Under what circumstances might a property become unoccupied?

There are lots of reasons a property could become unoccupied, including (but not limited to) the following:

• The property is for sale, but you’ve already moved into your new home
• You’ve just bought the property, but don’t want to move in yet
• You’re travelling for an extended period of time, either for business or a gap year
• You’ve been taken into long term medical care
• The property is currently going through probate
• You let the property out, but are currently between tenants

It’s important to make sure you take out the right property insurance cover for your circumstances. For example, if the property is empty because it’s undergoing renovation work and therefore not safe to live in, then you might want to consider taking out specialist renovation home insurance. Similarly, if the property is empty a lot of the time because it’s a holiday home that you only rent out at certain times of the year, then you may want to consider holiday home insurance.