If the property remains in the executor's care until it has been sold, you should consider a Probate Property Insurance policy from Insuristic. If the property has been transferred to the beneficiaries and it's still empty, they can take out an Unoccupied Home Insurance policy.
If you have the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration, and property hasn’t been transferred to a beneficiary because you plan to sell it or let it out, then you should buy or continue to use a specialist Probate Property Insurance policy, like what is offered by Insuristic.
If the property has been distributed and the deeds have been transferred to a beneficiary, it is deemed no longer to be in the care of the executors or administrators. If the property is still empty, the beneficiary can arrange an Unoccupied Home Insurance Policy.
But what if the property hasn’t been inherited, and it's still in your care? Let me explain why a Probate Property Insurance policy is still your best option. If you are the executor and have just received the Grant of Probate, or the Administrator with the Letters of Administration, it doesn’t mean Probate is over.
The Grant or Letters of Administration just give you the legal authority to deal with the estate's assets.
Until the property is officially sold, transferred to a beneficiary, or a new tenant moves in, the legal liability for that building stays with the estate. As the executor or administrator, you are still responsible for maintaining and insuring the property.
Moving to a standard home insurance policy can create liabilities for the executors, because these policies aren’t developed to protect you, as cover is often stripped back to basic cover, leaving you exposed to gaps in cover and underinsurance. In the event of a claim that isn’t covered, it could leave you and the other people responsible for the estate to foot the bill for the cost of repair and putting the property back to how it was.
If you have a Probate Property Insurance policy from Insuristic, it is designed to give you the flexibility to protect the property and your liability.
If you sell the property or it becomes occupied again earlier than expected, provided you haven’t claimed, you can cancel the policy and get a pro-rata refund for the unused cover.
You can find out more about the cover on our Probate Property Insurance page.
If you are concerned about your liability, read our guides:
If you are preparing to distribute the estate, these pages will help you:
Rob Faulkner is an ACII Chartered Insurance Broker with nearly 30 years' experience in the UK insurance market. He is also a Chartered Manager and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
As the founder of Insuristic, Rob has developed clear, flexible insurance solutions for property owners and people managing empty homes.
He writes regularly on property and business insurance, with a particular focus on probate insurance, unoccupied home insurance and risk management, areas where he brings deep expertise.
Rob is especially passionate about product development and insurance education, helping people understand what they are buying. These values shape everything we do at Insuristic.
Want to learn more? Visit my author page or follow me on LinkedIn.
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