Unoccupied Landlord Insurance

Specialist cover for empty let properties between tenants, during renovation or void periods.

Understanding Unoccupied Landlord Insurance

There isn't a policy called Unoccupied Landlord Insurance; it is, essentially, an Unoccupied Home Insurance policy used to cover an empty let property.

If you have an existing landlord insurance policy, check your schedule before assuming you're covered while the property is empty. Some policies allow 30 consecutive days, some allow 60, and for student-lets, you might be fine for the duration of the 6-week summer holiday. It depends on who you've insured with.

If you need to insure outside your existing landlord market, be careful with what's on offer. Cover is often basic — fire, lightning, earthquake, explosion and aircraft only, known as FLEEA insurance. 

Your existing landlord insurer may also revert to FLEEA cover once the property is empty.

That might not be enough cover for you.

Insuristic gives you the option to add cover for common claims like burst pipes, theft, and vandalism, as well as for less frequent but larger claims like flood or subsidence. Pick the cover that matches the property and how long it'll be empty.

Why Insuristic is Designed for Empty Let Property Insurance 

When you have an empty property that is between tenants, or in the void period, as it's often called, we know how uncertain this period is for you.  You might be able to quickly find a tenant, or it could take months.

Most insurance brokers don't help in this regard.  When you do have a tenant again and need to cancel, you will usually be charged a cancellation fee of between £30 and £60, which eats into any return premium.  You may not even get a refund of what's left if you are still within the provider's minimum term. For example, if you cancel within the first 3 months, you might not receive a refund.

We've never thought it was fair to penalise landlords in this way.  So we don't charge cancellation fees (or any fee for that matter), and if you haven't claimed, you will get a pro-rata refund, which will be returned to the card you originally paid with.

Our minimum term is 3 months, but if you haven't claimed, you only pay for the cover you use. For example, if the property was occupied again in 2 months, you would receive 1 month back.

We've made it easy for landlords, so why not get a quote? It only takes a couple of minutes, and our cover options are clearly explained in the quote journey.

Buildings Only Cover vs Buildings and Contents

Contents cover isn't compulsory, so if you don't want to insure the contents, you can just buy a buildings policy.

If you do wish to insure contents, we can quote up to £30,000 online without referral.  Higher limits are available on referral. Just complete the quote, and our underwriters will call you to discuss your requirements.

The single article limit is an important consideration when insuring contents.  The policy has a £1,000 Single Article Limit, which is fairly standard across the market when insuring empty property. If you have high-value items, such as a TV or other entertainment equipment, or free-standing white goods, you may wish to put them into safe storage. 

The average premium for a 3-month unoccupied landlord insurance policy depends on the level of cover you choose. The table below shows the average price our landlord customers paid over the past 12 months.

Figures shown before Insurance Premium Tax, taken from all policies sold for the unoccupied landlord scenario by Insuristic in the 12 months to April 2026.

Your actual premium depends on the property's location and the sums insured for buildings and contents.  If you don't know the building's sum insured, the price will be based on the number of bedrooms (we can quote for 4 bedrooms or fewer; otherwise, you will need to provide the building's sum insured). 

The cheapest Bronze policies over the last 12 months started at £35; the cheapest Silver at £49; the cheapest Gold at £77.

The only way to find out what your property would cost to insure is to get a quote — it takes under two minutes.

Insuristic offers three levels of cover — Bronze, Silver and Gold — and the choice is the same whether you buy for 3 months or 12.  Each is explained to you during the quote process.

For the full breakdown of what each level covers, see Unoccupied Home Insurance — cover levels.

The cover comes with conditions every landlord needs to follow:

• 14-day inspections: Visit the property every 14 days while it’s empty. Anyone with key access can carry out the inspection. The evidence is simple: one photo of the front of the property and one inside, which the underwriter only needs to see if you make a claim. For full details, see Do I need to inspect an empty house?
• Minimum security: Locks on all external doors and accessible windows must be in working order and engaged whenever the property is unattended. If a previous tenant left a known issue (broken window, faulty lock), fix it before the void period begins. See What is Insuristic’s minimum security requirement?
• Water systems: If you have Gold cover and the void runs between the 1st October and 31st of March, either drain the water system fully or keep the heating set to a constant 15°C with the loft hatch open. This protects against burst pipes.  Our Gold cover includes escape of water up to £3,500 per incident.
• Switch off utilities: When the property is empty, the electricity and gas must be turned off, except for the heating or security systems.
• Remove the post and waste on every visit: This is a condition of the policy, as a build-up of post is a clear sign that the property is empty.  It is also a fire risk.  
• Declare planned works: If you haven't declared this during the quotation stage, you must tell us at least 7 days before any work starts.

Insuristic is the broker.  We handle any administration queries such as requests to cancel, change your policy, renewals etc.

Our policy is underwritten by SJL (Worcester) Ltd, trading as SJL Insurance Services, on behalf of Lloyd’s Syndicate 4444, which is managed by Canopius Managing Agents Limited.

Canopius Managing Agents Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register number 20484).

Lloyd's of London  is the world's largest specialist insurance market, with a Standard & Poor's financial strength rating of A+. Cover backed by Lloyd's syndicates is among the most financially secure in the UK insurance market — meaning when a claim is needed, the funds to pay it are there.

If you need to claim on your unoccupied landlord insurance policy, our dedicated UK claims team at SJL Insurance Services is a phone call away.

• Office hours: Call 01905 27775, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
• Outside office hours: Call 0121 411 0535, available 365 days a year.

What you can expect from our claims service:

• No claims call centres
• A dedicated UK-based claims manager assigned to you
• Claims support during office hours
• Out-of-office-hours support 365 days a year
• Direct advice from our claims team when you need it

For the full claims process, see our guide on making a property claim.