Basic homeowners insurance won’t provide coverage for your home after it’s vacant for a month. It’s crucial to have a vacant home insurance policy if you plan to leave your home empty for significant periods of time. Even when you’re away from home, accidents and losses, such as severe weather, vandalism, and theft, can still happen.
When looking for the right policy for your needs, you should always compare home insurance quotes and coverage options.
Here’s what you need to know about vacant home insurance.
Vacant home insurance protects your home or another dwelling when it’s vacant for a period longer than your basic home insurance policy allows. This period is typically 30–60 days for most standard home insurance policies, but it varies depending on your homeowners policy and company.1
Insurance companies may also refer to vacant home insurance as “unoccupied home insurance” or “vacant property insurance.” You can buy this type of coverage as its own policy or as an add-on endorsement to your current policy. Ask your home insurance company which coverage options it offers.
Vacant home insurance can be useful in a number of different scenarios, including:2
You’re planning an extended vacation and your home will be empty for more than 30–60 days.
You rent a home and are in between tenants (you may need landlord insurance for this).
You’re doing extensive repairs on your home and expect it to be empty for 30–60 days or more (you can also typically purchase home renovation insurance for this).
You have a vacation home where you stay only during the summer.
A standard homeowners insurance policy doesn’t cover your home in these scenarios because vacant homes are more susceptible to certain hazards, such as theft, vandalism, and untreated weather damage.
Vacant home insurance covers much of what standard home insurance covers, though not everything. It covers the following perils:
Theft
Vandalism
Lightning
Fire
Wind
Hail
Explosions
If you still want additional insurance coverage, you should talk with your home insurer about other add-on coverages. Other useful insurance add-ons that homeowners and building owners may want to consider for vacant homes include home renovation insurance, landlord insurance, other structures coverage, and personal property coverage.
For example, you should also consider a separate flood insurance policy to protect against water from a flash flood.
It’s important to have coverage for your vacant house for the same reason as an occupied house — repairing home damage can be extremely costly. Some potential risks to your home, such as theft and vandalism, are more likely when your home is vacant.
Unoccupied homes cost more to insure because they have a higher risk of damage to your property and personal belongings. If you need vacant home insurance, first ask your current insurer whether they offer it. Insurers often offer it as an add-on or separate coverage. If not, you’ll need to purchase it from a different insurer.
Some homeowners insurance companies even offer discounts for vacant home insurance. Common savings opportunities for vacant homes include multi-dwelling, multi-policy, and new home discounts.3
Ask your home insurance company or insurance agent what discounts you may qualify for.
You can take action to keep your vacant home safe from potential damage. Consider taking the following actions to avoid ever having to file a vacant home insurance claim:
Vacant home insurance can be confusing. The information below can help answer your remaining questions about vacant home insurance.
A vacant home is a house not occupied for an extended period of time. Insurers often consider a home or property vacant after 30–60 consecutive days. Unoccupied is when a home is simply empty for a short period of time. For example, a home is an unoccupied property if every family member is gone for the day or on vacation for a couple weeks.
Vacant home insurance is expensive because vacant homes pose a higher risk. Theft and vandalism are more likely to occur because the property owners aren’t home to deter potential criminals. Severe weather can happen at any time, but when a home is vacant, nobody’s there to alert the fire department if lightning were to strike and cause the home to catch on fire.
USAA doesn’t offer vacant home insurance, but it does offer landlord insurance for rental properties. If you have USAA, you’ll need to look elsewhere for vacant home insurance.
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