Unoccupied House Insurance: If your house is to be vacant for a certain period of time you want it to be protected just as an occupied house is, with property and liability coverage. This is where unoccupied house insurance comes in. Maybe you want two homes and go from one to another. But most likely it is because you have an unsold house. Just because you have your standard homeowner’s insurance policy, it does not mean that your house is covered if no one is living in it. Unfortunately, a lot of insurance companies will void your insurance if your house is unoccupied for 30 days with no unoccupied house insurance. Why? If your house is unoccupied, there is a greater chance that some damage will occur to it (for example, someone breaks in an vandalizes your house). Furthermore, if there is a fire or a flood (because there is nobody to report the damage) the expenses to repair this damage will be more than if the house was occupied. These are risks, which some insurance companies are not willing to take. There are however, two options available for insuring your house…

Ask your current home insurer if you can get a vacancy permit. A vacancy permit extends the insurance you have on your house to cover the time for which your house has nobody residing in it. Keep in mind however, that this vacancy permit will not be cheap.

Shop around for unoccupied house insurance. Your current home insurer might offer it. If it doesn’t, check out the other companies. Also, there are companies out there, which specialize in providing unoccupied house insurance. Foremost as well as AIG, specialize in insuring unoccupied homes. One of my favorite ways to look up home insurance companies is through the Yellowpages. Talk to your local independent insurance agents as well. Because independent insurance agents have connections with a lot of companies, they are likely to find you one, which offers unoccupied house insurance at a reasonable rate.

Although insurance for unoccupied houses is generally more expensive than typical home insurance, there are ways, which your premium can be lowered:

Saving on unoccupied house insurance.

Have someone check in on the house to make sure everything is all right.

Make your house look occupied (ex. ask your neighbor to park a car in your driveway).

Make sure that your doors and windows are tightly sealed.

Install a security system and/or get security devices such as a fire alarm or a fire extinguisher.

Don’t move out of your house until you have sold it. That way, you can avoid having to deal with unoccupied house insurance all together.

Rent out the house to someone if you expect your house to be unoccupied long enough for a lease agreement.

When getting quotes for unoccupied house insurance, don’t expect any great prices. The premium is likely to be a lot more than what you expected. When talking with insurance companies, make sure that they know all the steps you have taken to minimize the risk. You should also tell them of how long you expect the house to be vacant and that you have a plan to get people into the house as soon as possible (this applies more if you are getting a vacancy permit).

Related hub:

Cheap Renters Insurance-Cheap Apartment Renters Insurance: Saving Money

Good luck on your search for unoccupied house insurance!