What is Unoccupied Home Insurance and Why Do You Need It?

Video Script: What is Unoccupied Home Insurance and Why Do You Need It?

**video coming soon**

If you’re searching for insurance for a property that’s going to be unoccupied for a month or more, you may have heard the term unoccupied home insurance — sometimes also called empty house insurance. But what is it, and why do you need it?

In short, it is a specialist policy that protects a home when it’s unoccupied for more than 30 days. Many standard home insurance policies will restrict or cease to offer cover after this point, which means the property could be left unprotected.

Which is even more likely if you are carrying out renovations at the property, meaning you may need to take out a new and specialist unoccupied home insurance policy, like that offered by Insuristic.

Why is this important?

Empty homes carry higher risks than lived-in ones. Problems that would normally be spotted quickly can go unnoticed for weeks. Some of the most common issues include:

• Break-ins, theft or vandalism
• Escape of water
• storm damage and fire damage

Which is why your insurance provider will require the property to be regularly inspected.  If you are an Insuristic customer, our unoccupied home inspections are once every 14 days, or every 30 days if the property is in probate.

Without the right insurance, you or your family could be left with the financial burden of repairs.

When might you need it?

There are several common situations where empty house insurance becomes essential:

During Probate

a property needs to be insured from the point it became empty until it is sold, inherited or occupied again.  Insuristic has developed a specialist product to protect executors in this scenario. Head over to our Probate House Insurance page for more information.  The link will also be below this video.

If the property is up for sale

If you’ve moved out but the house is still on the market, you can arrange unoccupied home insurance until completion.  We have written a guide about insuring an empty house for sale, again the link is on this page.

When renovating a property

It’s common for people to move out whilst renovations are being undertaken to avoid the noise or dust.  Or perhaps you have just bought the property or it is between tenants and its time to modernise it.  Insuristic can quote online where the works are not structural and the project is less than £50,000.  For larger projects or those that involve structural changes we can provide a quote over the phone once you have submitted your quote details.  We have written a guide to Empty Home Renovation Insurance; again, the link is on this page.

When the Owner moves into Care

When someone moves into care, leaving the property empty, you might be legally responsible for insuring it as an attorney, or, where there is no power of attorney, as a deputy appointed by the court of protection.  If you fail to insure the property correctly, you could be liable for any uninsured losses.  For more information you might want to read our guide to Insuring an Empty Home When the Owner Is in Care.  Again the link is below.

Landlord between tenants

Maybe you are a landlord between tenants? In that scenario, you could arrange short-term insurance until you find a new tenant.  With no cancellation fees and pro-rata refunds if there isn’t a claim, this could be a more cost-effective option for you.  We have written an Unoccupied Property Insurance for Landlords guide; again, the link is on this page.

Lastly, you might be away on business or are lucky enough to be travelling for longer than 30 days. 

In any of these scenarios, arranging unoccupied home insurance could be the best option.

Why do you need it?

Having the right cover means you won’t be caught out if something happens while the house is empty. It gives you the peace of mind that the property is properly protected.

We have tried to answer every question someone would have about insuring an empty house, or when arranging unoccupied home insurance on our website. You can visit our Unoccupied Home Insurance FAQ page or our Empty House Insurance FAQ page for more information. Again, links on this page.

You can get a quote today in less time than it takes to make a cuppa on our unoccupied home insurance page, follow the link below.

Thanks for your time, and have a great day.