nautical wrote:OK, so this isn't a property investment question, but a practical property issue that some investors must face.
With both my parents now residing in a care home, the family home is now completely unoccupied save for the occasional visit from myself or my sister every couple of months. We plan to put it on the market next Spring, but need to renew the building and contents insurance early next month.
Does anyone have any advice, recommendations or warnings on insurers' treatment of property which is largely or completely unoccupied?
TIA
Have you looked at the existing policies with specific regards to unoccupancy and have you informed the insurers of the current position?
BuildingsOn renewal we ended up using a specialist broker who summarised the insurers requirements for Buildings cover broadly as follows:
They agreed to provide full perils, rather than all risks, to cover the property until sold.
1. The property was to be protected by the fully functioning burglar alarm.
2. The property was to be visited regularly. At least once every 7 days and inspected internally and externally. We were asked to keep a log of these visits.
3. The central heating was to stay on to keep the property ordinarily warm to prevent freezing pipes. Alternatively an option was to drain down the water tanks and pipes and the supply to be turned off at the mains.
4. There was a relatively small additional premium to pay.
It was also suggested that we clear the property of any combustible rubbish and consider sealing up the letter box but this wasn't a condition of the policy. I suggested sealing the letter box would serve to indicate the house is unoccupied.
ContentsWe were forced to remove all jewellery, all valuables (which included paintings) and items of high worth and to provide a full inventory of the remaining contents. On renewal there was a specific unoccupancy wording in the policy, which again mentioned the regular visits at least every seven days.
Even then the contents cover excluded losses for theft, malicious damage and the escape of water from fixed water installations. Despite the best efforts of our broker the insurers wouldn't budge. In effect we were only covered for fire and storm damage.