while the estate is being administered. It differs from standard home insurance in three ways: it accepts that the property will be empty for an extended period, it's arranged in the name of the executors or administrators of the estate rather than the deceased, and it's written with the legal duties of personal representatives in mind.

For information on the cover, see our specialist probate property insurance — built by our founder, Rob, who designed it specifically for executors and administrators, with no cancellation fees and pro-rata refunds if you cancel claim-free.

When the owner of a home dies, the existing home insurance is rarely valid for long. Three things change at the moment of death, and each one affects whether the policy still protects the estate.

1. The named insured is no longer a legal entity. Home insurance is a contract between an insurer and a person. When that person dies, ownership of the property passes to their estate, and the personal representatives (the executors named in the will, or the administrators if there isn't one) become legally responsible for it. The deceased can no longer be the insured.
2. You have only seven days to notify the existing insurer. Most home insurance policies contain a "change of risk" condition requiring the insurer to be notified of any material change, usually within seven days. The death of the sole occupant qualifies, and missing the deadline can invalidate the cover for any claim that arises afterwards. Once notified, the insurer faces a choice: continue cover as is (rare), continue cover but offer restricted terms (possible), or decline to cover at all (common).
3. If the insurer continues to cover the property:
   1. They typically restrict it to FLEEA only (Fire, Lightning, Explosion, Earthquake and Aircraft). This excludes cover for the most common causes of loss in an empty home, such as escape of water (burst pipes), theft, malicious damage, and storm.
   2. Some insurers also impose strict conditions like seven-day inspections that are difficult for an executor to meet, particularly if they live some distance from the property.

The combination of these three changes is what makes a specialist policy necessary.

Continuing the deceased's existing cover, or extending it informally with the insurer, is one of the most common mistakes executors make and the one most likely to leave a personal liability shortfall when a claim arises.

The steps below are specific to executors and administrators dealing with a probate property:

1. Notify the existing insurer (usually required within seven days). The risk has changed, and most home insurance policies require the insurer to be notified within seven days. Failing to do so can invalidate the cover entirely, which leaves the estate exposed and the personal representatives personally liable for any uninsured loss.
2. Don't let cover lapse, even briefly. If the existing insurer chooses to cancel, or you decide to move to a specialist policy, make sure there's no gap in cover. Even a short uninsured period leaves the estate exposed to a major claim — fire or escape of water in particular — and the cost of an uninsured loss falls personally to the executors and administrators.
3. Check what the existing insurer's reduced cover actually offers. If the existing insurer continues cover, they will usually impose new conditions and may reduce what's covered. Common changes include the removal of cover for flood, theft, or escape of water, and conditions like draining the water system, maintaining heating, securing the property, or weekly inspections. You'll need to comply with every condition and keep evidence in case of a claim.
4. Arrange specialist probate property cover. Staying with the existing insurer can leave gaps and conditions that are hard to meet. A specialist provider, such as Insuristic, designs cover specifically for probate risk. Compare both before deciding.
5. Keep the property visibly occupied and maintained. Probate properties often need ongoing upkeep. Loose tiles, damaged fencing, or an overgrown garden can lead to claims being declined or cover being invalidated. Most policies require the property to be kept in a reasonable state of repair, and an inspection regime (whether you're using a specialist policy or the existing one with new conditions) is the practical mechanism for catching issues early.
6. Redirect the post to remove signs of vacanc. An overflowing letterbox is one of the clearest visual signals that a property is unoccupied, which increases the risk of vandalism, theft, and arson. Redirect post through Royal Mail, and if you're not local, ask a neighbour to clear stray mail between visits.

Probate property insurance is a niche market, and providers vary widely in how fairly and transparently they treat executors. Once you've understood why specialist cover is needed, the next job is choosing a provider you can trust to be there when it matters. The five red flags below are the most common signs of a provider you should think twice about.

1. Irrelevant questions about you personally. Some insurers ask the executor about their personal claims history, criminal record, or credit score. None of these are relevant to insuring an estate's property — they're standard home insurance questions, which means the provider is offering a generic policy and not one designed for probate. The risk is that the cover won't fit the situation, even if the price looks right.
2. No clear claims process. You should know exactly how to make a claim before you buy. If the policy documents only give you a phone number with no details on what happens next, be cautious. A specialist provider should have an in-house claims team, clear escalation, and out-of-hours support — because most claims on empty properties (burst pipes, break-ins, storm damage) need rapid action to limit the loss.
3. Hidden admin fees and high commissions. Some providers charge a policy fee in addition to the premium and take commissions of more than 20%. They might also charge admin fees if you need to change the policy, and also fees when you come to cancel, which is common in probate.  If a provider isn't transparent about all of these, it's worth asking before you buy.  Otherwise, you could end up paying a lot more than with a specialist like Insuristic, which has a maximum commission of 20%, declared in our terms of business, and we charge no admin fees on top. 
4. Unfair cancellation charges. Probate timelines are unpredictable — a property might sell in three months or take a year. Many insurers charge a cancellation fee or withhold commission if you cancel early, leaving the estate out of pocket. Insuristic doesn't. If you cancel claim-free, you receive a pro-rata refund of the unused premium with no fee.
5. Interest and commission on monthly payments. Monthly payment plans usually carry interest, and brokers often earn additional commission on the finance arrangement itself. Insuristic avoids this by offering short-term cover (3, 6, or 9 months) at no extra cost, with the option to renew if probate runs longer than expected. You only ever pay for the time you need, with no penalty for changing course.

Probate properties are often occupied by a relative who has been living there long-term, a beneficiary moving in early, a family member, a friend, or someone who was renting from the deceased. Standard probate property insurance is built for empty homes, so a different policy is usually needed.

The three things worth knowing at this stage:

• The executor or administrator must give explicit permission for anyone living there. Without it, insurers will normally refuse cover because the occupancy is unauthorised.
• Standard home insurance and standard landlord cover usually won't fit: the occupant has no legal interest in the property, and there's typically no formal tenancy agreement.
• The exception is a property that was already let before the owner's death. The existing landlord policy may continue to be appropriate; notify the insurer of the change but you may not need to switch cover.

For full details on how this type of cover works and how to arrange it, see our dedicated guide: Can you insure a property that's lived in during probate? Insuristic can arrange this offline once you've completed our online quote form.

Insuring an empty home during probate isn't just about protecting the property — it's about protecting yourself from the personal liability that comes with the role. Get a specialist policy designed for executors and administrators, with no cancellation fees and pro-rata refunds if you cancel claim-free. Get an online quote and buy in minutes.