Inspections for unoccupied London homes

A London home that stands empty for weeks at a time carries a particular risk: if something goes wrong, nobody notices. A slow leak, a broken window or a failed boiler in January can become a large claim. Insurers know this, and most home policies change once a home has been empty for a while. This page explains why, what insurers usually ask for, and how we help you meet it.

Why insurers set conditions

Many home insurance policies restrict cover once a home has been unoccupied for a set period, usually 30 or 60 days. After that, some events, such as theft and escape of water, may no longer be covered (Financial Ombudsman Service).

Some insurers offer cover for unoccupied homes on condition that the home is visited regularly. One insurer's published conditions, for example, treat a home as unoccupied after more than 30 days, require a visit at least every 14 days, inside and out, and require a dated record of each visit to be kept and provided with any claim (Homeprotect). Other policies ask for different intervals, or for the water to be turned off, or for the heating to be kept on. The only conditions that matter are the ones in your own policy and its endorsements.

Winter and escape of water

Escape of water is one of the covers the Financial Ombudsman names as commonly restricted once a home is unoccupied (Financial Ombudsman Service). Conditions can also depend on the season. The insurer quoted above, for example, does not cover escape of water in an unoccupied home during the winter months, nor at any time of year once the home has been empty for more than 180 days (Homeprotect).

Wording like this makes the autumn visit the important one: heating checked and set to protect against frost, gutters and drains looked at, and, if your insurer asks for it, the water turned off at the stopcock and the system drained. Whatever is done should be written in the visit record, with the date.

Tell your insurer

When you take out or renew a policy, the law requires you to take reasonable care not to misrepresent the facts (Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012). The Financial Ombudsman says it is unlikely to support a policyholder who misrepresents the true situation (Financial Ombudsman Service). If your London home is empty for long periods, tell your insurer and ask exactly what they require. We do not sell or advise on insurance: your broker or insurer is the right person to confirm what your policy needs.

Why the record matters

If a claim is disputed, the question is often whether the home was really unoccupied, and whether the conditions were met. When a policy does not define "unoccupied", the Financial Ombudsman reads the word in its ordinary meaning, usually in the way most favourable to the customer, and may find a home was occupied if it was visited reasonably often (Financial Ombudsman Service).

In one case the Ombudsman described, an insurer refused a claim for fire damage on the grounds that a house had been unoccupied for more than 30 days. The owner had invoices for work done every month, evidence of regular visits, and utility bills showing gas and electricity in use. The Ombudsman told the insurer to pay the claim (Financial Ombudsman Service case study). Evidence of regular, dated visits is what made the difference.

What a dated visit record looks like

A useful record is written at the visit, not afterwards, and would make sense to a loss adjuster who has never seen the home. Ours are written in your portal and follow this layout.

Which plan matches your policy

Our plans for owners abroad are chosen by how often the home needs a visit. Check the interval your policy asks for, then match it:

• A visit at least every two weeks: Residence
• A visit at least once a month: Home Care
• A visit every week, or another interval: Home Care or Residence, with extra visits at £95 each

Essentials visits once a quarter, which on its own is unlikely to meet an insurer's condition for an empty home. If your policy asks for visits at a different interval, tell us before you choose. Every plan includes a written report in your portal after each visit, in English or Arabic, and a monthly owner report. The full prices and what each plan includes are on our plans page.

Before a long absence, ask your insurer whether they also expect the water to be turned off or the heating left on, and tell us. We set the home up to match.