Protect your house and contents when leaving your home unoccupied for short periods.
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Short-term home insurance – also known as short-term unoccupied house insurance – covers your home if you leave it empty for more than 30 days, which is the usual limit of a standard home insurance policy.
An empty home is at greater risk of vandalism, wear and tear, fires and break-ins, so it’s essential to get short-term home insurance if you want to make sure you’re financially covered if something goes wrong while your property is empty.
You might need short-term home insurance if:
you’re going on a long trip
you’re moving out while your home’s being renovated
you’re moving house but haven’t yet sold your home
you’ve bought a new house but can’t move into it yet
you have a rental property that currently has no tenants
you’ve just inherited a property
Short-term house insurance is typically more expensive than standard home insurance because if something goes wrong in an unoccupied property – like a fire or burst pipe – there won’t be anyone there to sort it out quickly.
Short-term house insurance generally covers you against damage and losses caused by:
fire and smoke
storm and flood
impacts
water or oil
theft, attempted theft and vandalism
As part of your short-term unoccupied house insurance policy, you could get the following cover.
Covers the cost of repairing or rebuilding your property if it’s damaged. It may also cover the cost of repairing and/or rebuilding fixtures or outbuildings.
Covers the cost of repairing or replacing lost or damaged belongings kept in the property. You’ll be given a set amount that you can claim for, but you can pay extra to increase this figure.
Covers third-party claims for injury, damage or loss, to people or their property, caused by your home.
Covers you for legal expenses incurred in the process of managing your home. For example, it could cover the cost of evicting a tenant.
It’s important to remember that every temporary home insurance policy is different. You’ll need to check yours carefully to see exactly what you’re covered for, how much cover you have, as well as what you’re not covered for.
You’ll need to tell your insurer the length of time the property will be unoccupied, as well as offering them an appraisal of the condition of the property, such as any existing damage to windows, doors or the roof.
If you do not tell the truth about the property when you apply it may invalidate your policy, meaning you won’t be able to claim later.
Your insurer may request that you do some of the following before it offers you short-term unoccupied house insurance:
Visit the property regularly
Keep the heating on a timer to avoid pipes freezing or bursting
Turn off the mains water supply and electricity
If you’re looking to insure a property that you’re renovating, check you can get cover before you start.
To find the best short-term house insurance policy, you’ll need to think about the following:
What building cover you need: make sure you get enough insurance to cover the rebuild value of your property if the worst happens
What contents cover you need: if you keep contents in the property, calculate its replacement value in case your items are damaged or stolen
The length of cover you need: policies usually allow you to choose between three, six, nine, or 12 months of cover.
Shop around to find the best short-term house insurance policy for your unoccupied home. Use our broker form to compare quotes from each insurer in this comparison.
Price shouldn’t be your top priority. You should always aim to find the cover that best suits your needs. Once you know the level cover you want, compare policies and shop around to find the policy that offers what you need at the best price.
There are a few other things you can do to cut the cost of your short-term home insurance. These include:
removing valuable contents from the property before you apply
securing the property with an alarm or extra locks
joining a Neighbourhood Watch scheme to let thieves know that your neighbours are watching over your home
raising the excess on your policy, making sure you can afford the excess if you need to claim
Compare quotes to protect your home with the right cover.
Once you have insured your home, you need to keep your cover up to date to make sure it stays valid. Here is how you can manage your home insurance policy.
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Read MoreIf you own a second home in the UK, you may need specific home insurance to protect it. Here is how to cover your second home.
Read MoreBy comparing home insurance, you could save money on the policy. The best value Home insurance will offer the cover to your home and content. Choose a cover plan from the best UK home insurance companies and see the online discounts they offer.
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Last updated: 7 May 2022