COVERTRADE SERVICES
Unoccupied Property Insurance
Specialised coverage for your vacant properties during periods of vacancy.
Why Your Normal Policy Stops Working
Almost every household and landlord policy restricts cover once a property has stood empty for 30 or 45 consecutive days. Not cancelled: restricted, usually down to fire, lightning, explosion and aircraft only.
Which means the cover that falls away is theft, escape of water, malicious damage and accidental damage: precisely the things that happen to empty buildings. The policy is still in force, the premium is still being paid, and the risks you actually face are no longer insured.
An unoccupied policy exists for that gap. It restores the cover, for a defined period, subject to conditions about inspections and the water supply that are worth understanding before you agree to them.
The Four Reasons A Property Ends Up Empty
In practice it is nearly always one of four situations, and each has its own wrinkle.
Probate. A property left after a death, often empty for many months. Executors have a duty to protect the estate's assets, and the deceased's own policy may lapse or restrict.
Renovation. Empty because it is being worked on, which is a different risk again and needs the works declared.
On the market. A property waiting to sell, sometimes for far longer than anyone planned.
Between tenants. A void that was meant to be a fortnight and became three months. This is the one landlords most often fail to notice, because nobody thinks of it as the property being "unoccupied".
The Conditions, And Why They Are Enforced
Unoccupied policies come with conditions, and unlike much policy wording these are actively checked when a claim is made.
Inspections. Typically every 7, 14 or 30 days depending on the insurer, by someone who goes inside rather than driving past. Write down the date and who visited. The record is the evidence.
Water. Turned off at the stopcock and the system drained over winter, unless heating is left on at a low constant temperature.
Appearance and security. Post cleared, alarms set and maintained, doors and windows properly secured.
None of it is difficult. All of it is enforceable, and a claim where the inspection record is missing is a hard one to argue.
Typical Conditions
What an unoccupied policy will ask of you.
- Inspections at set intervals, recorded
- Water off and drained, or heating on
- Post cleared, letterbox secured
- Alarms maintained and set
- Any renovation works declared
- Flexible payment options
- Dedicated account managers
- Out-of-hours contact should you need to make a claim or just have a question
- A quick and easy, pain-free service
- An excellent customer experience
Water Is The Real Enemy
Fire gets the attention, but escape of water does far more damage to empty buildings. A joint fails in an unheated house in January, nobody is there to hear it, and by the time anyone visits the water has been running for a fortnight through ceilings, floors and wiring.
Which is why almost every unoccupied policy requires the water supply to be turned off at the stopcock and the system drained down between about November and March, unless heating is left on at a low constant temperature. Both are acceptable to most insurers; doing neither is not. It is the condition most often overlooked and the one most likely to be tested.
Squatters, Vandalism And Being Seen To Be Empty
An empty property announces itself: post building up, curtains never drawn, an overgrown garden, a skip that has not moved. Malicious damage, theft of copper and fittings, fly-tipping and occupation by squatters all follow from a building that visibly nobody is watching.
Most of the prevention is unglamorous and cheap: clear the post, keep the garden tidy, leave some lighting on a timer, and have someone visit on a regular pattern and write down that they did. That written record is also what satisfies the inspection condition, so the same effort protects the building and the policy at once.
Renovation Work While It Is Empty
Empty and being worked on is a different risk again, and it needs declaring. Insurers will want to know the scale of the works, whether the building will be structurally altered or the roof opened up, whether contractors are carrying their own liability cover, and whether any hot work is involved.
Above a certain value of works you may need contract works cover alongside the property policy rather than instead of it, and your contractors should carry their own public liability with copies held. Tell us what the project actually involves, “a bit of decorating” and a full strip-back are very different conversations. Premiums can be paid monthly or annually.
What We Need To Quote
The address, age and construction, how long the property has been empty and why, the rebuild cost, what security is in place, how often it is inspected and by whom, whether the water is off and drained or heating is left on, whether any renovation is planned or under way, and how long you expect it to remain unoccupied.
Protect Your Unoccupied Properties
So why wait? Protect your unoccupied properties today with CoverTrade's comprehensive insurance coverage. Contact us now to schedule a consultation with one of our expert advisors.
Cover that often goes with this
The gaps we most often find sitting next to this policy.
- Landlord insuranceOnce it is tenanted again, the cover has to change back.
- Holiday and second home insuranceA property empty most of the year is not the same as one that is empty pending sale.
- Block of flats insuranceWhere the empty unit is one flat in a building you own.
Common questions
When does a property count as unoccupied?+
Most policies set a threshold of 30 or 45 consecutive days, though some use 60. It is worth checking yours, because the clock runs on calendar days rather than on whether anyone has been keeping an eye on the place. Once past it, a standard household or landlord policy typically reduces to fire, lightning, explosion and aircraft only: theft, escape of water, malicious damage and accidental damage all fall away, which are precisely the risks an empty property attracts.
Why do I need a separate unoccupied policy?+
Because your normal policy was written on the basis someone lives there. Rather than leave you on the restricted cover a standard policy drops to, an unoccupied policy is written for the situation: it restores cover for theft, escape of water and malicious damage, subject to conditions about inspections and the water supply. It usually runs for a set period (three, six or twelve months) and can be extended if the situation drags on.
What are the conditions on an unoccupied policy?+
Regular documented inspections, usually every 7, 14 or 30 days depending on the insurer. The water supply turned off and the system drained down over winter, unless heating is left on at a low constant temperature. Post cleared so it does not build up visibly. Alarms maintained and set. Reasonable security on doors and windows. These are conditions rather than suggestions, and the inspection record is what evidences compliance, so write the visits down.
Do I need it during probate?+
It is one of the most common reasons for needing it. A property left empty after a death frequently stays that way for months while probate is granted and the estate is settled, and the deceased's own policy may lapse or restrict. Executors have a duty to protect the estate's assets, and an uninsured or under-insured property is a real exposure. Insurers understand probate situations well and are used to arranging cover in the estate's name.
Can I insure a property while it is being renovated?+
Yes, but it needs declaring and it changes the terms. Insurers want to know the scale of the works, whether the structure is being altered or the roof opened up, whether contractors carry their own liability cover, and whether hot work is involved. Above a certain value of works you may need contract works cover alongside the property policy. 'A bit of decorating' and a full strip-back are very different risks.
How much is unoccupied property insurance?+
Less than most people fear. Typical home insurance runs around £174 a year occupied against roughly £218 unoccupied, so the uplift is real but modest rather than the doubling people expect, and unoccupied cover is advertised from about £170 a year. Those are typical figures for a straightforward property rather than a quote for yours. What moves your price is the rebuild cost, how long the property will be empty and why, the security and inspection arrangements, and whether any works are planned. Call 02382 000820 and we will price your own.
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