Did you know? When it comes to ensuring an empty house, brokers understand the policy term can vary, from as little as 30 days to 3 months or over. The good news is that most policies are flexible, with a cancel or extend option available. Why A Standard Homeowners Insurance Policy will Not Provide Cover if Left Unoccupied A typical policy is designed to protect the main residence of a person or family from damage and theft. When the home is unoccupied for more than 30 days, the absence of dwellers on a regular basis will be noticed by others, which is considered an increase in risk to the insurance company. Because of the increase in risk, most insurance companies increase the premium to double the cost than of a typical policy for the same property. What does short term unoccupied house insurance cover? For the most part, short-term vacant property insurance for 3 months or longer covers the same items as a standard home policy but typically at a higher rate due to the increased risk. If you’re insuring an empty house, most policies generally include the following: Cover typically includes Theft and vandalism damage: A property that is empty will attract unwanted attention. Empty house polices should include cover for damage caused by break-ins. If the house has contents, be sure to have these included in the policy. Property owners liability: This is protection against a third party making a claim that they were injured or that their belongings were damaged whilst on your property. Property owners liability will provide cover for any court costs and potential compensation resulting from such a claim. Building insurance: Cover for loss or damage to the structure of your property or permanent fixtures, typical cover in the range of £1 million Water and Oil Damage:The escape of water or heating fuel can cause significant damage. Unless you have drained the water system and heating systems, make sure that your empty house cover will provide protection for damage caused by water and oil escaping. Cover typically excludes Wear and tear: Normal waer and tear is never covered under any insurance policy Lack of Maintenance: Damage resulting from neglect or failure to service appliances Malicous damage: Damage caused intentionally by others Escape of Water: Burst pipes or water damage, especially if heating is turned off What you need to get multiple quotes To get multiple quotes for your empty property please anwsers ready for the following questions : Property Details: Address of the empty property. is the property furnished or unfurnished Any history of claims on the property The period of coverage required can range from 1 month to 12 months, or any duration in between Type of property (e.g., house, bungalow, or apartment) and the number of bedrooms Get Multiple Quotes MultiQuoteTime Shares Tips on getting affordable empty house insurance in 2025 Getting a cheaper quote is possible by taking steps to reduce the likelihood of a claim. Below, we’ve outlined some practical actions you can take to help lower your premiums. Automatic Light timers A timer connected to a light that comes on in the evening is a good fake way to show the home is occupied when it is not. A vehicle in the driveway is another good deterrent. Vacant home insurance cover for 3 months or longer is a way to protect your investment when you are not around for an extended period of time. This financial protection is mandatory if you have a mortgage on the property. Electrical System Get a qualified election to check the wiring, especially if the house has not been rewired in the past 10 years. If you intend to sell or let out the property, you will need an electrical safety certificate. The certificate will be requested, so best to have it waiting and reading so the sale or let runs smoothly. Central Heating System If the property is to be left empt for any significant period of time, it is imperative that you rain your central heating system to avoid expensive repairs. This can be outsourced if you feel it is outside your how do skill set. Alternatively, read our guide on how to power flush a combi boiler central heating system Alarms If you are into smart home gadgets, Alexa has a skill that will switch on lights if it hears sounds during the middle of the night. Check it at least once a month One way to help reduce the risk of owning an unoccupied house is to check on it at least once a month. This can be accomplished by the homeowner or a caretaker. The caretaker can be a neighbour or someone who is hired to help look after the property. Whoever checks on the property, they should inspect the house. This inspection can include turning on the heater and or air condition to help keep them in working condition. They should also check the water and gas supply lines for leaks along with the items connected to them to make sure they are still in proper working order. It is advisable to have the water and gas lines drained, which is the safest path to preventing damage. How to compare multiple insurance quotes If you need cheap unoccupied home insurance 90 days or for shorter terms, complete one simple form provided by Quotezone you will receive multiple quotes from a panel of UK specialist insurance providers. If the property has been vacated without contents, you may wish to consider a building’s insurance empty property policy. 1. Complete the Form: details about you and the vehicle to be insured 2. Choose the level of cover: You can also add extras at this stage, such as public liability insurance. 3. Check prices: you could save £££’s Get Multiple Quotes
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Unoccupied Home Insurance for 90 Days or 6 Months

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Is your home going to be empty for 30, 60, 90 days or up to 6 months? Standard home insurance often restricts cover after 30 days unoccupied. Compare specialist unoccupied home insurance quotes that provide the right cover for your empty property.

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Cover for 30, 60, 90 days or up to 6 months
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Quotes are provided by a panel of specialist unoccupied home insurance providers. All providers are FCA regulated.

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Compare Unoccupied Home Insurance in Minutes

Compare quotes from brokers who specialise in empty and unoccupied properties.

  • Cover for 30, 60, 90 days or up to 6 months unoccupied
  • Buildings, contents, fire and theft cover included
  • Renovation, probate and holiday-home periods all covered
  • Panel of FCA-regulated specialist brokers only
  • One quick form, multiple quotes to compare
  • 100% free, no obligation to buy

Why Compare Unoccupied Home Insurance with MultiQuoteTime?

Standard home insurance policies often become invalid once a property is left empty for 30 days or more, leaving owners exposed at exactly the time cover matters most, whether that’s during a renovation, a probate period, or an extended stay away from the property.

Going straight to a single insurer means comparing only what that one provider chooses to quote you, and pricing and terms for unoccupied property cover can vary significantly between specialist brokers.

MultiQuoteTime gives you one simple form linked to a panel of specialist brokers we have access to, so you can compare unoccupied home insurance quotes side by side. If the property is empty following a bereavement, our guide to insuring an empty house after death covers the extra steps involved.

What You’ll Need To Get Unoccupied Home Insurance Quotes

Have these details ready and comparing quotes only takes a few minutes.

  • Property address: the full address of the empty property
  • Furnished or unfurnished: whether the property still contains contents
  • Claims history: any previous claims on the property
  • Cover period: how long the property will be empty, from 1 month up to 12 months
  • Property type: house, bungalow or apartment, and number of bedrooms

Tips To Help Reduce Your Unoccupied Home Insurance Costs

Getting a cheaper quote is possible by taking steps to reduce the likelihood of a claim. Here are some practical actions that can help lower your premium.

Automatic light timers

A timer connected to a light that comes on in the evening is a simple way to make a property look occupied when it isn’t. A car left in the driveway can have the same effect.

Check the electrical system

Ask a qualified electrician to check the wiring, especially if the property hasn’t been rewired in the past 10 years. If you plan to sell or let the property, you’ll also need a valid electrical safety certificate, best to have this ready in advance so a sale or letting isn’t held up.

Drain the central heating system

If the property will be empty for a significant period, it’s important to drain the central heating system to avoid expensive repairs. This can be outsourced to a professional if it’s outside what you’re comfortable doing yourself, or read our guide on how to power flush a combi boiler central heating system.

Consider a smart alarm

Some smart home systems can trigger lights to switch on automatically if they detect sound during the night, another simple way to make an empty property look lived in.

Check on the property at least once a month

Checking in regularly, either yourself, a trusted neighbour, or a hired caretaker, helps catch problems early. On each visit, briefly run the heating and any air conditioning to keep them working, and check the water and gas supply lines for leaks. If the property will be empty for a long stretch, it’s often safest to have the water and gas lines properly drained by a professional.

Why a Standard Home Insurance Policy Won’t Cover an Empty Property

A typical home insurance policy is designed to protect a residence that’s lived in day to day. Once a property sits empty for more than 30 days, insurers see it as a bigger risk: nobody’s there to notice a break-in, a leak, or a fire early, so premiums for unoccupied cover are often significantly higher than a standard policy for the same property.

If there’s a mortgage on the property, it’s worth checking with your lender directly, many require unoccupied cover to stay in place whenever a property is left empty for an extended period.

Did you know? Unoccupied home insurance policy terms can vary from as little as 30 days up to 3 months or longer. Most policies are flexible, with the option to cancel or extend cover as your circumstances change.

What Does Unoccupied Home Insurance Cover?

Cover available through the panel of specialist brokers we have access to typically mirrors a standard home insurance policy, but priced for the added risk of a property sitting empty. As with any insurance, always check the individual policy wording to confirm exactly what’s included.

Theft and vandalism damage

An empty property can attract unwanted attention. Cover typically includes damage caused by break-ins, and if the property still has contents inside, make sure these are included in the policy too.

Property owners liability

Protection if a third party is injured, or their belongings are damaged, while on your property. This can cover court costs and compensation if a claim is made against you.

Buildings insurance

Cover for loss or damage to the structure of the property and its permanent fixtures, typically up to around £1 million, though the exact limit depends on the policy.

Water and oil damage

Escaping water or heating fuel can cause serious damage. Cover typically applies where the water and heating systems have been properly drained or maintained, so check the policy wording on this specific point.

What’s Not Covered

Every policy differs, but common exclusions on unoccupied home insurance typically include:

  • Wear and tear: normal wear and tear is never covered under any insurance policy
  • Lack of maintenance: damage caused by neglect or failing to service appliances
  • Malicious damage: damage caused intentionally by others
  • Burst pipes from an undrained system: water damage caused by pipes that weren’t drained or heating left off is usually treated as a maintenance issue rather than an insured event

Always check your policy documentation carefully to confirm the specific exclusions that apply to your cover.

Probate Properties

If a property is left empty following the death of the owner, existing cover often has shortfalls and may not continue after a fixed number of days of being unoccupied. It’s important to contact the existing insurance provider to find out how long cover will continue, some policies become void after as little as 30 days left unoccupied.

The executor is responsible for restoring the same level of cover the property had while it was occupied. In these circumstances, a specialist type of cover known as probate insurance is needed. Our guide on insuring an empty house after death covers the process in more detail.

Do You Need Short-Term Unoccupied House Insurance?

The definition of an unoccupied property varies between insurers. Typically, it’s a residential house or flat with no overnight guests or tenants for 30 days or more, though some providers extend this to 40 days before cover is affected.

Common reasons to take out short-term unoccupied house insurance include:

  • Extensive remodelling or renovation work that means moving out for an extended period
  • Insuring an empty home after the death of the owner, while the family decides what to do with an inherited property, often referred to as probate insurance
  • Choosing unoccupied cover instead of a holiday home policy, if you only return to the property periodically
  • The property being on the market for more than 30 days since you moved out
  • Relocating for work but not wanting to sell the property
  • Going on an extended holiday of more than 30 days
  • An extended hospital stay or period of medical care or treatment away from home
  • A buy-to-let property sitting empty in a sluggish rental market
  • Struggling to find tenants to rent the property

Brokers understand that policy terms for unoccupied property cover can vary, from as little as 30 days to 3 months or more, and most policies are flexible with a cancel or amend option available.

Frequently Asked Questions

That question can only be answered by your own insurance provider, since every home insurance policy has a clause stating how long the property can be left continuously unoccupied. Some allow as little as 30 days, others longer, but few exceed 45 days before you’ll need specialist unoccupied cover.

A typical empty house insurance policy covers the building for losses caused by fire, lightning, explosion, earthquake, smoke, aircraft collision, and legal liability.

Yes, unoccupied property insurance can be used to insure a garage or other outbuilding. When applying for cover, ask your broker to include any outbuildings on the policy. You can also opt to cover the contents of those buildings, provided they meet any security criteria set by the insurer.

Like any insurance, the cost is determined by several factors. Key factors include the postcode, the level of cover needed, and the value of the home.

A simple answer would be a property that nobody lives in, but that can be misleading. Take a property undergoing renovation work that makes it temporarily uninhabitable, you might visit it daily, so would you consider it unoccupied? Many insurers would still class the property as empty or unoccupied. The same applies if you were to treat yourself to an extended holiday of over 30 days. Always check your policy’s own definition of “unoccupied.”

Policy durations for unoccupied house insurance typically range from 30 days to 12 months, with options to extend cover if needed. Always check with your insurer for specific terms and extension possibilities.

Making the property more secure can help lower costs. It also helps to only insure for the period you actually need: most brokers offer terms of 1, 3, 6, 9 or 12 months.

Yes, insurance is available for all house types, including unoccupied properties with a thatch roof. Expect to pay more for unoccupied insurance on a thatched roof, to cover the additional risk this type of property poses.

Yes, Council Tax is still payable on empty properties, and if a property is left unoccupied for over 2 years, expect the Council Tax to double.

Insuring an empty house after death of the Owner

how to insure an empty house after death

When it comes to home insurance, there is always a policy that applies in the event of the homeowner’s death. As is the tradition, a probate period applies, in which the ultimate disposal of the home is determined

Eamonn Turley
Last Updated: 14 July 2026
Reviewed by: Eamonn Turley, Insurance Specialist
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