What is Unoccupied House Insurance?
Unoccupied House Insurance - sometimes called Unoccupied Property Insurance - covers properties that are vacant for an extended period. While our standard Home Insurance policies insure your home if left empty for up to 60 days, our Unoccupied House Insurance can cover properties that are left vacant for more than 60 days in a row.
Whether you need to carry out extensive renovation work, have a work commitment that keeps you away from home or you’re experiencing delays in a sale or probate, Unoccupied House Insurance proves useful in a variety of scenarios by covering your home even after it’s been unoccupied for 60 days.
What does Unoccupied House Insurance cover?
Unoccupied House Insurance features the same coverage as our standard Home Insurance policy but can cover your home even if empty for an indefinite period. This includes:
- Storm, fire and flood damage
- Malicious acts like vandalism and theft (including damage from attempted break-ins)
- Leaks and burst pipes
- Public Liability Insurance (covers claims against you if someone is injured on your property and you’re deemed to be at fault)
If your home is vacant for more than 60 days and we haven’t agreed to accept your property on an unoccupied basis, some things normally covered in our standard Home Insurance policies are excluded. Examples of exclusions are:
- Malicious acts
- Escape of water
- Frost damage to interior water pipes
- Theft or attempted theft
If you successfully take out an Unoccupied House Insurance policy before leaving your property vacant, you will be covered for the above even after 60 days. However, please note that after 60 days unoccupied you may be subject to higher excesses and that other sections of buildings and contents cover may still be excluded.
What can be classed as an unoccupied property?
There are a few different scenarios in which your home might be classed as an unoccupied property:
- Holiday homes
- Inherited properties left empty while probate is being granted
- Houses for sale where the owners have already moved out
- Properties undergoing extensive renovations which require the inhabitants to live outside the home while the work is being done
- Homes left vacant while the owners are away for extended holidays or business trips
At Swinton, we consider your home to be unoccupied when it is not lived in and not used overnight by you or your family for:
- Five consecutive nights every month, or;
- Two consecutive nights every week
Regular visits to the property (both outside and inside) and occasional overnight stays by you or someone with your permission will not count as your home being occupied. In this case, the restrictions on the policy will apply.
We also consider
your home to be unoccupied even if it has squatters living in it. A squatter is someone who lives in the property without permission.
Your home will be considered unoccupied from the date that you or your family last left the home, which
may be before the date your policy started.
Why choose Swinton to insure your unoccupied property?
- We’ll find tailored quotes that are most suitable to you based on your needs
- We're here to answer any questions - over the phone or via Live Chat
- You can tailor your insurance with optional additional cover to suit your personal needs
- We store your insurance documents in our handy online insurance hub so you can view them at any time