Unoccupied and empty home insurance

If you like going on holiday for extended periods, are working away from home for weeks at a time or are planning to have your property renovated, it’s really important that you understand how your house is covered when you’re not living there.

In some cases, you may be leaving your building and contents uninsured.

What is unoccupied house insurance?

Your home becomes ‘unoccupied’ in the eyes of your insurer if nobody is living there for a set period of time. The length of this period can vary and will be specified in the terms of your insurance contract, usually within your policy booklet.

If you know the date you’ll be returning home (for example, at the end of a holiday), your insurer will set the terms and cost based on the duration of the unoccupancy.

However, without a known end date, the property may be considered permanently unoccupied.

Most insurance policies will cover your property while you’re away for things like holidays or work for up to either 30 or 60 days in a row with no additional terms or cost.

With Saga Home Insurance, for example, your house is covered in the same way as usual for up to 60 days in a row while you’re away. Check the terms of your particular policy to see how long your home can remain empty and still be fully insured.

Do I need to insure an unoccupied house if I’m away for longer?

Yes, you need to make sure your home is still covered if you’re not living there for more days than your policy allows, and there may be an additional cost for this.

You can’t get around this by having someone sleep over for a night or two in the middle of a period of unoccupancy because this isn’t the same as someone ‘living’ at the property.

You need unoccupied home insurance because an empty property represents a greater risk for an insurance provider. A burglary is the obvious one to consider, but there’s also the fact that incidents like escape of water can do a lot more damage over time in an unoccupied house.

This is because nobody is around to notice the leaking water and take steps like turning off the stopcock.

How much does unoccupied house insurance cost?

This varies depending on your type of policy and your provider. You may be asked to pay more for the same level of cover or offered reduced cover for the same price.

In some cases, your insurer may increase your excess. What’s almost certain is that they’ll ask you to make sure an empty property is checked regularly by a neighbour, friend or family member. In the winter months, you’ll also be required to leave the central heating on a low setting to reduce the risk of freezing pipes.

For a planned unoccupied period of 3, 6, 9 or even 12 months, you’ll pay more than you would for your standard home insurance because of the greater risk to the empty property.

Without the correct cover in place to protect against this increased risk, your claim could be declined if something goes wrong while you’re away.

In what circumstances would I need home insurance for an empty property?

Check your policy documents so you are clear about how your insurer defines ‘unoccupied’ and remind yourself of the number of days you can be away from home without having to notify them.

Here are some of the circumstances in which you may need to arrange unoccupied home cover with your insurer:

• You’re going on a long holiday or taking a sabbatical
• You’re working away from home or going off to do voluntary work
• You’ve moved in with your partner and are still deciding what to do with your old home
• You’re moving out of your home while renovation work is under way
• You’ve inherited a property and intend to put it on the market for sale
• You have a long spell in hospital or are moving into long-term residential care

If you’re moving between properties, here’s what you need to know about moving house insurance.

How to make your property safe and secure

As well as ensuring your property is adequately insured, there are things you can do to prevent loss or damage while you’re away:

• Drain your water system and switch off the supply at the mains to prevent leaks
• Fit quality locks on windows and doors
• Install and use an alarm system
• Set up a smart home security system
• Ask people you can rely on to keep an eye on your home

What empty house insurance does Saga offer?

With Saga Home Insurance if you're away from your home for longer than 60 days – even if you have arranged a house sitter or pet sitter – you should contact us so we can keep your policy up to date and valid.

When you call, we’ll ask you the reason for unoccupancy, the start date, the end date (if known) and how often the empty property will be inspected and by whom.

There may be additional questions especially if you’re moving out of the property because of renovation work.

Once we know the circumstances surrounding your absence, we will let you know your options.

Please note that we may not be able to offer you the same level of cover you have when you’re living at home and that additional terms may apply.

At Saga it’s also important to let us know if you’re a landlord and the property you rent out becomes empty – for example, because the tenant has moved out and you don’t have another one ready to move in within 60 days. You can read our landlord insurance article for more about this.