Residential property insurance for unoccupied properties
Why would I need specialist "Unoccupied Property Insurance" cover?
Some insurers may not provide cover if a property is left unoccupied for more than 30 days. Insurers may be reluctant to insure an empty home because they are often seen as a higher risk - they can be targeted by thieves, squatters or vandals; and the damage caused by flood or fire will often be more extensive because there is nobody at home to limit the damage.What else would be helpful to know?
Unoccupied Property Insurance policies will often require you to meet certain requirements - these are often known as "Unoccupied Warranties" or "Unoccupied Building Conditions". For example, draining the water systems, switching off the utilities, documented visits on a weekly basis, installing certain locks, sealing the letterbox, etc. Failure to comply could lead to a claim being turned down.
Insuring a property that is going to be unoccupied or is going through probate, trust or deputyship can be different to taking out standard home insurance.
Specific conditions to comply with
Some insurers put in stringent terms (“Unoccupied Building Conditions”) which must be enforced before they will provide cover. If these conditions are not complied with then it could affect any claim. Guardcover offers, possibly, the most flexible cover for properties unoccupied for less than 12 months, with choices of conditions and premium discounts for certain types of properties.
It is worth noting that insurance policies can sometimes include specific endorsements that you need to understand. These are different to the 'Warranties' and these would be made clear to you at the time of your quote.
What is insured
Again, some unoccupied property policies and a number of standard home insurance policies may offer reduced cover, so your buildings and contents may only be covered in the event of damage caused by fire, lightning, aircraft or explosion (sometimes known as ‘FLEA’ cover). With Guardcover, we offer a wide-range of cover as standard which can help to give you peace of mind around your property. In addition, your property will be automatically covered for damage caused accidentally as well as by theft, attempted theft, malicious damage, storm, flood, escape of water/oil, falling trees and subsidence, landslip or ground heave.
Covers available for Leasehold and Freehold properties
Whether the property you want to insure is Leasehold or Freehold, we can look to offer you some cover options that include:
- Freehold owned in its entirety – we can offer buildings and contents cover
- Leasehold and legally responsible for insuring the buildings – again, we can offer buildings and contents cover
- Freehold, but only for a part of the building (e.g block of flats, maisonette etc) – we can offer contents cover
- Leasehold and not legally responsible for insuring the buildings – we can offer contents cover
What's included?
We can cover damage to your insured property caused by:
(Excludes damage caused by frost and wear & tear. As well as damage to gates and fencing caused by weather-related incidents). |
As well as: |
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*We can even insure areas of land that are in probate.
Excesses, terms and conditions and full details are available in the policy documentation.
Key features
With over 20 years' experience of serving the unoccupied community, we understand the needs of solicitors, home owners, conveyancers and more.
To ensure we cover a variety of eventualities we have spoken to our customers, partners and solicitors to ensure we include features for all types of unoccupied property situations. We understand that every property is different, requiring its own specific policy.
Flexible policy terms
Cover that gives you flexibility with policy terms of 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months available.
No inspections
For most residential properties, recently unoccupied, you can choose cover to exclude regular, documented property visits.
Non-standard construction
We understand that properties come in all shapes and sizes, which is why cover is available for many non-standard construction types including most timber-framed, pre-fabricated, flat-roof and other building types.
Wide range of cover
Whilst other insurance policies can look to limit the cover available for your property at a time when you need the cover most, we provide a wide range of covers for your unoccupied property.
Variety of circumstances
We can cover most circumstances from properties going through probate, deputyship and power of attorney, to extended holidays and secondments and buy to let gaps in residency.
Contents cover
Whilst unoccupied properties are at increased risk of vandalism, theft or access by squatters, we can still provide contents cover alongside your building cover.
Security discount
Our pricing for your unoccupied property insurance cover will automatically include a discount covering the different levels of security in operation at your property.
Policy documents
For customers incepted on, or after 24th February 2020, click below to access your policy wording. For customers incepted before 24th February, please contact us.
Contact us
If you've got a question, give us a call or email and let us know how we can help:
Phone: 0800 316 9842
Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm
Email: unoccupied@guardcover.co.uk