If you are an executor or personal representative responsible for insuring empty property in probate, you will find all the information you need on this page.
If you prefer video, we have covered all of the content on this page in the following video.
On this page you will find a lot of useful information when Insuring a house in probate in the UK.
If you have questions you may find they are answered on this page.
If not, start a chat or contact us. You can click on any of the items in 'Contents' to jump to the section that interests you.
When you get a quote from Insuristic you can:
Arrange the insurance in the Executors names
Tailor the cover to suit your requirements
Buy cover for most types of houses
We have made it easy to get a quote but if you need help, our team are only an online chat away.
You can find out more about the cover you can buy, house inspection rules and guidance on our renovation acceptance criteria below.
Insuristic has developed a specialist Probate Property Insurance policy.
You can insure the house in the name of the estate, on a short-term or annual basis. Insuristic can provide probate house insurance cover for 3, 6, 9 or 12 months.
You can insure a range of probate property types including houses, bungalows, flats and converted barns.
You can choose to insure just the buildings or extend the cover to include contents.
Probate house insurance is different to normal house insurance in the following areas:
The house needs to be insured in the name of the Estate, for example, 'The Executors of John Doe".
Your insurance company will need someone to inspect the house. If you insure with Insuristic this will be every 30 days (more on that below).
The contents cover isn’t designed for high-value theft attractive items like works of art, jewellery or collections. These types of contents should be removed from the house and stored securely.
The probate house insurance cover ends when the estate has been distributed. At this point, the house will need to be insured on another policy, which could be:
On another unoccupied property policy, if the house is still going to be empty. Insuristic can help with this and you can find out more about this cover on our unoccupied home insurance page.
If the house is going to be occupied by the beneficiary, they can take out a standard home insurance policy. If this is the case we can provide a quotation.
If the house is being let out to tenants, then a Landlord's policy can be purchased.
Sometimes houses can remain occupied during probate.
Maybe there is a dependent still living in the property or a beneficiary or family member has moved in.
When this happens we can still help but our broking team at SJL Insurance will recommend a different product.
You will still be able to arrange the probate home insurance in the name of the Executors of the Estate but the product will be more suitable for an occupied home.
Probate property insurance exists because many insurance providers won't insure a property that is going to be left empty for more than 30 days. The property will also need to be insured in the name of the estate rather than the deceased. Something that is not always easy to do online.
You will find our insurance useful if the existing insurer declines to continue cover on the house now that it is going to be unoccupied; or imposes additional terms that are hard to comply with.
The existing insurer may do this because empty properties have a higher risk of damage from issues such as an escape of water, break-ins, or vandalism.
As an executor or administrator of the estate, you have a responsibility to insure the house correctly. If there is a claim that isn’t paid out because the insurance wasn’t on the right basis, you may incur a liability from the beneficiaries. They may ask the executors to reimburse the estate for any losses.
Executors should therefore promptly consider insurance if the owner has sadly passed away leaving the property empty.
This may seem daunting considering how much you need to do. But don't worry Insuristic makes this easy. Our insurance policy is designed for this and you can buy a policy securely online in a couple of minutes.
You will receive your quote and policy documents via email. We are environmentally friendly, so we never send anything in the post.
Level 1 is our basic level of cover. It only covers loss or damage to the buildings (or contents if you have chosen to insure that) caused by:
Fire
Lightening
Explosion
Earthquake; or
Aircraft
This cover is often referred to as FLEEA cover.
In addition, level 1 also includes:
Architects & surveyors fees and debris removal
Property owners liability insurance, covering your legal liabilities up to £2,000,000 should a member of the public be injured or have their property damaged at your premises.
There will be exclusions which can be found in your Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) or policy wording.
Extends the cover provided by Bronze to also include:
Subsidence, flood, vandalism, escape of water and theft
£3,500 cover for claims caused by malicious damage, escape of water (if system is not drained and property is maintained at 15°C) or theft.
Full escape of water cover if the system is drained down.
Gold is our highest level of cover.
It extends the cover included in Silver, removing the £3,500 claims cap on malicious damage, escape of water or theft claims.
Please note:
The maximum amount payable for claims is the sums insured listed on your policy schedule.
If water systems cannot be drained, the maximum claims payment following an escape of water is £5,000.
If you need to make a claim on your probate home insurance policy you can relax. Insuristic customers benefit from the in-house claims team provided by SJL Insurance.
You can make a probate home insurance claim online or over the phone via our property claims page.
When you are arranging probate home insurance, you need to be careful not to underinsure the property.
If the building rebuild cost is incorrect, you could be in for a shock when it comes to a claim.
This is because some home insurers could refuse to pay a claim if the property is significantly underinsured. But most likely, they will reduce the claim by the amount of underinsurance.
The beneficiaries may look to the executors to refund any shortfall. The cost could be significant.
If you want to find out more, check out Insuristic's article for Today's Wills and Probate Magazine: The risk of building underinsurance for executors.
How Insuristic helps you avoid building underinsurance:
If the property has 4 bedrooms or less and a rebuild value below £750,000, you can request a quote without providing a rebuild value.
The policy you buy then has £750,000 building sums insured as standard, meaning you don’t need to worry about underinsurance, providing you are confident your property rebuild valuation is below this figure. If you are unsure whether it is or not, we would recommend completing a rebuild cost assessment to be on the safe side.
If the property is likely to exceed a £750,000 rebuild valuation, you can speak to our underwriting team directly at SJL Insurance. They will be able to provide advice, tell you how to get a valuation and then provide insurance based on a true rebuild cost.
Alternatively, you could arrange a rebuild valuation yourself. BCH are a specialist in building insurance valuations and has offered a discounted price for Insuristic customers. You can arrange a building rebuild valuation for £100+ VAT from the BCH website.
When Many insurers will need you to inspect the property every 7 days.
This might not be practical for you.
Insuristic’s product is far more flexible on inspection rules:
The unoccupied properties we insure during probate only need to be inspected every 30 days.
The inspection can be done by anyone instructed to do so by the Executors
We also make it easy to evidence the house inspection. We do not require written house inspection reports.
Instead, the person inspecting the house only needs to take two images with their mobile phone (one of the front of the house and one inside). The time and date is stored in the image, making it easy to evidence inspections in the event of a claim.
When you are arranging unoccupied house insurance during probate, you need to consider the likelihood of Escape of Water claims.
Escape of water is the most common cause of insurance claims in unoccupied houses. The damage caused can be significant and can take a long time to repair. If this happens when you need to distribute the estate it can disrupt plans to inhabit, sell or let the property.
It is advisable to drain down the water systems to prevent an incident.
If you don't drain down the system, you will need to keep the heating on during the winter. Between the 1st October and 31st March, the heating must be continuously set to 15 degrees or more.
If this is done, we can still provide some escape of water cover:
£3,500 if you buy Silver cover;
£5,000 if you buy gold.
If you drain down the water systems, the cover provided is up to the building sums insured shown in your policy schedule.
When you are arranging probate property insurance don't forget to tell insurers if you are planning renovations. Many insurers will require you to tell them about any renovations (other than painting and decorating) that are being made to the house.
Insuristic makes this process easier.
You should always review your policy documents to ensure you understand the cover you are buying and the policy conditions that you need to comply with.
Here are some examples of insurance and risk management considerations for purchasers of empty house insurance during probate.
Your insurers will expect you to keep the house in a reasonable state of repair. This will help you preserve the value of the house and help prevent any claims or issues.
If you fail to keep the house in a reasonable state of repair, it could result in some claims being declined. For example, if there is storm damage to a roof that has missing tiles.
Your insurer will provide cover for contents but the maximum they will pay out for an individual item is £1,000.
You should remove all valuables, collections, art and jewellery from the house. These items are theft attractive and should be secured away from the empty house.
Your policy will need you to secure the house against unauthorised entry.
Your policy may contain a minimum security condition if:
The value of the building is high; or
If you purchase more than £10,000 contents cover.
If your policy schedule contains a minimum security condition, it will be:
External Doors will need either:
a 5 Lever Mortice Deadlocks (conforming to British Standard 3621); or
if a composite or UPVC type door, a multi-locking point system.
Patio Doors: will need:
a central locking device
key operated bolts to top or;
a multi-locking point system.
Windows: need key-operated security locks. These need to be on all ground floor and other accessible windows.
If you fail to keep the house secure, it could mean claims following illegal entry are declined.
To prevent damage caused by an escape of water it is advisable to drain down your water systems. This should be at the point of entry to the house, usually from an internal stop cock.
If you don't do this and there is a claim, the level of cover provided could be reduced. For more information, please check your policy schedule.
Burst pipe claims can be expensive to put right. Because of this your insurer will:
Recommend you drain down your water systems.
Require you to leave the heating on during the winter months (if water systems can't be drained).
Failure to adhere to these conditions could result in your cover for escape of water claims being excluded or reduced.
Your policy will include a condition about turning off services at the mains. The exception is when electricity is needed to maintain an intruder or fire alarm.
Failing to do so could mean a claim related to the services at the house is declined.
Your insurance won't cover damage due to the activity of any contractors.
You should therefore check your contractors hold a valid public liability insurance policy. If they damage your house, you could claim against their insurance to receive the money to rectify any damage or loss. It also provides protection if they injure someone in your house that doesn’t work for them.
You should check their public liability insurance policy schedule to ensure:
The business activities listed match the work they are doing for you,
The expiry of the policy is in the future,
That the level of cover they have purchased for the work they are doing is adequate.
It is advisable to redirect all mail and newspapers. You should also remove any post on each house inspection. This helps the house appear as though it is occupied, reducing the threat of illegal entry. It also reduces the risk of fire from a build-up of combustible materials.
Your insurance policy will also require you to prevent a build-up of post.
A messy garden can help thieves identify an unoccupied house. Keeping the garden and lawns tidy can make the house look lived in. So will clearing snow from paths during the winter months.
If you need to make a claim on empty house insurance during probate, don’t worry. The team at SJL Insurance Services are only a phone call away.
Between the hours of 9am and 5pm call 01905 27775. Outside of these hours call 0121 411 0535.
Check out our short guide on what is involved in making a claim.
The Insuristic Probate House Insurance scheme is underwritten by certain underwriters at Lloyd’s and administered by SJL Insurance Services.
Lloyds is the world's leading insurance marketplace, with an insurance premium income in excess of £35 billion.
SJL Insurance Services are a leading UK Insurance broker with offices in Worcester, London and Bristol (Insuristic.co.uk is a trading style of SJL).
If you want to see at a glance what is or isn't covered, please view the IPID (Insurance Product Information Document) for your preferred cover level.
If you are acting as an Executor or Administrator of an Estate, there is a lot to consider. We've already mentioned on this page that arranging property insurance is your responsibility.
But there are other insurance policies that you need to consider. Check out our guide to executor insurance, which may be useful to you. It explains the types of insurance that should be considered at each stage during probate.
Alternatively, here is a brief overview of the other insurance policies that should be considered:
Land Insurance: If a deceased person owned land in their name that wasn't included in the property deeds for their home you should consider arranging land insurance. A landowner has a duty of care to prevent injury to anyone on their land. This liability would pass to the estate during probate. As such, the executors should insure the Estate against the risk of third-party claims from people who were injured or had their property damaged in its care.
There are a range of policies that can protect the executors and beneficiaries against claims from third parties relating to how the estate was distributed:
Section 27 Insurance – provides insurance protection against claims from unknown creditors after the estate has been distributed. Cover can be purchased with or without a Section 27 Notice.
Early Distribution Insurance – protection if the estate needs to be distributed without waiting for the 6-month waiting period to end;
Missing Will Insurance – covers the risks associated with a newer will being discovered after the estate has been distributed
Missing Beneficiary Insurance – covers the risk of either a known or unknown missing beneficiary coming forward to make a claim against the estate after it has been distributed.
If you cancel the unoccupied policy, the insurer will provide a pro rata refund.
Unlike most brokers we would organise a pro-rata refund and cancellation for you without charging any admin fee. To cancel, you would just need to provide the info on our contact us form, including a reason for cancellation and we will do the rest
It is difficult to predict how long to buy a probate house insurance policy for. It really depends on what stage the probate process is in.
Typically probate property insurance is arranged for at least 6 months. But if you are early in the probate process, you may wish to insure for longer.
If you get a quote from Insuristic, you can choose insure for 3, 6, 9 or 12 months.
The good news is, if you buy a policy from us for say 12 months and only end up needing the insurance for 6 months, you would receive a refund for the time on cover you haven't used. You also wouldn't get charged a cancellation fee.
If probate has been finalised and the property has been inherited, the beneficiary can arrange insurance on a different insurance policy.
Insuristic has developed an unoccupied home insurance product for properties empty for a reason other than probate. The cover will differ as will some of the policy conditions, for example the inspection period would be every 14 days, instead of the 30 days on our probate house insurance policy.
Check out our unoccupied home insurance page for more information.
You can include contents insurance cover in your policy. However, as contents in unoccupied property are theft attractive, the maximum we will pay per lost or damaged item is £1,000.
If there are any valuable items such as art or jewellery, you should remove them from the property.
Our probate property insurance policy cover ends when the property has been inherited. If the property is still empty after probate, we can help you arrange another unoccupied property insurance policy. This won't be the exactly the same cover as our probate policy, but it is still a specialist insurance. You can find out more here.
If the property is occupied after Probate, the beneficiaries can arrange suitable insurance. Either home insurance if they are living in the property, or let property insurance if tenants are moving in. Contact us to arrange a quotation.
This is understandable if you have never been to the property.
You should be able to see the wall construction by visiting Instant Street view.
You can view the roof in Google Maps in Satellite View.
This will usually be found on the deeds of the document.
If you do not have these, you can usually find an estimated build year on the property checker website
Typically, the executor or administrator of the estate is responsible for paying the debts and expenses of the estate, such as buying an insurance policy. The cost can be reclaimed against the estate during its distribution.
If there aren’t the funds in the estate to pay for the insurance protection upfront, you and the beneficiaries don’t need to worry.
Insuristic customers can fund the cost of any of our Probate Insurance Policies with our partner, FSL Finance.
The loan is simple to arrange, with 90% of applications being accepted immediately.
There are no arrangement fees or early repayment charges.
Once a loan is approved, the money is paid to Insuristic to finance your insurance policies. You will then need to pay FSL Finance a monthly amount until the loan is repaid.
If you need cover before the loan is repaid, we can help you. Instructions of what to do in this scenario will be provided in your quotation.
You can find out more or to start on application on our Probate Loans page.
Hi, I'm Rob, CEO and Founder of Insuristic. My mission is to make insurance easier to understand and buy online.
I hold an Advanced Diploma in Insurance (ACII) which demonstrates I have a solid technical understanding of Insurance and have committed to continuous professional development. I am also a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute and hold the a Chartered Insurance Broker status.
Over the last 27 years, I have worked for insurers, insurance brokers and insurance technology businesses, specialising in product, sales and marketing.
You can find out more about me on my author page.
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Insuristic Limited (No: 13926650), is an Appointed Representative of SJL (Worcester) Ltd, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with the reference number 763599. This can be checked by visiting https://register.fca.org.uk/s/. Insuristic is a registered trademark. ©Copyright 2023 Insuristic Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Please Note: Our broking team at SJL Insurance will need to talk to you to discuss your requirements. This is an advised service.
Please Note: Our broking team at SJL Insurance will need to talk to you to discuss your requirements. This is an advised service.
Please Note: Our broking team at SJL Insurance will need to talk to you to discuss your requirements. This is an advised service.
Please Note: Our broking team at SJL Insurance will need to talk to you to discuss your requirements. This is an advised service.
Please Note: Our broking team at SJL Insurance will need to talk to you to discuss your requirements. This is an advised service.
Please Note: Our broking team at SJL Insurance will need to talk to you to discuss your requirements. This is an advised service.
Please Note: Our broking team at SJL Insurance will need to talk to you to discuss your requirements. This is an advised service.