Articles: Holiday Home Insurance: Read the small print SB May 2007

Of course, you absolutely must have your holiday home insured.  But you need to be aware that an ordinary household policy usually won’t do.  Insurance companies are often reluctant to insure a property if it’s regularly left unoccupied for long periods, or if it’s regularly rented out.

So when taking out your holiday home insurance, it is essential to make it clear to the prospective insurer exactly how you intend to use the property.  Otherwise, if the worst happens, you may find you’re not covered.  A company who will cover you will probably be one that specialises in holiday home insurance.  But bear in mind that these insurers often have certain conditions that they insist on.  So do read the small print very carefully and be very sure you know what the conditions are.  If you don’t like them or feel you can’t comply, look for another insurer.

So what kind of things do holiday home insurance companies insist on?

Some holiday home insurance companies insist that someone must visit the property regularly every week, and you have to demonstrate that this has taken place.  Of course it’s a good idea to have the property checked regularly, but if you can’t guarantee that this will happen every week without fail, be very careful of accepting this condition.
 

One condition that some holiday home insurance companies impose is that the water system should be drained down during unoccupied periods.  This can be inconvenient and not everyone wants to do this.
 

Of course it can be a good idea to keep your property heated during the winter months, even if you’re not there, but some providers of holiday home insurance insist that it should be kept at a specified minimum temperature.  If there is a power cut or some other failure of the heating system, and this causes a burst pipe or other damage, you may find you aren’t covered.