Most home insurance policies comprise of buildings and contents insurance are for properties that being lived in.
However, if you own a property that's unoccupied for any reason, home insurance is still very important.
Below I'll take a look at the potential pitfalls of not having any home insurance in place for unoccupied houses.
" Weather damage
If you're out of the country for an extended period and forget to renew your home insurance, you could be in for a shock when you return. Every year thousands of people flee the UK in the winter to enjoy a few months in the sunshine abroad.
If you've not been getting mail looked at or sent over to you, your home insurance may have lapsed, leaving your property open to the elements without any form of protection. While some home insurance companies will renew your policy automatically, this isn't the case with all of them so it could catch you out.
" Dampness
It's not just the outside of your home you need to worry about when it's unoccupied; there may be problems inside too.
If you return from some time away and find dampness has taken hold, you'll want to have the security of home insurance to help you cover the costs of getting it put right.
" Theft
Not every empty property has been abandoned. People leave their homes unoccupied because they're on holiday or in hospital for an extended period.
If you're planning on returning to your home and still have all or most of your belongings in it, making sure you have contents insurance in place is vital.
" Unauthorised occupants
Your home may also be targeted by squatters if it's obvious it's been unoccupied for some time. There's no end to the amount of damage and destruction that could happen in this case and if you have no home insurance in place, the costs of getting everything back to normal could be beyond your means.
" Fire damage
Fires can start in empty homes through electrical faults or again, if you have unauthorised occupants they may start one deliberately.
If there's nobody around to call the fire service, your home could be completely destroyed, leaving you with just a pile of rubble to return to. Without a home insurance policy in effect while you're away, this could result in you having nowhere to live and no means of rebuilding your home.
