Vacant Home Checklist
Homeowners Checklist When Leaving a House Vacant
Not only is your home more at risk when you or a family member is not there, there is also additional liability when a home is left empty. When leaving your home vacant, empty, or unoccupied for an extended period of time (more than 90 days) there is a lot to think about. The following checklist presents items from most important to least important and will hopefully give you piece of mind while you and your family are away.
1) Make sure you have proper insurance protection on the home for the duration you are away. Do not assume your existing insurance policy will cover this. There are thousands of homeowners out there who believe they have full coverage on their vacant, unoccupied, or empty home and do not.
2) Call you insurance agent/company to discuss your situation. If they are willing to accept a vacant home risk we strongly advise you get this in writing. Do not accept a verbal “everything is okay” because using the defense “the agent said everything was fine” with no written proof, is little assistance to a homeowner who is looking at a $200,000 claim being denied!
3) Make arrangements to have a family member, neighbor, or close friend go inside the house and check on it once a week. Make sure it is a set schedule (such as every Monday) and have them keep a log of their visits. Make sure to provide them with a number to call if they find a problem.
4) If you don’t already have one, you should seriously consider getting an alarm system. Some vacant home policies may require an alarm and other will give you a discount if you have one installed. It also provides peace of mind while you are away.
5) Turn the water off to the house and drain pipes if necessary.
6) To make sure pipes don’t freeze during winter keep the heat on at 58 degrees or higher, or make sure the pipes are properly drained.
7) Make arrangements to have regular yard maintenance. Also consider having a family member, neighbor or friend drop by regularly to pick up your mail and to check the yard for loose flyers, newspapers, and other debris.
So, call us for your vacant home insurance needs and we will quote your coverage with up to ten different vacant home insurance companies or submit an online application and one of our team members will get back to you.
Call us at 1-855-5Vacant or 1-855-582-2268
