Unoccupied home insurance covers your property if it's left empty for more than 30 days.
We don’t compare specialist unoccupied home insurance policies which offer long-term cover for empty properties.
But, a standard home insurance policy usually offers some level of cover if your home is unoccupied for a short time.
How long you can leave your home unoccupied varies between standard home insurance policies, so check the details carefully when comparing quotes. Dedicated policies for unoccupied homes can cover your property for up to:
Most standard home insurance policies cover properties on an annual basis but state that it must not be unoccupied for 30 days or more. Some policies set the limit at 60 days, but there are insurers who offer cover for even longer.
If you have a property that's going to be unoccupied for over 30 days it's worth considering a specialist unoccupied home insurance policy. You might need this type of policy for a number of reasons including:
You've inherited a house after someone has died and you're waiting for probate
You're going into long-term care and the house will be left empty
You've bought a new house and you're waiting to sell the old one
You want to insure an unoccupied house that’s currently for sale
You’ve moved in with a partner and haven’t sold or rented your house
You're going on a long holiday or you're spending some time abroad
You own a holiday home and it's empty during the off-season
If you're a landlord and you’re between tenants, landlord insurance should be able to cover an empty property for up to 3 months. Depending on your insurer, you may need to add empty property insurance as an extra to your policy. So, it's worth checking this before assuming you're already covered.
Unoccupied home insurance usually covers your home against damage from:
Your policy should cover any damage caused by fire
Your cover should help cover the cost of storm and flood damage
Your policy should cover losses from theft including damage to the house
Unoccupied insurance should cover damage cause by escape of water
Legal cover could be useful if you have to start legal proceedings to evict squatters
This covers you if a tree branch falls from your property and damages a car in the street below, for example
Home insurance policies tend to exclude cover for:
If the windows or doors aren't secure, any theft or damage claims might be turned down
If your roof leaks because it hasn’t been maintained properly, your provider might turn you down
Contractors should have their own insurance to cover any damage caused
If you haven't told your insurer renovation work is happening, they may not cover any claims
The average cost of home insurance for an unoccupied property is:
| Length of time property will be unoccupied | Average annual cost of home insurance* |
|---|---|
|
Up to 30 days
|
£209 |
| 30-60 days | £233 |
| 60+ days | £297 |
The cost of home insurance for unoccupied properties depends on the following factors:
*Based on Confused.com data. January - March 2024.
"It’s important to be as accurate as you can when getting a quote for unoccupied home insurance. The length of time the property will be unoccupied for can affect your costs, as does the date the property will be occupied from.
If you’re unsure about any of this, don’t guess. Your quote won’t be accurate and you may not have the cover you need for your unoccupied home. Instead, you may need to get quotes from providers who can offer dedicated unoccupied house insurance."
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