Owning a buy to let property that is empty and not generating rental income, may not be what you had in mind when you decided to become a landlord and while you may do your utmost to prevent this loss of income, there may be times when it is completely outside your control. In these circumstances, you may need to consider unoccupied home insurance.

Period of vacancy

Your existing buy to let landlords insurance may provide appropriate cover for your purposes while you have tenants in place.  If your property is empty for extended period though then your buy to let insurance may cease to provide cover.

With some policies this may happen after 30 consecutive days though with some others this may extend to 45 days. You may typically need to study your own policy to understand the exact position for you.

Different risks

Unoccupied home insurance is specifically designed to offer protection for the variations in risk profile that may typically occur when a property is empty.

Having tenants in your property may result in issues that might potentially develop into something more serious, being caught and dealt with early. This may include situations such as a broken window allowing weather related damage to happen or a leaking pipe causing extensive water damage.

Vandals and thieves may also be on the lookout for properties showing no obvious signs of habitation.

Terms and conditions

There may be terms and conditions contained within a typical unoccupied home insurance policy, which may be quite different to those you may be familiar with in your buy to let building insurance.

There may, for example, be a condition that requires that you have your property inspected on a regular basis (perhaps weekly) to check that everything is ok and to carry out any necessary repairs or on-going maintenance work.

This might include keeping the garden tidy and free from rubbish. You may also be required to keep a log of these visits.

Sensible precautions

Of course, your policy may also ask that you take some sensible precautions to help to keep your property safe while it is unoccupied.

For example, setting up timers to automatically turn a few lights on and off may help to give your property a lived in look that may deter thieves.

In the winter, unless you are keeping the heating on at a low temperature to avoid frost damage, unoccupied home insurance policies may also typically suggest that you drain down all heating and water systems.