Many insurers in the UK impose Unoccupied Property Insurance cover restrictions on properties unoccupied for a certain period of time.
- Full cover available including vandalism and escape of water
- Standard Buildings and contents cover for empty homes
- Flexible terms and conditions concerning water, gas and electric
- Legal Cover available which includes squatters, trespass and eviction
- Short term cover available for 3, 6 and 9 months
- Cover available for properties undergoing renovations
- Specialists cover for properties empty due to probate
The average amount of unoccupied cover ranges between 30 and 60 days before the insurer asks to be informed. At this point many standard insurers decline cover forcing the property owner to seek alternative cover.
This is where Motts can help with Unoccupied Property Insurance. We are experts in unoccupied properties and are able to place virtually any risk due to our long standing connections in the insurance market and our wealth of experience.
Did you know we are also specialists in Probate House Insurance as well. View our probate insurance services from our experienced insurance brokers.
The cover which is available will depend on the reason why the property is unoccupied however in most cases full cover is provided including £5m property owners liability.
The best option if your property will be unoccupied for a substantial amount of time is to get a specialist policy that covers the property comprehensively no matter how long the un-occupancy will be for.
Key Unoccupied Covers:
- Empty Property between tenants
- Property empty pending let
- Property is undergoing works / renovations
- Probate where the owner is deceased
- Property empty awaiting new owners
- Owner in hospital / nursing home / working abroad
- Policy can be transferred to standard let or household when occupied.
The cover which is available will depend on the reason why the property is unoccupied however in most cases full cover is provided including £5m property owners liability.
Our policy is totally transferable, therefore if the property becomes let, it can easily be amended to a Tenanted Property insurance policy to meet your new requirements. Contact Motts Insurance should you need to discuss a bespoke quote for your Unoccupied Property Insurance.
Unoccupied Property Insurance FAQs
Generally speaking most standard home insurers will allow up to 30 days un-occupancy cover as standard. Some insurers may extend this to 60 days upon request. After this the majority of mainstream insurance companies will not offer any cover at all. It is at this point you should cancel your existing home insurance policy and take out an unoccupied property insurance policy through an specialist broker such as Motts.
If you inherit a property from a deceased person’s estate it is important that you check what insurance cover is in place. If you know who the property is insured with it is advised that you contact the existing insurance company or brokers to advise them that the policyholder has passed away. As the property is now likely to be unoccupied Insurance Companies will in general offer between 30 to 60 days extended un-occupancy cover. After this period it is standard practise for the policy to be cancelled at which point you will need a specialist unoccupied property insurance policy which you can obtain via an insurance broker. Please note, if for some reason you do not know who the current insurers are it is absolutely imperative that you arrange a new insurance policy right away as it’s possible that the property could be uninsured.
There are basically two types of cover available for unoccupied properties. The basic cover is called Flea which stands for Fire, Lightening, Explosion and Aircraft. Flea cover is very restrictive and basically just covers incidents relating to fire. Flea is a useful cover for property developers who just need the very basic cover because the house is going to be renovated. For everyone else we would recommend standard cover which is a little more expensive but the cover is similar to that of standard home insurance that you would be familiar with. Cover can be arranged as Short Term Policies for 3, 6, 9 or 12 months or you can just take out an annual insurance policy. Unoccupied property insurance is required for many circumstances such as empty houses up for sale, houses unoccupied due to the home owner passing away, houses that are empty awaiting probate to be granted, let properties unoccupied between tenants, second homes that are left vacant for long periods, houses being renovated, empty properties bought at auction and houses empty due to the home owners working abroad.
Unoccupied property insurance is generally more expensive than standard home insurance. This is due to the property being deemed as a higher risk to insured perils such as fire, theft, malicious damage, flood and escape of water. Essentially there are two levels of cover available. The cheapest cover for unoccupied properties is called Flea which stands for Fire, Lightening, Explosion and aircraft. Flea is a very basic insurance that offers the minimum amount of cover available. Flea cover is useful for landlords and property developers that may only need basic insurance because they are renovating the house or they are expecting a quick sale. Unless you are property professional we would always recommend that you take out comprehensive unoccupied property insurance policy that acts in a similar way to standard home insurance. The price of your policy will depend on the rebuild cost of the property, the level of cover you require, the postcode of the property and the type of property you are looking to cover.
Cover for unoccupied properties can vary depending on the insurance company that you use. It is important to check with your insurance provider for any restrictions under the policy that might lead to a claim being turned down. Common exclusions might include theft without forcible entry which might occur if a door or window was left open. Major structural renovation such as demolition work or moving a retaining wall may not be covered by all insurers. Cover for this type of work can be obtained but it is important you mention this when first taking the policy out. Some policies might have certain endorsements in place that must be adhered to such as blocking up letter boxes, visiting the property at regular intervals, draining the heating system or leaving it at a particular temperature. Endorsements and restrictions are different with all insurance companies. Its worth having a chat with your broker to ensure that you are taking out a policy that suits your needs.
Depending on the circumstances and information available it is possible to have a probate insurance policy set up and the documents emailed across to you in a matter of minutes. We work with a number of probate departments within the legal profession and we are used to having short deadlines. It is often the case that solicitors we deal with do not have all the information required. We can help with this and offer potential solutions based on our knowledge of unoccupied properties to get your client on cover. Many standard household policies restrict cover or even automatically cancel policies when a property becomes unoccupied. Motts Insurance are experts when it comes to insuring empty properties and we offer a simple and efficient way to cover most cases offering insurance policies without unnecessary terms and restrictions to comply with. We’ve been insuring empty properties for over 30 years we have worked alongside numerous law firms and solicitors insuring both residential and commercial unoccupied properties for them and their clients.