If you work abroad for extended periods, jet lag and flight delays could be the least of your worries. Because leaving your home unoccupied for more than 30 days at a time comes with a whole host of risks, including theft, vandalism, fire, and storm damage. Here, we explain the advantages of taking out specialised home insurance if you work abroad.
Home Insurance If You Work Abroad
Has it ever occurred to you that you might need specialised home insurance if you work abroad for extended periods? Although you might innocently think that your existing home insurance will cover you if anything were to happen to your property or possessions in your absence, that might not necessarily be the case. This is particularly true if you’re planning to be away from home for more than a month at a time.
Perhaps you’ve just landed your dream job, which involves working abroad for months at a time? Or maybe you’re in the process of moving abroad full-time and are actively researching different options? Either way, your house could become classified as ‘unoccupied’, depending on how long you’re out of the country. If that’s the case, you’ll need the extra protection of unoccupied home insurance to ensure you’re covered if you need to make a claim.
Would Standard Home Insurance Cover My Property When It’s Empty?
Your standard home insurance might cover your property when it’s empty. We say ‘might’ because every policy and provider is different. It really does depend on your policy and the length of time you’ll be out of the country. Most property insurers will cover an unoccupied property for short periods of up to 30-45 consecutive days with no alteration to the policy. However, you may be subject to certain terms and conditions.
Your policy may stipulate that the property remains heated, for example. Or that an authorised person makes regular, logged checks in your absence. Once you move beyond this grace period, you could find that your cover reduces dramatically or is withdrawn altogether. This is why taking out specialised unoccupied home insurance if you work abroad is a good idea to ensure your property is adequately protected while you’re away.
How Much Does Short-Term Unoccupied House Insurance Cost?
The cost of short-term unoccupied house insurance will vary depending on your circumstances. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as an average unoccupied home insurance policy, which means there’s no way of gauging the average cost of this type of coverage. However, it’s worth bearing the following factors in mind when purchasing a policy. All these will have some bearing on the final cost of unoccupied home insurance if you work abroad.
Property location – You might pay a higher premium if you live in an area prone to flooding, for example.
Property value – The higher the value of your property, the greater the potential repair costs.
Level of cover – More cover and extras will inevitably increase the cost of unoccupied home insurance.
Security features – Extra security features, like burglar alarms and strong locks, can lower your costs.
Regular maintenance – Turning off utilities and draining water from your pipes can reduce the risk of damage.
Unoccupied Home Insurance Suppliers
UKinsuranceNET is one of the UK’s most trusted online insurance suppliers. We’re recognised as one of the leading independent brokers of bespoke products for landlords insurance, unoccupied property insurance, home and all other property protection products for both residential and commercial property. In most cases, UKinsuranceNET can offer online and immediate quotes and cover for virtually every type of property risk.
Our specialist team of insurance brokers can ensure you receive the right policy for your specific individual circumstances. So, whether it be three months, six months, nine months or 12 months, UKinsuranceNET can provide you with just the right level of UK house insurance while you’re abroad. So, if you need unoccupied house insurance over a short-term, one-off fixed period, contact UKinsuranceNET today to discuss your options.
UK Home Insurance While Abroad
Taking out UK home insurance while abroad for more than 30 consecutive days is definitely a good idea. Unoccupied home insurance ensures that your property and possessions are adequately protected while you’re out of the country, giving you total peace of mind that, should anything happen, you’ll be appropriately covered. When a standard home insurance policy simply won’t cut it, contact UKinsuranceNET to get the coverage you need.
For more information about unoccupied property insurance, please contact us on 01325 346328.
