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Short term empty property cover

Most standard property insurance will provide cover for properties that are unoccupied for less than a specified number of consecutive days. That figure is usually somewhere between 30 and 45 consecutive days (depending on the insurance provider). This is typically more than sufficient to cope with property standing unoccupied for reasons such as normal annual holidays, business trips, weekends away or even short to medium level stays in hospital etc.

However, once that number of days has passed, your property becomes officially categorised by insurance providers as “unoccupied”. Shortly before that point is reached, you should switch to unoccupied property insurance.

Failure to do so could mean that your current insurance will only cover the most basic of risks – or could become completely invalid, meaning your property is not protected.

Why different cover is required

Empty property insurance is typically required because the likelihood of a claim increases significantly if the property is empty and some of the common perils – such as escape of water, theft, and malicious damage – may be excluded under your existing cover.

Those consequences of a property sitting empty might include:

  • occupation by squatters;
  • general and increasing dilapidation due to the absence of residents to keep things in order;
  • an increased risk of vandalism;
  • things such as unnoticed leaks and damp penetration that cause serious problems to the structure of the property;
  • fire;
  • it becomes a very visible target for burglars, remembering that sometimes even basic infrastructure such as radiators and pipework can be the target of theft.

At the very least, therefore, you may need to inform your insurers that the property is going to be unoccupied for more than 30 days (or the period stated within your policy documents). In that event you may also want to give serious consideration to empty property insurance to main full protection of your property.

Examples of why a property may be empty

Although very few people are likely to go out of their way to leave their home or let property empty, there are occasions when it is practically inevitable. The reasons might include:

  • awaiting the completion of probate to determine the ownership of the property;
  • refurbishment, remodelling or renovation that makes the home or let property uninhabitable for the duration of the works;
  • a job that takes you away from home for several months;
  • an extended holiday overseas – to visit relatives or friends, for example;
  • a change of tenancies, involving an interval between the present tenants moving out and new ones moving in; or
  • it remains up for sale whilst you have already moved into your new home.

In some of these instances you may have a reasonably determinate date for the property to be reoccupied and you may arrange your empty property insurance accordingly. On the other hand, the short-term nature of the vacancy may need to be extended for reasons beyond your control – and you may need the flexibility of extendable cover.

Short term empty property cover

Where your property may be empty for longer than 30-45 consecutive days but only for a relatively short period after that, then the good news is that short term unoccupied property insurance can offer a flexible solution.

Short term empty property insurance does what it says on the tin and can run typically for 3, 6 or 9 months, with the option to extend if required. (For example, a probate property may take longer than expected to go through the process, or your renovations may run behind, meaning you need to extend your empty property insurance).

If so, you may be glad of the kind of flexible short-term policy in which we at Cover4LetProperty specialise. It may be a simple matter of asking us for an unoccupied property insurance quote.

In any situation where your property is either empty or unoccupied, to ensure continuity of cover you will need unoccupied property insurance.

Even if the property is now sitting unoccupied for reasons beyond your control, this insurance consideration will still apply, and you will require empty property insurance. It might also be worth noting that this applies equally to owner-occupied and let properties.

It wouldn’t be advisable to take chances in this respect. If you have any doubts or uncertainties about the insurance status of one of your properties, we’d welcome your earliest contact for a discussion. Please call our friendly team on 01702 606 301.

Further reading: Guide to Unoccupied Property.

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