Are you going to be leaving your home vacant for a while? This isn't about going away on a trip for several weeks or a couple of months time. Those are situations that the insurance provider determines to be "unoccupied" by their definition. It's something that many people do occasionally, and is to be expected.
During the heating season if the home is unoccupied for four days or more, this is one of the only times that coverage restriction might apply. Homes should have a daily visit in order to ensure that your heating system is running properly. Or you can shut off the water, and drain any pipes and appliances. Without either of these precautions, your insurance company will not pay for any losses resulting from frozen pipes.
What's considered "vacant"?
"Vacant" to insurance providers, usually means that you've left your home and have no intention of returning, or it may be a new home you haven't yet moved into. If you have a rental home that has no tenants at the time, this would also be considered vacant.
Be sure to talk to your insurance agent as soon as possible if your home will be vacant for any reason. You can have insurance on your vacant home and still have certain exceptions that are not covered, including vandalism, water damage, and glass breakage. And if your home is vacant more than 30 days, you'll generally have no coverage at all, unless you've added a "vacancy permit".
What's a vacancy permit?
It costs more than regular insurance, but you can add a vacancy permit to your policy and retain some coverage for your home. However, glass, vandalism, and water are usually still excluded!
There are also a number of things you can do to help prevent losses from occurring while your property is vacant:
Have the landscaping maintained, and be sure that there isn't any junk or rubbish in the yard.
Draw the blinds or have curtains covering every window.
Don't let mail or flyers pile up at the front door.
Timers for your lights can make it appear that someone is home.
Get someone you trust to come over and check on your place weekly or more to make sure that everything is in order on the interior and exterior of the home.
If it's winter, the heating needs to be looked after correctly.
Having an alarm installed is a good idea, but at the very least, ensure that windows and doors are all secured tightly.
Go out of your way to make it appear that someone is living in the home. A vacant home is an easy target for a vandal, so don't make it apparent that the home is empty. Most importantly, keep in close contact with your insurance provider. It's important to inform them about when you'll be back, and discuss your plans for maintenance while you're gone. Be sure that you don't get left footing the bill if there is a major problem while you're gone, so talk to your insurance provider right away.
During the heating season if the home is unoccupied for four days or more, this is one of the only times that coverage restriction might apply. Homes should have a daily visit in order to ensure that your heating system is running properly. Or you can shut off the water, and drain any pipes and appliances. Without either of these precautions, your insurance company will not pay for any losses resulting from frozen pipes.
What's considered "vacant"?
"Vacant" to insurance providers, usually means that you've left your home and have no intention of returning, or it may be a new home you haven't yet moved into. If you have a rental home that has no tenants at the time, this would also be considered vacant.
Be sure to talk to your insurance agent as soon as possible if your home will be vacant for any reason. You can have insurance on your vacant home and still have certain exceptions that are not covered, including vandalism, water damage, and glass breakage. And if your home is vacant more than 30 days, you'll generally have no coverage at all, unless you've added a "vacancy permit".
What's a vacancy permit?
It costs more than regular insurance, but you can add a vacancy permit to your policy and retain some coverage for your home. However, glass, vandalism, and water are usually still excluded!
There are also a number of things you can do to help prevent losses from occurring while your property is vacant:
Have the landscaping maintained, and be sure that there isn't any junk or rubbish in the yard.
Draw the blinds or have curtains covering every window.
Don't let mail or flyers pile up at the front door.
Timers for your lights can make it appear that someone is home.
Get someone you trust to come over and check on your place weekly or more to make sure that everything is in order on the interior and exterior of the home.
If it's winter, the heating needs to be looked after correctly.
Having an alarm installed is a good idea, but at the very least, ensure that windows and doors are all secured tightly.
Go out of your way to make it appear that someone is living in the home. A vacant home is an easy target for a vandal, so don't make it apparent that the home is empty. Most importantly, keep in close contact with your insurance provider. It's important to inform them about when you'll be back, and discuss your plans for maintenance while you're gone. Be sure that you don't get left footing the bill if there is a major problem while you're gone, so talk to your insurance provider right away.
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