insurance

[dbowler]

we are doing a 90 day cruise having trouble finding house insurance

for this amount of days for an empty house that is not going to be

inspected on a regular basis any suggestions

[CruiserBruce]

Not sure where you are or what the laws are in your area. However, our house is insured 24/7/365. Not sure why yours won't be.

 

In any event, would you not have a neighbor to watch you house?

[bowls]

we are in the uk only covered for 60 days on our insurance no one

can check it for us

[boulders]

When I moved in 2009 to a new city, my insurance company (in Minnesota) wanted to increase my insurance rates about 5 fold on my house in the old city. This was despite my having a police officer inspecting the interior of the house for several hours weekly. They gave me about 60 days after I'd moved before they jacked the rates up. The only remedy would have been if I'd had a house sitter. Luckily, I sold the house before the 60 days were up.

 

This is one issue I've never seen addressed on these boards. Check with your insurance company, or get a house sitter.

[John Bull]

Are you a Brit?

This applies to the UK, I don't know about elsewhere.

 

Most policies are un-affected by periods when the property is un-occupied, except for certain risks which increase such as burglary.

Most standard policies only cover those specified risks for about 30 days, after that it's only those specified risks that aren't covered.

So check your policy for which risks are affected.

 

Phone your insurer & ask whether they will cover a longer unoccupied period for an extra premium. Mine has done this, & the premium wasn't excessive.

 

Or ask a friend, neighbour or relative to stay-over for a night. Once the property is occupied for one night, the 30-day clock starts all over again.

So it involves arrangements for two, mebbe three nights.

 

I know folk who've simply arranged that, if there's a burglary or whatever, a friend will say that they stayed-over a week or so earlier.

That would of course be fraud, but the need has never arisen so I have no idea of the risk or consequences.

 

JB :)

 

Edit (after your 2nd post): If cover expires after a (generous) 60 days, you just need a house-sitter for one night.

Edited November 9, 2013 by John Bull

[boulders]

Here's info for those in the States http://www.bankrate.com/finance/insurance/insuring-your-vacant-home-1.aspx

 

Canada http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/vacant-property-alert-1.639126

[kcwingwalker]

we are doing a 90 day cruise having trouble finding house insurance

for this amount of days for an empty house that is not going to be

inspected on a regular basis any suggestions

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic dbowler:)

 

Your question is interesting and I'm looking forward to a helpful response.

 

Have you posted your question on your cruise board and/or roll call? Others must be dealing with the same problem and might be able to help.

[ducklite]

Perhaps you could find a trustworthy person to stay in your home. A graduate student in need of housing, a friend of a friend who wants to visit the area. There are many ways to check a persons credentials and make sure they are legit and have good references.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[greatam]

Same thing in the US for a lot of policies. About 50% of our neighborhood comes to Arizona from Alaska or the Midwest for the winter. Our newest neighbor has had a heck of a time getting both the Arizona house and their Ohio house insured on a year round basis with no lapses in coverage.

 

I know they have tried at least 5 companies and all have required they be gone from whichever house for NO MORE than 2 months. They had one of the neighbors watching their Arizona house two summers ago and the house ended up getting burglarized (no breakin, only the big screens, all the small kitchen appliances and camera's and DVD's players were missing). They are pretty sure it was the "watchers" who ripped off their house (who have since moved). They didn't even file a claim on their insurance because it was 3 months before it was discovered the stuff was missing.

 

So now they don't know what to do. They have been offered a general fire policy on the Arizona house with a true homeowner's policy on their Ohio house. I think that is what they will be forced to take and just no coverage for burglary or damage to the AZ home that would normally be covered by homeowners. IF the place burns down, that is the only coverage they will have in Arizona.

 

I also could not get insurance for my farm house in MO if I was going to be out of the house for more than 90 days. I finally placed the house on the commercial policy for my business but there is limited contents coverage, no coverage for damage OTHER than fire and the flood insurance policy I have (US government) DOES NOT cover the house.

 

It is truly a problem for those who travel.

Edited November 10, 2013 by greatam

[mtwingcpa]

I've checked with my own insurance company (in the US) on this. They claim the limitation only applies if I have COMPLETELY VACATED/MOVE OUT OF the home. It doesn't apply if I am merely AWAY on a long vacation, but fully intend to return.

 

Naturally, your mileage may vary, so check with your own insurance company.

[Dcoy]

Also do some checking on the World Cruising section of the Cruise Critic forum. I've seen this discussed before as many cruisers who travel on world cruises run into this all the time.

 

Don

[ducklite]

Same thing in the US for a lot of policies. About 50% of our neighborhood comes to Arizona from Alaska or the Midwest for the winter. Our newest neighbor has had a heck of a time getting both the Arizona house and their Ohio house insured on a year round basis with no lapses in coverage.

 

I know they have tried at least 5 companies and all have required they be gone from whichever house for NO MORE than 2 months. They had one of the neighbors watching their Arizona house two summers ago and the house ended up getting burglarized (no breakin, only the big screens, all the small kitchen appliances and camera's and DVD's players were missing). They are pretty sure it was the "watchers" who ripped off their house (who have since moved). They didn't even file a claim on their insurance because it was 3 months before it was discovered the stuff was missing.

 

So now they don't know what to do. They have been offered a general fire policy on the Arizona house with a true homeowner's policy on their Ohio house. I think that is what they will be forced to take and just no coverage for burglary or damage to the AZ home that would normally be covered by homeowners. IF the place burns down, that is the only coverage they will have in Arizona.

 

I also could not get insurance for my farm house in MO if I was going to be out of the house for more than 90 days. I finally placed the house on the commercial policy for my business but there is limited contents coverage, no coverage for damage OTHER than fire and the flood insurance policy I have (US government) DOES NOT cover the house.

 

It is truly a problem for those who travel.

 

Have them talk to an agent who represents Chubb. They will write this type of policy. I'll warn you, they aren't cheap.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[greatam]

Have them talk to an agent who represents Chubb. They will write this type of policy. I'll warn you, they aren't cheap.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

 

Thanks for the thought.

 

Unless something has changed in the last 18 months, Chubb cannot sell residential in Arizona. We have some of our commercial through Chubb and I asked about putting one of the rental houses (where 2 of my employees live) on the same commercial fire policy that covers the warehouse. IF it was classified as residential, they could not sell or even add on the house to the commercial policy.

 

I think the neighbors are OK with just the fire policy. They have no trees to fall on the house, there is a shed on the outside that may blow away in the monsoons (probably $800 at Home Depot) and they may loose shingles (which everyone does all the time in the monsoons in AZ-NOT worth calling the insurance company and filing a claim unless the damage is MAJOR due to the increase you will face next year in premium).

 

When they left this spring, they took their flat screens and cameras with them, brought the small kitchen appliances over to another neighbors house and never replaced the DVD. So if someone broke in, they would get couch and chairs, kitchen table and chairs, a couple of beds, some linens and not much else.

 

Thanks again for the suggestion.