Unoccupied House Insurance, Explained Properly

Unoccupied house insurance covers a UK property that has stood empty beyond the 30, 45 or 60 consecutive days most standard home insurance policies allow. Past that limit, standard cover usually narrows to fire, lightning, explosion and aircraft, with escape of water and theft excluded, and owners usually discover this after a burst pipe rather than before. Specialist unoccupied cover is bought for a fixed term of 3, 6, 9 or 12 months, typically costs two to three times a standard policy, and requires documented inspections every 7 to 30 days plus winter water precautions.

Compare Unoccupied Cover Understand the Rules First

Independent information, not advice

This site explains how unoccupied property cover works and links to a regulated comparison service. It does not arrange, recommend or sell insurance.

30-60
Days before standard cover restricts
2-3x
Typical premium vs standard home cover
7-14
Days between required inspections
FLEA
Minimum perils on restricted cover

What counts as an unoccupied house?

The definition is stricter than most owners assume, and it is the insurer's definition that matters, not a common-sense one.

The consecutive days test

Most UK home insurance policies define a property as unoccupied once nobody has slept there for a stated number of consecutive nights, commonly 30, 45 or 60 depending on the insurer. Some policies use a stricter test for the winter months.

Visiting to collect post, water plants or check on the property does not reset the clock in most wordings. The test is usually about overnight occupancy, so read the definition in your own policy rather than relying on what is typical.

The Financial Ombudsman Service, which handles disputes between consumers and UK insurers, notes that most home policies use a 30 or 60 day limit and stop paying for certain types of damage once it is passed. Home insurance unoccupied clauses of 30, 45 and 60 days are all in use.

Unoccupied versus unfurnished

These are separate concepts and insurers price them differently. A furnished property between tenancies presents a different risk profile from a stripped, unfurnished property mid-renovation.

Some products cover one and not the other. If a property is both empty and unfurnished, check that the policy you are quoted actually contemplates that combination.

Insurers also distinguish between temporarily unoccupied, where the owner or tenants intend to return, and vacant, a property with no contents and no occupant in prospect. HomeLet, a landlord insurance provider, frames the difference in these terms, and vacant attracts the stricter conditions.

What happens to standard cover

Cover is rarely cancelled outright. More commonly it reduces to a restricted set of perils, often fire, lightning, explosion and aircraft, sometimes with theft and escape of water excluded entirely.

Escape of water is the exclusion that causes the most disputes, because an undetected leak in an empty house can run for weeks. That is precisely the scenario the restriction is designed to exclude.

Insurers shorten the restricted list to FLEA, or FLEEA where earthquake is included, because these perils are least affected by nobody being at home. A burst pipe in an empty house does far more damage than one found within an hour.

The notification duty

Insurers generally require you to notify them once you know a property will exceed the unoccupancy limit, and often before it does rather than after.

Failing to disclose is treated as a change in risk that was not declared. That can affect a claim even where the loss has nothing to do with the property being empty.

Under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, a consumer must take reasonable care not to misrepresent the risk. Telling the insurer the house is empty discharges that duty, and some insurers will extend the standard policy for a fee rather than requiring a separate product.

Who needs unoccupied house insurance?

Unoccupied cover is a specialist product bought for a defined period, not a permanent alternative to home insurance. These circumstances most often push a property past the limit.

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Probate and inherited property

A property standing empty while an estate is settled is the most common case, and probate frequently takes longer than the standard unoccupancy limit allows.

Executors have a duty to protect estate assets, which in practice means the property should be insured appropriately throughout. Check who is named as the insured party while the estate is unadministered.

The deceased's existing policy may lapse at renewal or be voided by the change of circumstances, so executors should contact the insurer early rather than waiting for the grant of probate, the official confirmation of their authority, to arrive.

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Renovation and building work

Major works usually mean the property is both empty and exposed. Many standard policies exclude damage arising from structural work regardless of occupancy.

Cover for works in progress is a separate consideration, and the contractor's own liability insurance does not protect the building itself.

Insurers ask for the contract value of the works because it changes both the risk and the sum at stake. Small decorative jobs are usually fine to declare; anything touching the roof, structure or services is treated as a different risk.

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Between tenancies

Landlords with a void period between tenants can exceed the limit faster than expected, particularly where a property is being redecorated before reletting.

Some landlord policies include a longer unoccupancy allowance. It is worth knowing your specific limit before a void begins rather than during one.

A property to let that remains empty because of a slow rental market or a lengthy eviction process can sit unoccupied for months, and landlords in that position need unoccupied cover just as a private owner would.

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Property on the market

Vacant properties awaiting sale, particularly in a slow market, routinely pass 60 days empty.

Vacant property is also more attractive to squatters and metal theft, which is reflected in both the premium and the security conditions imposed.

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Extended absence abroad

Long trips, secondments and extended stays in a second home can all trip the limit without the owner considering the insurance implications.

A house sitter may or may not satisfy the occupancy definition. If it matters, get the insurer's position in writing.

A long holiday is the classic example. Someone away for three months over winter, or working overseas for a year, will pass every common limit while the house looks lived in from the street.

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Repossession and receivership

Lenders and receivers taking possession need cover for a property that will be empty for an indefinite period.

This is generally a commercial rather than a consumer purchase, and the security requirements are usually stricter.

Hospital stays and moves into residential care produce the same result for private owners: a house temporarily unoccupied with no fixed date for anyone to return.

What does unoccupied house insurance cover?

Cover levels differ sharply between products, and the cheapest policies exclude the very risks that make an empty property worth insuring. These are the main features to compare.

Core perils: fire, storm and flood

Every unoccupied property policy covers fire, lightning, explosion and aircraft, and most extend to storm and flood damage to the buildings. This is the protection that remains even on the cheapest level of cover.

Subsidence, heave and landslip are usually available but may carry a higher excess on an empty house because nobody is there to spot cracks developing.

Escape of water and frozen pipes

Escape of water from burst pipes, tanks and appliances is the peril that matters most in an empty house, and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has repeatedly identified it as one of the most frequent and costly home insurance claims.

Mid and higher levels of unoccupied cover include it, but only while the winter condition is met: heating maintained at a stated minimum or the water system drained down. The cheapest level typically excludes it altogether.

Theft, vandalism and contents

Theft following forced entry, attempted theft, vandalism and malicious damage are usually included at the mid level and above. Theft without forced entry is a standard exclusion, which is why lock specifications are written into the policy. Damage by squatters is a separate risk that not every product includes.

Contents cover is limited, often to fixtures, fittings and a modest sum for furniture left in the property. High-value items and gadgets are usually excluded or restricted, and home emergency cover is frequently unavailable while a property is empty.

What conditions do unoccupied property insurers impose?

Unoccupied policies come with obligations attached. Breaching them is the most common reason an otherwise valid claim is reduced or declined.

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Regular inspections

Most policies require a documented internal and external inspection every seven, fourteen or thirty days, by you or a nominated person.

Keep a dated log with photographs. If a claim arises, the insurer will ask for evidence that inspections actually happened, and memory is not evidence.

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Water systems drained or heated

Between roughly October and March, insurers usually require either that the water system is fully drained down or that heating is maintained at a stated minimum temperature continuously.

This condition causes more declined winter claims than any other. The precise requirement varies by insurer, so check the exact wording and temperature.

Turning the water off at the stopcock and draining the tanks and pipes is the safer route where there is no reason to keep the supply live. Where heating is kept on, a smart thermostat with remote alerts gives you a record that the condition was met.

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Security standards

Specified locks on final exit doors, secured windows, and sometimes an alarm or monitored system. Letterboxes may need to be sealed against arson.

Post must generally be cleared, since accumulating mail is the clearest external signal that a property is empty.

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Maintenance and hazards

Gardens kept tidy, gutters clear, no accumulation of combustible material, and utilities isolated where not required.

These conditions exist to reduce fire, water and trespass risk. They are contractual requirements, not suggestions. Gas is usually turned off at the meter, and electricity isolated except where it feeds an alarm or heating.

How much does unoccupied house insurance cost?

Unoccupied cover is materially more expensive than standard home insurance, and the reasons are worth understanding before comparing quotes. There is no single cheapest unoccupied house insurance in the UK; the price is built from the property, the period and the level of cover.

Typical premium range

Unoccupied property insurance commonly costs somewhere between two and three times an equivalent standard home policy, though the range is wide and driven heavily by rebuild value, location and how long the property will be empty.

Premiums are usually quoted for a defined term such as three, six or twelve months, rather than as a rolling annual policy. Everywhen offers 3, 6, 9 or 12 month terms; Homeprotect writes unoccupied cover only as a 12-month policy.

A short three month policy costs less in cash terms than a twelve month one, but the monthly rate is often higher because the insurer's set-up cost is spread over fewer months. Pay attention to the total premium for the period you actually need.

What drives the price

Rebuild cost rather than market value, the expected unoccupancy period, security measures, whether the property is furnished, flood and subsidence exposure, and whether building works are planned.

Properties in probate and properties undergoing structural work typically attract the highest loadings.

Location matters twice over: once for the usual flood, subsidence and crime factors, and again because some insurers do not quote for Northern Ireland or for listed buildings at all. Availability, not just price, can differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Cover levels available

Products range from restricted fire, lightning, explosion and aircraft cover at the cheapest end, through to something close to full perils including theft, escape of water, malicious damage and public liability.

Most providers offer three levels, and the difference between them is usually escape of water, theft and malicious damage. The cheapest option often excludes exactly the risks that make an empty property worth insuring. Compare what is covered, not just the premium.

Property owners' liability

An empty property still carries liability exposure. A collapsing wall or a trespasser injured on the land can produce a claim against the owner.

Most unoccupied policies include property owners' liability, commonly at one to two million pounds; Everywhen, for example, quotes £2m on its unoccupied product. Check the limit rather than assuming it is present, because the exposure exists whether or not the building itself is insured for damage.

Excess and payment

Excesses on unoccupied policies are typically higher than on standard home cover, and escape of water often carries its own, larger excess. Some insurers apply a higher excess again where the winter water condition was not met.

Most specialist policies must be paid in full at the start of the term. Monthly instalments are less common than on annual home insurance and, where offered, usually carry an interest charge. A well-secured, regularly inspected property with the water drained will usually be offered a better rate than one the owner intends to leave and forget.

How do you compare unoccupied house insurance quotes?

The best unoccupied house insurance is the policy whose conditions you can actually meet and whose cover matches why the property is empty. Price comes second.

Comparison sites and specialist insurers

Unoccupied cover is written by a smaller pool of insurers than standard home insurance. Names that appear for this product include Homeprotect, Swinton, HomeLet for landlords, and Everywhen, alongside comparison services that collect quotes from several providers in one form.

Quotes are free to obtain, and getting more than one is the only reliable way to see how different insurers treat the same property. Any firm selling or arranging insurance in the UK must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA); the Financial Services Register lets you check a name before you pay.

What to check before you buy

The important items are the unoccupancy definition, the inspection interval, the winter water condition, the lock specification and the escape of water position. Those five decide whether a claim will be paid.

Then check the sum insured is the rebuild cost, that property owners' liability is included, that the term matches how long the property will remain empty, and whether works, squatters and theft without forced entry are in or out. Only then compare the premium.

When the property is occupied again

Tell the insurer as soon as somebody moves in, whether that is you, a buyer or new tenants. Most unoccupied policies can be cancelled with a pro-rata refund, and some insurers will switch you to a standard home or landlord policy from the same date.

If the empty period runs longer than expected, ask for an extension before the policy ends. Cover can often start the same day, but a gap between policies leaves the property with no protection at all.

What are the common mistakes with unoccupied cover?

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Assuming the existing policy continues

The single most expensive assumption in this area. Cover does not usually vanish, it quietly narrows, and the narrowing is discovered at claim stage.

Read the unoccupancy clause in the current policy before deciding whether you need anything different.

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Underinsuring the rebuild

Sums insured should reflect the cost of rebuilding, not what the property would sell for. In many parts of the UK those numbers diverge substantially.

Underinsurance can lead to a proportionate reduction in any settlement, so the shortfall applies to small claims as well as total losses.

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Ignoring the inspection log

Inspections that happen but are not documented are difficult to prove after a loss. The log is part of the product, not administrative overhead.

Dated photographs stored somewhere other than the property itself are the simplest reliable approach.

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Not telling the insurer works have started

Renovation changes the risk substantially, and most policies require notification before works begin, particularly anything structural.

The same applies to a change in the expected unoccupancy period. Insurers price a defined term and expect to be told when it changes.

Unoccupied House Insurance: Common Questions

What is unoccupied house insurance?

Unoccupied house insurance is a specialist buildings and contents policy for a property that is standing empty beyond the period a standard home insurance policy allows. It is normally bought for a defined term such as three, six or twelve months, and comes with conditions around inspections, security and winter water management that standard policies do not impose. So yes, you can insure your house if it is empty, but through this product rather than an ordinary home policy.

How long can you leave a house empty for insurance purposes?

Most UK home insurance policies restrict cover once a property has been unoccupied for a stated number of consecutive nights, commonly 30, 45 or 60 depending on the insurer. Some apply a shorter limit over winter. The exact figure is set out in your own policy wording, and visits during the day usually do not reset the count. The Financial Ombudsman Service describes 30 and 60 days as the usual limits.

Can you leave a house empty for 6 months?

A house can be left empty for six months, but no standard home insurance policy will maintain full cover for that long. After the 30, 45 or 60 day limit, cover usually narrows to fire, lightning, explosion and aircraft, with theft, malicious damage and escape of water commonly excluded. A six month unoccupied property policy restores those perils, subject to inspections every seven to thirty days and the winter water condition.

Is it more expensive to insure an unoccupied house?

Yes. Unoccupied house insurance commonly costs two to three times the equivalent standard home policy, though the range is wide. The main drivers are rebuild cost, expected unoccupancy period, location, security measures, whether the property is furnished, and whether building works are planned. Probate cases and properties undergoing structural work usually attract the highest loadings, and escape of water usually carries a higher excess.

What insurance company will insure an empty house?

Homeprotect, Swinton and Everywhen all sell unoccupied property insurance direct, HomeLet offers it to landlords, and comparison services collect quotes from several insurers at once. Some mainstream home insurers will instead extend an existing policy for a fee once notified. Every firm selling or arranging insurance in the UK must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and its name can be checked on the Financial Services Register.

What voids home insurance?

Non-disclosure is the most common cause: under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, a consumer must take reasonable care not to misrepresent the risk, and leaving an insurer unaware that a house is empty does exactly that. Beyond that, breaching a policy condition such as the inspection interval, the winter water requirement or the lock specification is the most common reason an otherwise valid claim is reduced or declined.

Do I need unoccupied house insurance during probate?

A property standing empty during probate will normally exceed a standard policy's unoccupancy limit, since probate frequently takes several months. Executors have a duty to protect the assets of the estate, which in practice means keeping the property appropriately insured. It is worth checking who is named as the insured party while the estate is being administered, and contacting the insurer early rather than waiting for the grant.

Is unoccupied cover needed during renovation?

Usually yes, and it is a distinct situation. Many standard policies exclude damage arising from structural work regardless of whether anyone is living there. Insurers generally require notification before works begin and will ask for the contract value. A contractor's own liability insurance protects against their negligence but does not insure the building itself, so cover for works in progress is a separate consideration.

Compare Unoccupied Property Cover

Premiums and conditions for empty properties vary widely between insurers, and the cheapest quote frequently excludes escape of water, which is the risk most likely to materialise. Compare what is covered alongside the price.

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This website provides general information about unoccupied property insurance in the United Kingdom. It is not financial, insurance or legal advice, and it does not take account of your individual circumstances. It is not a personal recommendation to buy any particular policy.

We do not arrange, underwrite or sell insurance. Quote comparison is provided by a third-party comparison service, and this site may receive a commission for referrals. That commission does not affect the price you pay.

Policy terms, unoccupancy limits, exclusions and conditions differ between insurers and change over time. Always read the policy wording and the key facts document in full, and confirm the position with the insurer or an FCA-authorised broker before relying on any cover.