Whether your home is empty because you’re waiting to sell it or because it’s your second home, it can be confusing knowing when you need to insure an empty home.
To help you avoid leaving your home unprotected, we've put together this handy guide to tell you everything you need to know about unoccupied house insurance.
What is unoccupied home insurance?
Unoccupied home insurance is cover for your home when it has no one living in it.
Your regular home insurance may cover you up to a certain time – for instance, your insurer might protect your house if it’s empty for up to 60 days.
If it’s going to be unoccupied for a very long period, you might need to find specialist unoccupied home insurance.
What does unoccupied home insurance cover?
Whether it’s part of your standard home insurance policy or you’ve chosen specialist unoccupied property insurance, it should cover things like:
- fire and smoke damage
- burst pipes
- damage caused by extreme weather - floods and storms
- vandalism and squatters
- theft
This means you have a way to keep your home protected, even if it’s empty.
If you’re insured with us, check your policy book for a full list of what’s covered.
What’s not covered by unoccupied home insurance?
There are a few general things your unoccupied home insurance won’t cover:
- Malicious damage or theft if your home was left unlocked – it's really important you lock all windows and doors before going away.
- Damage caused by poor maintenance – you need to keep your house in a good state all year round, even if you’re not living there. Read our home maintenance checklist.
- If you go over your time limit – if your agreed limit is 60 days and your home is left unoccupied for longer than that, you won’t be able to make any claim after that.
If you’re insured with us, check your policy book for a full list of what’s not covered.
When do I need unoccupied home insurance?
You might need unoccupied home insurance for lots of different reasons, including things like:
- you’re going to work abroad for a few months
- you’ve moved into a new home but haven’t sold the last one yet
- it's a holiday home you only use for some of the year
How much is unoccupied home insurance?
If your home is going to be unoccupied for a period that’s agreed with your insurer, then the cost of your home insurance will be decided by a few rating factors, including:
- the type of property
- if you’ve had any previous claims
- the area you live in
- the size of your house
If you need to have specific unoccupied home insurance as it’s going to be unoccupied for a much longer period, it can be slightly more expensive.
This is because an empty house could attract unwanted attention from vandals or squatters, and damage may not be caught and dealt with as early.
When people are living in the house, it’s much safer and less of a risk to insurers as there’s someone to limit damage from accidents and deter vandals.
Why do I need to tell my insurance provider if my home is unoccupied?
It’s important you let your insurer know if your home is going to be unoccupied for longer than your agreed time limit because you could risk invalidating your insurance.
For example, if you needed to make a claim, we may not be able to accept it if your home’s been empty for more than your agreed time limit. That means you could be left out of pocket.
How long can a house be unoccupied for?
This is different from insurer to insurer.
With us, our standard limit for how long you can leave your home empty for is 60 days. If you get in touch with us, we may be able to increase this limit.
Read more about our home insurance here.
How to keep your home safe
It’s important you keep your home safe and secure, especially if you’re not going to be living in it for a while.
- Make sure your home has good quality locks fitted.
- If you know the neighbours, let them know the home will be empty so they'll keep an eye on anything suspicious.
- Keep curtains and blinds open as closed blinds will draw more attention during the day.
- Invest in a good burglar alarm – read our guide on home security and alarms.
- Get motion sensor lights for your garden.
Unoccupied home insurance for landlords
If you’re a landlord, your rented home might be unoccupied for short periods in between tenants.
Make sure you know your unoccupancy limit and if it’s going to be empty for longer than that, speak to your insurer right away.
Read our guide on unoccupied landlord insurance.
