If you insure a property with us and it's currently unoccupied, you must check your policy conditions

During the lockdown, many insurers extended or relaxed their policy conditions for unoccupied properties. This situation has changed, potentially affecting anyone who owns or rents a property that currently remains unoccupied.

If you think this may include you, please continue reading.

Check your property insurance policies

Many residential and commercial properties will have been vacant since 23 March or earlier. Some may have been forced to close again after local lockdown restrictions were reintroduced.

While all insurers have extended some additional cover, there are now substantial differences which can have a significant impact on policy cover. We strongly advise you to check your insurer's current stance on unoccupancy.

For instance, if your premises remain unoccupied, certain conditions may apply to your policy, which could include (but may not be limited to):

Limitations and/or restrictions in cover (for example, escape of water and malicious damage may be excluded)
Requirements to inspect the premises and/or services contained within at specific intervals
Other requirements in connection with the administration or maintenance of the premises.

Failure to adhere to any unoccupied premises conditions in your policies could result in your insurer rejecting a claim.

Our key insurers' stance on unoccupied premises

Regrettably, we're unable to list all of the unoccupancy conditions here. However, we can provide you with links to the current stance that some of our key insurers are taking on unoccupied properties:

Chubb

Covea

Ecclesiastical

MS Amlin

NIG

QBE

RSA

Zurich

Need help?

Remember, we're here to assist you, however we can. So, please don't hesitate to speak to a Clear representative, if you have any questions about your property insurance.