Insurance for a vacant house that is in the selling process.

Hi we are in the process of selling our home that we moved out of recently. Our insurance is due for renewal and I advised the insurers that the house was vacant at nights as a family member 'works from home' there by day.

The Insurers are reluctant to offer me insurance as they say most burglaries happens at night. They are considering giving us fire cover only but have encouraged us to look toward a brokers for cover. The purchasers solicitors is looking for information on insurance and if there are any restrictions. Anyone got any experience of this scenario. If so, then how did it play out and how was it resolved. Anyone got names of brokers who can help us?

Thanks

KV

Can you get a family member to move in short term? I had a similar issue a few years ago - I gave the house, rent free, to a niece for a couple of months so the insurer was happy enough with a 'family member' occupying the house and so got it fully insured.

A break-in to an empty house may not cause much expense and repair may not be much over your excess anyway.

Fire and flooding insurance are much more important with an empty house.

My experience;

Googling unoccupied house insurance threw up several who cover unoccupied houses.

I found the proposal forms for most of them impossible to satisfy.

Arachas were the easiest to deal with. Unoccupied cover does not come cheap around €800 and all including Arachas excluded water damage.

I could not find any that offered cover for less than 12 months.

I bought a 12 month policy with Arachas then cancelled and got a refund when the house was sold. Arachas T&C’s state they can keep minimum 6 months premium regardless of when you cancel, in our case we sold and cancelled after 5 months, getting a refund of €400 the next day.

It did mean a minimum premium of €400 if the sale was closed quickly.

NoRegretsCoyote said:

A break-in to an empty house may not cause much expense and repair may not be much over your excess anyway.

Fire and flooding insurance are much more important with an empty house.

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I said that to the guy in the office today. There's nothing in the house to take so I'm not sure what the big deal is about. It's alarmed also so I really am puzzled why the underwriters are freaking out.

if there is nothing of value in the house, why do you need insurance other than fire?

Make sure that the water is turned off.

A standard house policy includes public liability.

With the estate agent, potential buyers, surveyors, valuers etc all going to be in the property, I was happy to pay the extra rather than accept the substantially cheaper fire only cover that was offered from the existing insurer.

kingvagabond said:

Hi we are in the process of selling our home that we moved out of recently. Our insurance is due for renewal and I advised the insurers that the house was vacant at nights as a family member 'works from home' there by day.

The Insurers are reluctant to offer me insurance as they say most burglaries happens at night. They are considering giving us fire cover only but have encouraged us to look toward a brokers for cover. The purchasers solicitors is looking for information on insurance and if there are any restrictions. Anyone got any experience of this scenario. If so, then how did it play out and how was it resolved. Anyone got names of brokers who can help us?

Thanks

KV

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Purchaser solicitor isn't entitled to information on your insurance. Simply dont provide it. Their only concern would be the unavailability of insurance under normal circumstances, such as flood in Cork etc.

Just have the family member that works from home stay over one night a month. Insurers consider unoccupied as being 30 days normally without anyone in the property.