Can My Home Be Insured If I’m Not Living There?

Personal belongings inside the house are all secured in homeowners insurance such as appliances, furniture, clothes, jewelries, and personal items. 50 – 70 percent value of the amount of the house structure can be covered by the home owners insurance. Even if your belongings are outside the house and was stolen, it could still be covered by the insurance policy. But a plant outside the house that was landscaped is not included in the insurance. Only personal belongings and the home structure is covered. It is good to conduct a household inventory of your belongings to be able to know if something is missing.

If no one is living in the house, is the address entitled for the homeowners insurance? There are assumptions to consider in this policy. You must be living in the house or it must not be unoccupied for 30 consecutive days so as to be covered. If you have this policy then you must see to it that you or someone else is occupying the house. If the house is not occupied then there is a reason that your personal belongings have the tendency to be stolen. If that’s the case then it is now negligence in the part of the owner. If no one will take care of the house then this will lead to higher possibilities of damage to the structure.

The assumptions made by many homeowners insurance also include stipulations that the house should also not be used for any business as well. It should only be residential for it to be covered. The house should also be kept and maintained in good condition. The structure should be made  of slate, tile, metal or asphalt to pass the standards of homeowners insurance. This is their way of knowing that your home was built to stand the rigors of time and will not be prone to damage caused by the weather or the changing climate.

But there are some instances wherein one has to move to a certain place due to climate change like winter or summer. The insurance company should be informed of your leaving. If that’s the case they could give you 30 days but the house should be properly locked and all personal belongings are secured. Ask someone to look after the house and all things should be in place. Check bath tubs and pools they might be filled with water, which could then cause accidents to people who will go and check the house.

The garage door and windows should be locked properly. If it is during the winter, make sure that the heaters are on at 58 degree, or depending on the place or region of the address. This is to avoid the freezing of the pipes, which are one of the things being covered by homeowners insurance. For security purposes, you could put an alarm so that the neighbors will be able to take notice if somebody will try to enter the house.

These are just some of the things that a homeowner can keep in mind in order to retain coverage of his home insurance in case he needs to be away for a long time. You can consult with  your insurer for more information on whether they can allow a special arrangement in regards to insuring an unoccupied home or property.