This is particularly useful if you have guests staying, as it can cover the cost of things like spills and stains. If anything gets accidentally broken, this extra can help cover the cost to repair or replace damaged items.
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Compare holiday home insurance
Compare holiday home insurance and protect your property
Holiday home insurance is designed to cover a second property
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Last updated
October 29th, 2025
Why compare holiday home insurance with us?
Comparing holiday home insurance with money.co.uk is quick and simple. You can find the right policy for your needs, whether it's for a UK or overseas property. You'll save money by finding the cheapest quotes from a single, trusted source.
How to choose the best holiday home insurance
It’s important that you find the right cover for your needs, so here are three things to consider during the decision making process:
What’s covered
To find the right insurance you’ll need to decide what you need the holiday home insurance to cover. Do an audit of the home and be realistic with the value of the items.
To rent, or not to rent
If you would like to rent out your holiday home then this will impact the type of holiday home insurance you’ll need. Therefore, before choosing insurance, take this into consideration.
When it will be occupied
The very nature of a holiday home means that it won’t be occupied constantly, so think about how often it’ll be left unoccupied as this will also be a factor in choosing the right insurance.
What is holiday home insurance?
Holiday home insurance is designed to cover a second property used on and off throughout the year. Standard home insurance covers properties that are permanently occupied, whereas holiday home insurance is tailored to suit a property that's left empty for longer periods of time.
A standard holiday home insurance policy will include buildings and contents cover, but there are a range of optional extras that offer a higher level of protection. This might be accidental damage cover, legal expenses cover, or home emergency cover.
If you're renting out the property to allow friends and family to stay for free you may want to consider holiday let insurance instead.
What does holiday home insurance cover?
You can buy holiday home insurance as a combined buildings and contents policy, or you can buy them separately.
Buildings insurance
Buildings insurance covers the structure of the your holiday home. This includes the roof, walls and floors, as well as any permanent fixtures and fittings like the bathroom or kitchen cabinets.
Buildings insurance is a crucial type of cover, especially if a mortgage is involved. You'll often be required to buy buildings insurance by your mortgage lender as a condition of the loan.
Contents insurance
Contents insurance covers the items you keep at your holiday home. These are your personal belongings that may include furniture, electronics and clothing, for example.
You'll want to make sure that you don't leave high-value items in the property when it's left unoccupied, as this can invalidate your claim if they're stolen.
Key policy features for a holiday home
Like any home insurance policy, holiday home insurance will include buildings and contents cover. However, holiday home insurance has some key differences, such as the unoccupancy period.
The unoccupancy period is how long the property is left empty, and is a crucial feature of holiday home insurance. A standard home insurance policy will usually allow a home to be vacant for up to 30 consecutive days, but holiday home insurance covers longer periods of vacancy. This is often up to 60 days.
But most insurers will prefer a holiday home that isn't left vacant for too long as it increases the risk of criminal damage. Your policy may have an inspection clause to reduce the risk.
What add-ons are available for holiday home insurance?
Accidental damage cover
This is particularly useful if you have guests staying, as it can cover the cost of things like spills and stains. If anything gets accidentally broken, this extra can help cover the cost to repair or replace damaged items.
Home emergency cover
If the boiler breaks down or there's a water leak, home emergency cover can provide rapid assistance.
Loss of keys
This covers the cost of getting you back into the property, and changing the locks if you lose your keys.
What add-ons are available for holiday home insurance?
Accidental damage cover
Home emergency cover
If the boiler breaks down or there's a water leak, home emergency cover can provide rapid assistance.
Loss of keys
This covers the cost of getting you back into the property, and changing the locks if you lose your keys.
Holiday home vs holiday let insurance
Holiday let insurance covers properties that are rented out to paying guests, whereas holiday home insurance is for a property used exclusively by the owner and their family.
Because of these differences, the level of cover you'll need will vary. Holiday let insurance covers business-related risks like public liability for guests and loss of rental income. Whereas holiday home insurance covers the property for personal use, much like standard home insurance.
Holiday let insurance provides cover for things like public liability insurance, loss of rental income and accidental damage. You can read more about it in our holiday let insurance guide.
Insuring a holiday home abroad
Homes abroad have their own unique set of risks. In the event of an emergency, travel costs will be higher. There are also differing legal requirements depending on the country the holiday home is in.
Some UK providers can offer second home insurance for properties overseas, while others may require a specialist policy. These insurers will usually have a list of countries they will cover.
It's usually easier to find European holiday home insurance than places further away. Popular holiday destinations like France, Spain, and Portugal tend to have the best choice of providers. If you're fluent in the language, you may want to compare local providers, otherwise overseas holiday home insurance providers usually have English-speaking claim lines.
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