Unoccupied house insurance
- Probate, Holiday homes, empty houses, vacant on extended holiday and empty between tenants all covered.
- Any length of unoccupancy*.
- Underwritten by AXA Insurance.
- Average quote time is only 10 minutes.
More information
Unoccupied home insurance is taken out when your property is left empty for longer than your standard policy cover allows (which is typically for more than 30-60 days). At Homeprotect, we consider a property to be unoccupied if it is unfurnished or hasn’t been lived in by you or your guests for more than 30 consecutive days. By ‘lived in’ we mean that you or your guests regularly sleep there overnight and carry out day-to-day activities such as cooking and bathing in the property. Whilst some unoccupied home insurance policies can be bought on a short-term basis, at Homeprotect we only offer policies with a 12 month duration.
Do i need unoccupied home insurance?
If you plan on leaving your property unoccupied for more than 30 days, you should consider an unoccupied home insurance policy.
You may need unoccupied home insurance if you’re:
- Undergoing home renovations that require you to vacate the property
- A landlord and you’re between tenants
- Leaving a property empty while you’re waiting for it to sell
- Waiting to complete the probate process following the death of a loved one
- The owner of a second home or holiday home you don’t usually live in
- Going on an extended holiday or sabbatical
- Experiencing an illness requiring long term treatment away from home
Keep reading to learn about long term unoccupancy and what’s included when choosing our basic or extended cover.
How much is unoccupied home insurance?
The cost of unoccupied house insurance will vary depending on factors such as location, rebuild value, property security, property maintenance, and the level of cover you choose.
You can get a quote for unoccupied home insurance today.
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What’s covered by UNOCCUPIED HOME insurance?
Unoccupied home insurance cover varies depending on whether the property is empty on a short term of long term basis.
Short term unoccupancy
If the property is usually occupied but is left unoccupied for between 31 and 180 days, then you typically get all the cover of our standard policy terms, but with exception of certain exclusions, see what is and isn’t covered below:
What’s included?
Quick home emergency response times
Have a home emergency, such as electricity failure, faulty locks or vermin infestation? With the 24/7 Home Emergency cover, which we provide as standard, you can typically get an engineer at your home within four hours. And if you’re worried about an uncontrollable leak in your home, we aim to have an emergency plumber to you within two hours.
Extreme weather conditions may extend response time. Policy terms and claim limits apply.
5 star rated buildings cover
Our building insurance has been given the highest rating by independent financial research companies, Defaqto and Moneyfacts.
Repair guarantee
Any buildings work we undertake is guaranteed for 24 months following a claim and any contents repair work we undertake is guaranteed for 12 months.
New for old
Where we replace an item, we will do our best to meet the original specification on a ‘new for old’ basis. If we can’t find an exact replacement, we’ll offer you a suitable alternative, or a full cash settlement.
Legal advice
We provide Legal Protection cover as standard, giving you access to telephone legal advice on any personal legal issue, under the laws of the UK, any European Union country, the Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Switzerland and Norway.
What isn’t included?
Escape of water incidents during the period: 1 October – 1 April (inclusive).
Theft incidents, unless all security features (e.g. locks and alarms) included in your property are maintained in good working order and in full operation.
Claims involving money and high risk items (e.g. jewellery).
Damage caused gradually, or by wear and tear, or by failure to fix a known issue.
Faulty design or poor workmanship.
Damage caused by pets.
The cost of repairing or replacing items following a mechanical or electrical fault.
Lost items.
Long term unoccupancy
If the property is not usually occupied, or is left unoccupied for more than 180 days, there are two levels of cover. Basic cover is available online. Extended cover is available over the phone, via referral to our underwriting team. The following table compares what sort of insured events are covered:
| Insured loss | Basic cover (available online) | Extended cover (call for quote) |
|---|---|---|
| Fire, Lightning, Earthquake, Explosion, Aircraft or other flying devices (FLEEA) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Liability to the public | ✔ | ✔ |
| Escape of Water or oil | ✖ | ✖ |
| Accidental damage | ✖ | ✖ |
| Storm or flood | ✖ | ✔ |
| Subsidence or tree roots | ✖ | ✔ |
| Theft (including attempted theft) | ✖ | ✔ |
| Malicious damage | ✖ | ✔ |
| Collisions with wild animals or vehicles | ✖ | ✔ |
| Aerials & falling objects | ✖ | ✔ |
| Damage by emergency services | ✖ | ✔ |
Looking for more cover? Give us a call on 0330 660 1000 to talk to our team about extended cover.
UNOCCUPIED HOME Insurance Cover Levels
The following cover levels apply for both short and long-term unoccupancy:
unoccupied covers levels with homeprotect
Buildings Cover
£1 million*
Covers the main structure of your home, including attached garages and conservatories, if you need to rebuild or repair it following an insured loss. Also covers permanent outdoor structures such as driveways, patios and boundary walls. *More cover available if you need it.
Contents cover
from £25,000
Covering the value of the possessions you could take with you when moving home, such as furniture, clothing, valuables, appliances, fittings, entertainment equipment, gadgets and bikes, following an insured loss. Cover provided on a new for old basis.
Home emergency
up to £500
Covers sudden, unexpected emergencies, such as uncontrollable water leaks, that require immediate corrective action to prevent or limit damage to your home, or make your home secure. Two levels of cover are available, for different types of insured loss.
Liability cover
up to £5 million
Covers damages and claimants’ costs and expenses for your legal liability in the event of accidental death, injury or illness to a third party, or damage to property belonging to a third party.
Outbuildings cover
from £20,000
Covers rebuild or repair of your outbuildings (e.g. detached garages, greenhouses, sheds and summerhouses) that are within the boundary or a communal area you’re legally responsible for, if you need to rebuild or repair them following an insured loss.
Family legal protection
up to £25,000
Covers legal costs following an insured loss. There must be reasonable prospects of winning and the incident must have occurred during the policy term. Two levels of cover are available, for different types of insured loss.
protect your home with unoccupied property insurance
If you’re planning to be away from your property for over 30 days – or if you’ve unexpectedly left your property vacant and don’t know when you’ll be back, get a quote with Homeprotect and protect your unoccupied property. Unoccupied property insurance provides the protection you need.
You can read more about why unoccupied homes are riskier in our guide.
what are the restrictions of unoccupied home insurance?
At Homeprotect, we offer policies with a 12-month duration. The extent of cover varies depending on whether the unoccupancy is only for a short period (between 31 and 180 days) or a longer period (more than 180 days).
Most unoccupied policies we sell are for long-term unoccupancy. Our standard cover for long-term unoccupancy (available online) is restricted to those insured events which could result in a total loss, were they to occur – Fire, Lightning, Earthquake, Explosion, Aircraft impact (typically abbreviated to ‘FLEEA’ cover). Whilst FLEEA cover is limited, in comparison to a standard policy it is also typically much cheaper.
We can potentially extend the policy coverage, beyond FLEEA, to cover circumstances such as theft, malicious damage, storm, and flood. To obtain this extended cover, our underwriters will need to review your circumstances. Please note, however, that we do not offer cover against escape of water/oil or accidental damage for unoccupied properties.
The restrictions in cover are because unoccupied properties are typically much more susceptible to damage, because there are no occupants to prevent damage or limit the extent of the damage.
What our expert says…
“Our unoccupied property cover is very popular and we currently insure over 20,000 unoccupied properties. Due to the heightened risk of damage to unoccupied properties, our cover is restricted, in comparison to our standard property cover, but it is also much cheaper.
Just make sure you take all the necessary precautions to limit the risk of something happening to your property which is not covered – for example, turn off water at the mains, to reduce the risk of an escape of water incident.
If your property does become occupied then make sure you tell us, so we can adjust your cover accordingly.”
Home Insurance Expert
New Customer?
If you’re deciding on whether to buy home insurance with us, you can use our latest policy booklets as a guide.
Existing Customer?
Find answers to some of your questions here. Your latest policy documents are also available to view and download.
Your Questions Answered
You will need to prove you have an ‘insurable interest’ in the property for Homeprotect to provide cover. Once confirmed, the probate home insurance policy will usually be issued in the name of the executor with any beneficiaries named as additional policyholders.
There are no regulations around how long a homeowner can leave their property unoccupied. However, when it comes to purchasing vacant property insurance with Homeprotect, your home must have been unoccupied for more than 30 days.
If you’re planning to leave your home empty for an extended period, there are a few safety and security considerations. Firstly, after 30 days unoccupied, most home insurance policies are void – so, the homeowner would need an empty home insurance policy to protect against theft or damage. Many empty home insurance policies will also expect the home to be inspected regularly, water and electricity to be switched off and more.
Additional considerations include installing a home security system and using smart devices such as leak detection technology.
If you own the freehold of your flat, you should take out buildings insurance. If you live in a leasehold flat, or are a tenant, your landlord has responsibility for sourcing buildings insurance.
Yes, Homeprotect is pleased to offer unoccupied home insurance policies for long periods. If your holiday home will be left vacant during the off-season or between guests for more than 30 days, we can still offer cover. Please read more about our unoccupied home insurance to understand what restrictions apply.
Empty properties carry greater risks in terms of burglary, vandalism or even squatting, and also the amount of damage caused by unnoticed issues like burst pipes.
Homeprotect needs to know if your property is unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days or more so that they can factor these increased risks into your policy terms.
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