If your rental property is empty for more than 30 to 60 days, most standard landlord policies stop covering it. An unoccupied home carries a higher risk of water damage, theft, vandalism and undetected faults, so insurers restrict or suspend cover once it passes the vacancy limit. Leave the property empty without telling your insurer and a later claim can be refused.
This guide explains when a property counts as unoccupied, what changes about your cover, and how to stay insured through a void period.
When a property counts as unoccupied
Insurers set a vacancy limit in the policy, commonly 30, 45 or 60 consecutive days. Past that point the property is treated as unoccupied and the standard cover no longer applies in full. The clock usually starts when the property is empty of both people and their belongings, not simply between tenants who have left furniture behind.
Common reasons a let sits empty long enough to trigger the limit include:
- A gap between tenancies while you refurbish or re-let.
- Major renovation or an extension that makes the property unfit to live in.
- A probate or inherited property waiting to be sold or let.
- A tenant moving out early or being evicted, leaving the property empty at short notice.
What changes about your cover
Once a property passes the vacancy limit, insurers typically strip cover back to a limited set of perils. You may keep protection for fire, lightning, explosion and aircraft, but lose cover for escape of water, theft, malicious damage and accidental damage. These are the exact risks that rise when no one is present to spot a leak or deter a break-in.
Escape of water is the biggest exposure in an empty home. A slow leak can run for weeks before anyone notices, turning a minor fault into a major claim. To understand how these claims are handled, read escape-of-water claims explained.
How to stay insured through a void period
Take three steps before and during any extended vacancy.
- Tell your insurer as soon as you know the property will be empty. This is a change in risk you are required to disclose, and hiding it gives the insurer grounds to refuse a claim.
- Ask to extend the vacancy limit or add unoccupied property cover, either as an endorsement to your existing policy or a separate specialist policy for the void period.
- Meet the insurer’s conditions for empty properties. These often include regular documented inspections, draining the water system in cold weather, turning off the water at the mains, and securing letterboxes and post.
Unoccupied cover costs more than a standard let and comes with tighter conditions, but it keeps you protected during the highest-risk period. Keep dated records of every inspection. If you claim, the insurer will ask for proof you met the conditions.
How to buy the right cover
Most unoccupied property cover is arranged through brokers and specialist schemes rather than direct insurers, because each empty property needs manual assessment. Give an accurate account of why the property is empty, how long you expect it to stay that way, and what security and maintenance is in place.
Under the Consumer Duty, firms must provide products that give fair value and clear information, which the FCA monitors. If a claim on an empty property is refused and you believe the decision is unfair, use the insurer’s complaints process, then take an eligible complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Our guide to complaining about an insurer or broker sets out the steps. For the wider policy in context, see landlord buildings and contents insurance.
Sources
- Financial Conduct Authority, Consumer Duty and fair value in general insurance.
- Association of British Insurers, escape of water as the most common domestic property claim.