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Unoccupied House Insurance Advice

By Lydia Crowley

This article aims to provide advice on finding the best unoccupied house insurance. There are several reasons why a person may find himself or herself in possession of an unoccupied house. While there are those who say that it's not important to get home insurance for these homes since they're not in use, these are actually properties that need more coverage more so than the ones that are occupied.

What is unoccupied house insurance?

Unoccupied house insurance is a specific kind of property insurance. What property owners may not be aware of is the fact that an ordinary homeowners insurance policy can become invalid if the property is not occupied for more than 30 to 60 days.

While there are some who have attempted outright lying to their insurance providers that there are people who are living in the house, it can spell trouble once they find out that you're deceiving them. It is a much better plan to get proper unoccupied home insurance to cover your property.

There are many possible reasons why you end up possessing an unoccupied property. These include:

• Inheritance. A relative may bequeath you a home in his or her will. While this can be a blessing for you, it may not be that advantageous if you already have a home that you're living in, requiring you to purchase unoccupied house insurance.


• Vacation home. You may have a holiday home that your family visits only a few times in a year. Since it is not your permanent domicile, you will need to get insurance for this property.


• Renovation. Major property renovations that force people out of their homes for a period of time can actually make the home considered as an unoccupied property if it has been left vacant for more than 30 to 60 days.


• New property. It can also be new property that has been recently purchased and is still undergoing through some design changes to fit the style of the new owner.


• Death of the previous occupant. Property that has been left unoccupied due to the death of the occupant is subject to probate. Even if the will specifically stipulates who the property will go to, there will be a span of time wherein the home will be left unoccupied.


• Rental property. Even if you allow tenants to live in your property, you may still need to get unoccupied house insurance if the span of time between tenants stay in your house is longer than 30 to 60 days.

How to make your unoccupied house insurance rates cheaper

Unoccupied houses pose more risks than homes that are regularly used by owners. For example, broken pipes can cause extensive water damage because there was no one to monitor the plumbing. Neighborhood vandals and thieves are also more likely to target homes that they deem unoccupied.

The number of risks posed by the vacant property not only makes unoccupied house insurance hard to find, it also comes at a very expensive price as well. It isn't surprising to find vacant insurance quotes at inflated rates, because insurance companies recognize the fact that homeowners are more likely to make claims due to the high level of risk of unoccupied properties.

Thankfully, there are steps that you can take in order to make your house insurance much more affordable.

The key to making the price of unoccupied house insurance a little more reasonable is to show to insurance companies that it isn't that risky to provide coverage for it. Installing safety features, such as burglar alarms and locks on doors and windows can already lower the price of this type of house insurance.

Buying unoccupied house insurance

When you buy unoccupied house insurance, be sure that you consider not just the rates, but also the amount of coverage the policy offers. This is particularly important with vacant properties, since there will be no one who will be able to regularly monitor the condition of the home.

As such, make sure that all bases are covered, including protection against vandalism, theft, water damage, wind damage, and subsidence. As much as possible, you will also want to get a flexible policy. That way, you will only have to pay for the cover that you actually need, allowing you not to spend on unoccupied house insurance if you're actually occupying the property for a period of time.

You can click on these links to read more useful articles to help you compare house insurance policies. For example if you are a landlord and need tenants insurance you will find articles on that subject and many others.

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