Home insurance for empty properties is easiest to get right by matching the situation rather than shopping for a product. Insurers underwrite the reason as much as the building, because the reason predicts how long the emptiness will last and how well the property will be looked after. Four situations account for most of it, and each has a natural answer.
Probate
The house is empty from the date of death and probate is slow. The policy needs to be in the personal representatives' names, the insurer told about the death, and cover moved to unoccupied terms once the household insurer's grace period ends. Contents and valuables are the practical problem, because they are still in the house and are usually excluded.
A sale that has not completed
The shortest situation and the easiest. A three month term with a pro rata refund fits a property under offer. The seller retains the risk until completion, so cover must run to the day the keys change hands rather than to the day the contract was exchanged.
Renovation
Not simply an empty house: a building site. Most unoccupied wordings restrict cover during structural works, so this usually needs a renovation or contract works policy, with the contractor carrying their own liability and, on larger jobs, the works themselves insured. Tell the insurer the scope before anything starts.
A move into care
Often open ended and often managed by a family member at a distance. A six or twelve month unoccupied policy suits it, and the inspection condition is the practical difficulty. Arranging somebody local to visit on a schedule, and to record it, is what makes the policy work rather than merely exist.
Questions people ask about home insurance for empty properties
Does the reason the house is empty matter?
A great deal. Insurers underwrite how long it will last and how well it will be looked after, and probate, a sale, a renovation and a move into care predict very different answers.
Who insures a house that is being sold?
The seller, until completion. Cover must run to the day the keys change hands, not to exchange.
Can I insure a house being renovated as unoccupied?
Usually not for structural work. A renovation or contract works policy is the right product and the contractor should carry their own liability.
What about contents left in the house?
Usually limited and valuables usually excluded. Remove or at least record and photograph what matters early.