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Extensive Cover Against Fire, Subsidence, Water Damage, Vandalism And More
Flexible Policy Length - 3, 6 & 12 Months
Public Liability Cover Included In Every Policy
Cover Starting from £112
UNDERWRITTEN DIRECTLY THROUGH LLOYDS
TALK TO AN EXPERIENCED UK-BASED SPECIALIST
MANY NON-STANDARD SITUATIONS COVERED
AWARD-WINNING INSURANCE PROVIDER
"I was looking to renew my building and contents insurance. With the main home and a second home it is not that straight forward as we sometimes let out the second home. Emerald were swift and to the point when I spoke to them. I couldn't believe that they managed to save me approximately 25% on my policy! Amazing. Everything was so straight forward and I recommend them very highly." - Rex Chalmers, Property Developer
Most definitely. We will need to take some details from you. Given that holiday or weekend homes can cover many different situations, we prefer to have our specialist underwriting team speak with you so that we can properly assess the situation. For example, you may have a property that you rent out part of the year to third parties, or one that you live in over the winter. Each property that we cover has its own individual requirements, and it’s important that these are reflected, and protected, under an Emerald home policy.
Call our specialist underwriting team on 0330 113 7109 within office hours or leave a message for a call back and we will be glad to help.
Many insurers only offer cover for very standard homes. At Emerald Life, we try to be more helpful than that. So for instance, many insurers will decline cover for buildings with:
We may have to offer some additional qualifications (for example, regular checks on flat rooves, or the wiring in very old houses) but these are designed to make sure your property stays in a good condition.
We want to be able to cover your home or property, whatever it is, so call our specialist underwriting team on 0330 113 7109 within office hours or leave a message for a call back and we will be glad to help.
There are many reasons that a property might be unoccupied for any long period of time. For example:
If you have a property that is going to be empty for a period longer than an average family holiday, then you may need specialist insurance for your case. There may be things that you don’t need to pay for (contents in an empty house), but there may be some extra obligations (checking for leaks periodically, switching off mains supplies etc). If you have just a standard home and contents policy, your insurer may not pay out.
We can cover any period of time, and roll over cover in the case that, for example, probate is delayed or a property has not sold.
Call our specialist underwriting team on 0330 113 7109 within office hours or leave a message for a call back and we will be glad to help.
We appreciate that for many people taking out insurance is a time-consuming business, and the same goes if you have to change something during the term of an insurance policy.
Emerald’s personal service ensures that we can change our cover if your circumstances change. Sometimes the premium may change but in many cases it may not. As an Emerald customer, please call us on 0330 113 7109 within office hours or leave a message for a call back and we will help however we can.
There are many reasons why a property you own might be unoccupied for a period. Where a property is unoccupied, your existing insurance - either normal home cover, or landlord insurance – may not give you cover, so you should always look at unoccupied home insurance if your property is going to be empty for more than 30 days.
Common instances where a property or home may be empty are:
There are three levels of unoccupied house insurance cover, and obviously the lower the premium the more basic the cover. So those levels are:
Make sure that your policy also has public liability cover so if, for example, something falls from your roof and hits someone or something, you would be covered.
For many of the reasons that the property is unoccupied, it may not be necessary to buy an annual policy. For that reason, Emerald also offers short-term home insurance cover for fixed periods of three and six months. Note however that these are fixed terms and cannot be extended or cancelled. For example, if you bought short-term cover for three months for a house for sale and needed to extend cover, you would need to buy another short-term policy for a fixed period, or else buy a 12-month policy. Although you pay more up-front for a 12-month policy, it does have the advantage that it can be cancelled at any time, and you will get a pro-rata refund provided you have not made a claim.
Because the property is unoccupied, often the cover is more expensive than regular home insurance. The actual premium will depend on the level of unoccupied buildings cover or unoccupied contents cover that you want. Valuables and portable items (such as bicycles) are not usually covered under an unoccupied home policy, as your insurer will expect you to take them away when you leave the house.
The insurer will also look at your postcode, so premium will be higher if you are near water or a flood risk area, or if you are in a higher crime area.
You can often reduce the premium for your unoccupied home cover by increasing your excess (the amount that you would not get back in the event of any claim) and that can be a popular option.
Just because you are buying unoccupied property insurance, that doesn’t mean you can just disappear and expect full cover. An insurer will expect you to take reasonable care even while you are away. What does that mean in practice?
Where you have left a house because you are having renovations done, the cover levels remain the same but there are other exclusions or qualifications as, rather than the property standing empty, you have a third party demolishing/rebuilding part of it. It is vital to comply with these extra endorsements as otherwise you may invalidate your unoccupied property insurance.
Some examples are:
Cover for renovations to unoccupied properties can be tricky, so it is a good idea to speak directly to the insurer in these cases so that you can be sure of exactly what cover you need.
©2020 Emerald Life Limited. All rights reserved. This website contains information on the products and services of Emerald Life only unless otherwise stated. Emerald Life Limited is registered in the UK under number 07201151, registered address 286 Queensbridge Road, London E8 3NH.
Emerald Life Limited is an Appointed Representative of Commercial and General Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and appears on the Financial Services Register under number 300001, registered address 17 Teddington Business Park, Station Road, Teddington, Middlesex, England, TW11 9BQ. Emerald Life Limited is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Sterling Client Services Limited, who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and appears on the Financial Services Register under number 628324, registered address Norman Place, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom, RG1 8DA. FCA authorisation can be checked on the Financial Services Register at https://register.fca.org.uk/ or by calling them on 0800 111 6768.NOTE: where percentage discounts are offered on premiums, they do not apply to all components of Emerald’s home and travel policies and so discounts offered may not be exact but an approximation.