If you own a second home or a holiday home, then it is likely that your property will be left empty for months at a time.
In this post we will discuss the main risks associated with leaving a house empty; while exploring some steps you can take to secure your property while it is unoccupied.
What to Consider When Leaving a House Empty
There are a number of things to consider if you’re going to be leaving your house empty or unoccupied for a significant period of time (over 30 days), including:
- Home insurance implications
- Risks of leaving your house empty
- Utilities
- Security
In this post, we’ll discuss each of these in more detail and what you can do to help keep your house safe when it’s unoccupied.
Home Insurance For Empty Properties
The first thing to bear in mind when leaving a house empty is that, typically, home insurance policies will only cover occupied homes. The cover will not apply if you leave the home unoccupied for a specified period of time. In many policies, you can only leave a home unoccupied for 30 days before your cover expires.
So if you own a second home or a holiday home, no matter what steps you take to secure your property, it is a good idea to arrange for a dedicated insurance policy to cover your home whenever you leave it unoccupied.
Read our full guide to second home insurance.
What Are The Risks of Leaving a House Empty?
There are many risks associated with leaving a house empty. The main issue is that, if anything goes wrong in the house, it could be months before you or anyone else finds out. This means that small issues could ultimately snowball into major disasters.
Theft and Vandalism
Thieves may actively target empty properties, as they know that it could be months before anyone discovers the break-in. Vandals may target the home for similar reasons. Vandalism and forced entry could also leave the home vulnerable to other issues, such as trespassers and water damage.
Floods and Escape of Water
A house does not have to be located on a flood plain to be vulnerable to flooding. Low temperatures could cause the pipes to freeze and burst, which could result in escape of water and extensive water damage.
Fire
A fire could break out for any number of reasons, whether as a result of an electrical fault or arson. Fire could also spread from an outbreak in a neighbouring property. As we mentioned above, if your home is unoccupied, then even a small fire could soon escalate into a devastating blaze. And even if the fire is contained, if you are not around to address the damage, it could result in long-term structural damage.
How To Keep Your Empty Home Safe
First, be sure to get some dedicated second home insurance to cover your property. A standard home insurance policy simply will not give you the cover you need.
Should You Switch Off The Utilities in an Empty Home?
It might seem like a good idea to turn off the water, electric, and gas when your home is unoccupied. But there are a few things to consider:
- A house without any power will look unoccupied, which may encourage any burglars and vandals in the area to break in.
- You may need an electrical supply to power the home’s security systems while you are away.
- It may be a condition of certain policies for the heating to be left on in the winter months. This will prevent the pipes from freezing, which will help prevent floods.
- It could cost money to disconnect the home’s utilities, and it could cost you even more money to reconnect them again. Put simply, switching off the utilities could be more trouble than it is worth.
Keeping Your Empty Home Secure
Above all, never make it obvious that any property you own will be unoccupied. This means that you should not share posts on social media talking about your property while hinting at when you will, and will not, be around.
- Invest in CCTV cameras, extra locks, automatic floodlights, alarms, and other security systems. Some CCTV systems allow you to monitor the feeds remotely, meaning you can personally check up on any alerts in real-time.
- You could also invest in alarm systems that automatically alert the local emergency services, so that they can check up on incidents if you are not around to do so.
- Consider appointing a house sitter, or an onsite security guard, to monitor the property while you are not around.
- If possible, lease the property as a holiday home any time you are not using it. This will create additional insurance implications, but it will at least mean that the home is not left empty for too long.
- Arrange for any mail to get redirected whenever you are not around. If your second home is in the UK, you can use the Royal Mail’s redirection service.
- You could also talk to your neighbours and ask them to keep an eye on your house when you are not around. They could collect any packages that delivery drivers may leave on or around the house, and you could also ask them to look out for any suspicious activity.
Get Dedicated Second Home and Holiday Home Insurance From James Hallam
James Hallam is an independent Lloyd’s broker with a dedicated team of experienced insurance professionals who specialise in protecting your second home, whether it is in the UK or abroad.
We can also provide expert risk management advice to help you keep your second home secure whenever you leave it unoccupied.
Find out how we can help you today.