Home Insurance Help

MysteryM

In order to exchange we need to have buildings insurance on the house we intend to buy, however most only allow an house to remain unoccupied for up to 30 days.

We want to take a few months to do it up properly (it was build in 2005 but needs work done to it - its fairly big and will take me a couple of months).

Has anyone used a decent buildings insurance company that will allow me to keep it empty for a few months whilst renovating?

cwal

I used to rent a house out due to redundancy and when I moved back in I left it empty for a couple of months whilst I renovated it. I used Direct Line as at the time they allowed you around 60-90 days of leaving the property empty but required things like the water and boiler to be turned off to reduce the risks of leaks etc.

At the end of the period where the property could be empty they sent me a letter to remind me that insurance wouldn't continue if the house wasn't now my main residence. I found it to be a really good service and I couldn't get insurance with the property being empty for that long anywhere else.

If they no longer offer this option (I took it out at end 2011) then it may be worth speaking to a broker to see if they can negotiate something bespoke for you.

dotdash79

Speak to an insurance broker, you might end up paying quite a bit more whilst it's empty and certain things might not be covered.