Unoccupied home insurance: why standard cover stops

Standard home insurance is written for a home someone lives in. Leave the property empty beyond the period allowed in the policy, commonly measured in consecutive days and set out in the wording, and much of the cover quietly narrows or stops: typically the theft, escape of water, malicious damage and vandalism perils go first. A house empty for months because of probate, renovation, a move abroad or a sale that is dragging needs unoccupied property insurance, which is a different product with its own conditions.

The trap is that nothing tells you. Premiums keep collecting, documents keep renewing, and the gap only appears when a claim is declined because the property had been empty longer than the policy allowed.

What counts as unoccupied

Policies define it, and the definitions differ: some count consecutive nights nobody slept there, some look at whether the home remains furnished, some at whether anyone is habitually resident. The number of days allowed before cover restricts is stated in the policy wording, and it is the wording that decides, not what feels reasonable. If you are near the limit, the only safe move is to tell the insurer.

The situations that cause it

Probate is the big one: a house cannot be sold until the estate is settled, and that routinely takes months. Renovation projects where the family moves out. A move into care. Working abroad. A sale or a chain that collapses. Landlords between tenants. Every one of these is ordinary life, and every one of them takes the property outside what a standard policy is designed for.

What unoccupied property insurance looks like

Cover is normally written for a fixed term rather than a rolling year, and the perils covered can be chosen: some owners insure the full range, others buy a reduced set while the property is empty. Expect conditions with teeth: regular inspections at a stated frequency, keeping the heating on or draining the water system in winter, securing the property, and clearing post. The conditions are not decoration, they are the price of the cover, and an inspection log is cheap evidence to keep.

Tell the insurer, do not hope

The consumer’s legal duty is to take reasonable care not to misrepresent the position to the insurer, and occupancy is a fact insurers ask about at every renewal. Renewing a standard policy while the house sits empty, without saying so, is how people end up uninsured precisely when the risk is highest: empty homes suffer more theft, more undetected water damage and more vandalism than lived-in ones, which is the whole reason the market treats them separately.

Common questions

How long can I leave my house empty on normal home insurance?

As long as your specific policy wording allows and no longer. The limit is stated in the policy, is measured in consecutive days, and varies between insurers, which is why the wording has to be checked rather than assumed.

What happens if I claim while the house was empty beyond the limit?

The perils most likely to be involved in an empty-property claim are usually the ones the policy restricts once the property is unoccupied, so the claim is likely to fail in whole or part. The occupancy answer given at inception or renewal will also be examined.

Does unoccupied insurance cover a house during probate?

Probate is one of the standard situations unoccupied property insurance exists for, and cover can usually be arranged in the name of the executors or the estate.

What conditions should I expect?

Regular inspections at the frequency the policy states, winter precautions such as maintaining heating or draining the system, security requirements, and often a reduced set of perils. Breaching a condition can void the part of the cover it protects.

Can a broker place this cover?

Yes, and it is one of the areas where broking earns its fee: unoccupied risks are placed with specialist insurers, terms vary widely, and matching the conditions to what the owner can actually comply with is most of the job.

Who needs unoccupied home insurance

You need it whenever a home will be empty for longer than your current policy allows. These are the cases we see most often.

• Executors. A parent dies and their house in Kent sits empty while probate is granted and a buyer is found. The deceased’s own policy may not continue on the same terms, so the executors need cover in their names or the estate’s.
• A move into care. The family keeps the house while deciding whether to sell, and nobody sleeps there.
• Major renovation. The kitchen and bathroom are stripped out and the owners stay with relatives for three months. Builders on site do not count as occupation under most wordings.
• Work abroad. An owner takes a nine month contract overseas and does not want to let the house.
• A broken chain. You have bought your next home but the sale of the old one has fallen through.
• Landlords between tenants. A void period that runs past the limit in a landlord policy needs the same attention.

Full cover or restricted cover

Unoccupied policies are usually sold at one of two levels. The difference is which risks are covered while nobody is living there.

Level	What it usually includes	Who it tends to suit
Restricted perils	Fire, lightning, explosion and aircraft. Some versions add storm, flood or impact.	Properties in poor condition, those empty for long periods, or where inspections are hard to arrange.
Wider cover	Adds risks such as escape of water, theft and malicious damage, subject to conditions.	Well maintained homes with regular inspections and good security.

The wider the cover, the stricter the conditions tend to be. Choose a level you can comply with, because a breached condition can defeat the claim it relates to.

What unoccupied cover typically does not include

• Theft without forced entry. Many wordings only pay where entry was forced and there is visible damage.
• Escape of water or frost damage where the heating or draining condition was not met.
• Gradual damage and wear and tear, including damp and rot that developed slowly while nobody was there to notice.
• Damage already present when the policy started.
• Contractors’ work. Damage caused by builders is usually a matter for the contractor’s own liability insurance.
• Low value or uninsured contents. Some policies cover buildings only, so check whether furniture left behind is included.

What affects the premium

We cannot quote a typical price, because it depends heavily on the property. Insurers usually look at these points.

• How long the home will be empty and why.
• Its location, construction, age and condition.
• Security: locks, alarms, whether the windows are boarded and whether post is cleared.
• Whether the water is drained down or the heating left on.
• How often someone will inspect, and whether a log is kept.
• The level of cover chosen and the rebuild sum insured.
• Previous claims, and any flood or subsidence history. A home with a history may need a specialist market, as our guide to subsidence and buildings insurance explains.

On flood, an empty home is not automatically shut out of the Flood Re scheme. Flood Re’s occupancy test can be met where the property is unoccupied, provided its other criteria are met. See Flood Re explained.

Council tax on an empty home in England

Insurance is not the only cost that changes. Under GOV.UK guidance for England:

• You usually still pay council tax on an empty home, though your council may give a discount.
• Councils can add an empty homes premium once a home has been empty for at least a year, rising up to four times the normal bill for homes empty ten years or more.
• No council tax is payable on a deceased person’s empty home until probate is granted. After that, an exemption may apply for up to six more months if it stays empty and in the deceased’s name.
• The premium may not apply for up to 12 months after probate is granted, or while the home is marketed for sale or let, or undergoing major repairs.

The rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so check with the council for the property.

How a claim on an empty home works

1. Make the property safe. Turn off the water at the stopcock, secure any broken door or window and call the police if there has been a break in. Get a crime reference number.
2. Notify the insurer or broker straight away. Delay on an empty property can make damage worse and give the insurer grounds to question the claim.
3. Produce your inspection log. Dates, who visited, and what they checked. This is usually the first thing an adjuster asks for.
4. Show compliance with conditions. Heating records, a plumber’s invoice for draining down, or photographs of locks and boarding.
5. Allow the adjuster to inspect and agree the scope of repairs before work starts, other than emergency work.
6. Settlement, less the excess. Unoccupied policies often carry higher excesses than standard home cover.

A worked example

This example is hypothetical.

Two executors insure their late mother’s semi detached house on an unoccupied policy with wider cover. The conditions require a weekly inspection and the water system drained between November and March.

In February a cold snap splits a pipe in the loft. Because a plumber drained the system in October and the executors can show an invoice and a weekly log, the small amount of residual water damage is assessed under the policy in the normal way.

Had the system been left full and the inspections stopped over Christmas, the claim could have been reduced or declined for breach of those conditions.

Practical points owners often ask about

Does staying one night reset the clock? Not necessarily. Many wordings look at whether someone is living there, not just whether a bed was slept in once, so check the definition before relying on an overnight stay.

Can I insure a house I am renovating? Yes, but declare the works. A full refurbishment may need a policy that allows for building work, and the contractor should hold their own liability insurance.

What happens when someone moves back in? Tell the insurer. The unoccupied policy can usually be cancelled and a standard home policy started from the date the property is lived in again.

Can a let property be insured empty? Yes, but the landlord policy’s unoccupancy limit applies first. Speak to your broker before the void runs past it.

Related guides

• Home insurance with a subsidence history
• Flood Re explained: who qualifies and how it works
• Answering insurance questions accurately: your legal duty
• What happens if your insurer goes bust: FSCS protection

This page is general information about unoccupied property insurance, not advice about any particular property or policy, and policy terms differ: always read the wording. Solar Insurance Services can help you arrange cover for unoccupied and non-standard homes.

Solar Insurance Services (Medway) Limited is registered in England and Wales, company number 05439438, and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 459582.

Sources: Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, section 2, on the duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation.