How to insure your holiday home

They say home is where the heart is and for many a place in their heart is reserved for their holiday home. It’s a place to escape from everyday life, relax and make special memories. But when it comes to protecting it, what insurance can you get to cover the risks? You may think a standard household policy would suffice, but holiday homes, because of the different way in which they are used, face different challenges to a standard main household policy.

Unoccupied holiday homes

By their nature, holiday home properties are often left unoccupied for an extended period of time. This leaves the property open to risks such as damage caused by storms and loss due to break-ins. A standard home insurance policy wouldn’t cover any period of absence over a certain amount, sometimes 30 days, so a specialist holiday home insurance can provide the cover that’s needed to protect the property whilst it’s unoccupied.

Overseas holiday homes

If your holiday home is in an exotic location, it’s unlikely that a standard home insurance policy would cover it. That’s when a specialist holiday home insurance policy comes in. Some use a local insurer in the country the holiday home is located, but dealings with local insurers can be difficult due to language differences, gaps in cover and expensive call costs. Intasure Holiday Home insurance covers properties in over 40 countries and is UK based so all policy documents are in English and any queries or claims are dealt with by an English speaking support team.

Buildings and contents insurance for holiday homes

Like all other properties, holiday home insurance is designed to cover the repair and rebuilding costs of a property following loss or damage from standard perils such as fires, as well as its contents. However, there are things to consider when determining the level of cover you need.

It’s important to check whether the fixtures and fittings at the property are covered as part of the building or need to be added on as contents. While some providers will include the fixtures and fittings in the quote there are others where these will need to be added on as an extra.

Holiday homes are often more sparsely furnished than main homes and holiday home insurance policies will reflect this by having lower limits for the overall level of contents at the property and the single item limits.

It’s also worth thinking about the other policies you may have that offer protection for contents. If you already have cover as part of travel insurance, home insurance or from other products, you might be doubling up on insurance.

Insurance for letting holiday homes

Often holiday homes aren’t just enjoyed by the owner. A lucrative return can be made when renting properties out to holiday makers, however an ordinary home insurance policy may not cover letting and the additional risks that come with it. Intasure Holiday letting insurance comes with £5 million public liability cover, protecting the owner from claims made by guests. In addition, cover for loss of rent due to an insured event is also included.

Emergency travel & alternative accommodation cover

Should the worst happen, you’d no doubt want to visit the property and assess the damage. A holiday home insurance policy includes provisions to enable you to do that easily. Emergency travel expenses are included and should the property be uninhabitable, alternative accommodation costs are covered, saving you the expensive of staying elsewhere whilst the property is being repaired.

Holiday homes come with their own specific set of risks and so an ordinary home insurance policy is unlikely to provide the required cover. The most important thing to do is to speak to a specialist provider like Intasure about your needs so we can help you get the cover you need.

Give our friendly holiday home insurance team a call on 0345 111 0680 to find out more.