Home insurance for unoccupied homes is essential if your property will be empty for longer than 30 or 60 days. Most home insurance policies contain a clause that states that a property will not be covered if it’s left empty or unoccupied for longer than a set period of time.
This kind of insurance is also known as:
- unoccupied home insurance
- empty property insurance
- empty home insurance
- vacant property insurance
Properties might be left unoccupied due to:
- extended holidays
- working overseas
- sale-related delays
- void periods between tenants
- awaiting probate
- second homes
- because the resident is in hospital or care
Is home insurance for unoccupied homes more expensive?
Unoccupied property insurance can sometimes be more expensive than standard cover because properties that don’t have someone living in them are considered a higher risk by insurers.
For example, if there was a water leak or break-in at an unoccupied property, it could be longer before the damage is noticed and repaired, potentially increasing the cost of any resulting claim.
For this reason, it will usually be a requirement of your unoccupied home insurance that the property is inspected regularly.
What does unoccupied home insurance cover?
Unoccupied home insurance normally covers:
- Storms, floods and weather damage
- Fire
- Escape of water or oil
- Theft or attempted theft
- Vandalism or malicious damage
- Legal expenses (for example, to remove squatters)
- Property owner liability
It might also cover the following for an extra cost:
- Damage due to fallen trees
- Fly tipping
- Broken windows
What won’t unoccupied home insurance cover?
Every insurance policy comes with ‘exclusions’. These are things are that are not covered by the policy.
Unoccupied home insurance exclusions normally include:
- Theft by unforced entry such as an unlocked door or open window
- Renovation or building work (this requires a different type of insurance)
- Damage caused by builders (they should have their own insurance)
- Claims by deception (for example, if you give a tradesperson a key and they rob you)
(MORE: How to buy insurance for unoccupied homes)
What are unoccupied building conditions?
Some insurers insist on certain rules to be stuck to for unoccupied home cover to be valid. These are called ‘unoccupied building conditions’, and are things like:
- draining down the water system
- switching off utilities
- weekly documented visits
- installing certain locks
- sealing up letterboxes
Failure to comply with these terms could lead to an insurance claim being turned down.
How to find the right insurance for an unoccupied home
If you already have home insurance, ask your provider for a quote for insuring your home while it is unoccupied. However, most standard policies will only cover you if the property is empty for less than 60 days. Some policies might require that someone checks on the property at regular intervals.
If the property will be empty for longer than 60 days, you’ll need a specialist policy for unoccupied homes. In order to get the right cover at the best price, you should shop around and compare quotes from different insurers.
Specialist unoccupied home insurance will normally cover a vacant property for three, six, nine or 12 months. If you need cover for more than a year you can extend your policy.
How much does it cost?
How much unoccupied home insurance costs depends on:
- Property type, condition and location
- Property value and rebuild cost
- Type of cover (buildings and contents, or just buildings or contents)
- Total value of contents
- Whether you want to insure laptops or bikes or any items worth more than £1,000
- How long the property will be empty for
- Security measures such as burglar alarms and smoke alarms
- Policy add-ons such as accidental damage and legal cover
- Whether the property is being marketed for sale
- The policy excess
Comparing unoccupied home insurance policies
Comparing unoccupied home insurance premium quotes is a bit trickier than comparing quotes for standard home insurance.
Although you can enter basic details online, the insurance company will usually need to speak to you to ask extra questions before it can generate a quote. This is because unoccupied home insurance is a ‘non-standard’ insurance risk.
The following companies specialise in insuring unoccupied properties.
Towergate offers flexible vacant property insurance policies, from as little as three months.
It offers three levels of cover: basic, standard and premium. Basic cover only covers fire, lightening, explosion and earthquake. Standard cover protects you against a lot more risks, while premium cover is the only option that includes escape of water damage.
Towergate can cover you during renovation works including decorating, extensions and alterations.
HomeProtect unoccupied home insurance is underwritten by AXA. Cover typically includes up to £500,000 for building repair or rebuild, and £50,000 legal cover for a range of circumstances.
Its policies cater for a wide range of situations including homes empty for sale, homes under probate, properties normally let, or properties undergoing renovation.
Adrian Flux is an insurance broker that can arrange insurance for any unoccupied home including listed buildings. It also sells portfolio insurance if you have more than one unoccupied property.
Adrian Flux offers a discount when you buy buildings and contents cover together and offers optional accidental damage cover. It offers cheaper cover if the property has specified alarms and security locks.
Guardcover offers cover for properties awaiting probate, sale or refurbishment for one, three, six, nine and 12 months.
In most cases, for standard construction properties that have been unoccupied for less than 12 months, and are under £500,000 in rebuild value, there shouldn’t be any stringent unoccupied building conditions. Policyholders can choose cover that excludes regular, documented property visits.
Endsleigh offers tailored cover from a panel of insurers. The cover provided will depend on your unique circumstances and can include up to £2m property owners’ liability cover.
Other optional cover is unoccupied legal cover to get up to £50,000 compensation for solicitors’ fees and court costs that result from legal action carried out to evict squatters or because of property damage, nuisance or trespass.
-
-
Octopus Energy relaunches energy tracker deal – we explain what you need to know and if it could save you money
If you’re an Octopus Energy customer, you may be able to save on your energy bills with the relaunch of its tracker deal. We look at how it works
-
Three energy firms pay £8m in switching compensation - has your provider paid out?
More than 100,000 customers have received compensation after changing providers, but is now a good time to switch energy suppliers?
-
Travel insurance: what to look for when buying travel cover this Easter
Buying travel insurance can seem like one more job on your holiday ‘to do’ list, but it’s important you don’t leave home without it. We explain what to look for when shopping around for the best deal
-
Missed flight cover: when can you claim if you miss your plane?
Bad weather, traffic jams, breaking down or not having a valid passport could all mean you can’t get as far as the airport – we look at whether your travel insurance will pay up
-
Six reasons your home insurance could be refused, cancelled or voided
Check your policy and read the small print to ensure your home insurance is not refused, cancelled or voided
-
Average price paid for home insurance ‘at lowest levels in at least a decade’
The average cost of home insurance in 2022 was £300 - how does your premium compare?
-
Revealed: the job titles that add £100s to car insurance - and the cheaper alternatives
Job titles that will see the biggest rise in car insurance costs in 2023 have been revealed - is your job title one of them? And how to find cheaper alternatives
-
How to avoid sneaky car insurance fees
Some motor insurers are increasing fees and charges for motorists. We reveal how to avoid them
-
How to get cheap car insurance: 10 ways to cut the cost
If you’re a driver, you can’t hide from paying for car insurance but knowing how to get cheap car insurance can cut the cost without compromising cover quality.
-
Amazon sells insurance: is comparing and buying an insurance policy through Amazon any good?
Amazon Insurance Store launches in the UK to sell home insurance
