Second Properties & Holiday Homes

If you own a second property or a holiday home there may be complications if you wish to insure it. Most insurers will not pay out for damage or loss that occurs after you have left the property uninhabited for a sixty day period - see Exclusions. This means that if you buy a holiday home in the south of England but live and work in the north for the majority of the time, standard home insurance would fail to cover you for damage or loss to your holiday home. In addition, you may wish to rent the property out but find that standard home insurance policies fail to provide cover for accidental damage caused by a paying guest or tenant.

Depending on your circumstances, there are a number of additional options available which might provide you with the required level of cover, including:

Second Home (Holiday Home) Insurance
Specialised second home insurance tailors cover to meet your needs. If you have property abroad but live in the UK, you may find it is easier to arrange home insurance through a UK provider. This is because you will be more familiar with the terms and conditions of a UK policy and can contact them more easily. If you hire domestic staff such as gardeners or cleaners to look after your second home, you may need employer's liability cover which protects you if an employee accidentally dies or is injured while working for you. Comprehensive second home cover would also include:

• Unoccupied Cover – covers you for damage or loss even if you leave the property uninhabited for an extended period (most standard policies do not cover you after the property has been unoccupied for sixty days or more)
  
  
• Public Liability Cover – covers certain legals costs incurred as a result of owning the property, such as compensation you pay to somebody who injures themselves tripping on your driveway as a result of poor maintenance
  
  
• Swimming Pool Cover – covers the cost of rebuilding or repairing your pool if it is damaged, as well as public liability costs. For example, if a third party accidentally dies or is injured while using your pool, you may be required to pay them or their family compensation. A second home insurance policy could refund this cost.