An empty building is a different risk, and most policies restrict cover once it stands empty.
Between tenants, during a renovation, while an estate is settled, or waiting on a sale. Standard policies restrict or exclude cover once a property has been empty beyond a set period, often around thirty days, and usually without anyone telling the owner.
Insure a vacant property Why it mattersCover for buildings that are empty, between tenants or under renovation
Landlords, estates, developers and anyone with an empty building
The address, why it is empty, for how long, and who checks it
Is a vacant property covered by normal insurance?
Usually not for long. Most home and commercial property policies limit or exclude cover once a building has been unoccupied beyond a stated period, commonly thirty days, and the restrictions often start with the perils that matter most, water damage, vandalism and theft. A vacant property policy is written specifically for empty buildings and keeps cover in force while nobody is there.
A burst pipe in an occupied building is a bad afternoon. In an empty one it can run for weeks before anyone notices, and if the policy had already restricted cover for vacancy, none of it is claimable. The Insurance Bureau of Canada spells out what happens to a standard policy when nobody is home: “Most insurance policies exclude frozen pipes/water damage if your home is vacant, even if you have permission for vacancy.” Permission does not restore the cover. A vacant property policy does. Read IBC on damage from extreme cold (opens in a new tab).
The critical point is timing. Tell your broker before the property becomes empty, not after something has happened.
Nothing about an empty building is neutral.
Nobody notices
A burst pipe in an occupied house is a bad afternoon. In an empty one it can run for weeks.
It attracts attention
Vandalism, squatting, copper theft and arson all rise sharply once a building is visibly unused.
Systems degrade
Heating off, water not running, no maintenance. Small faults become structural problems.
Renovation changes everything
Trades on site, open walls, and materials worth stealing. It may need a different policy entirely.
What insurers will ask you to do.
Vacant cover usually comes with conditions. They are not paperwork, failing them can void a claim.
Regular inspections
Someone physically checking the building on a set schedule, often weekly, with a record kept.
Heat, or drained systems
Heating maintained through winter, or the water system fully drained. Frozen pipes are the classic vacant claim.
Secured and monitored
Locks, boarding where needed, alarms, and no visible signs that the building is empty and unwatched.
How this can play out.
A rental sits empty for six weeks between tenants over winter. A pipe freezes and runs for days. The home policy had already restricted cover after thirty days of vacancy, so none of it is claimable.
The situations this covers.
Empty buildings happen for ordinary reasons.
A rental between tenants. A home listed and not yet sold. A property inherited while an estate is settled. A building bought for redevelopment. A renovation that turned out to need everyone out. A commercial unit whose tenant left early.
All of these are ordinary situations, and all of them can quietly move a property outside its own insurance. If any of them describe you, or are about to, that is the moment to call, not later.
The warranties inside vacant property cover.
Vacant cover exists because empty buildings behave badly. It stays valid only while the promises about the building are kept. These are the usual ones.
The inspection warranty
Most wordings require the building checked on a set schedule, with a record kept. Miss the visits and a claim can fail on the calendar alone, whatever caused the loss.
Heat, water and power, as agreed
Policies specify what stays on and what gets shut off and drained. Water left charged in an unheated building in January is the loss the whole wording anticipates.
Securing the building, provably
Boarded, locked, alarmed: whatever was declared has to stay true for the whole term. Security that lapsed the week of the break-in reads as a broken warranty.
Work starting without notice
Renovations or demolition beginning mid-term changes the risk class entirely. The policy that covered an empty building was not priced for an active site.
Vacant cover is a set of kept promises with a policy attached. Build the inspection routine before the term starts, and keeping the log like it will be read.
What owners ask us.
How long can a property be empty before cover is affected?
Commonly around thirty days, though it varies by policy and by insurer. Some restrict specific perils sooner. Check your own wording rather than assuming a standard applies.
What is the difference between vacant and unoccupied?
Broadly, unoccupied means nobody is living there but the furniture remains. Vacant means empty of both people and contents. Policies treat them differently, and vacant is usually the stricter of the two.
My property is being renovated. Does that count?
Often yes, and renovation adds its own exposures. Depending on the scale of work it may need a vacant policy, a builders risk policy, or both. Tell us before work starts.
Can I get cover if it has already been empty for months?
Usually, though the terms depend on the condition of the building and what has happened while it sat. Be straightforward about the history. It is what allows us to place it properly.
Is water damage covered on a vacant property?
Frequently limited or excluded, because a water loss in an empty building can run for days before anyone finds it. What is available depends on the heating and inspection arrangements you put in place.
My insurer cancelled because the building was empty. Can you help?
Yes. Vacant property is one of the classes insurers withdraw from most readily, and placing it is ordinary work for our hard-to-place desk. Send us the letter.
Tell us before it is empty.
The address, why it is vacant, for how long, and what is happening to it meanwhile.