House insurance after death

[mimimary]

My mother is dying and, as the last remaining parent, the family home will be empty and will in due course be sold.

I am not keen on rushing the process of clearing out the house. It's a huge job and an emotional one and I want to take it slowly. I know that most insurance policies are invalidated if a house is not lived in a for certain amount of time, but do they generally make allowances after the death of the policy holder, so that remaining family don't have to sell immediately (so as not to invalidate the house insurance)?

I know i can phone the insurers but it's a Sunday and I'm obsessing over this, so if anyone can advise I'd be grateful.

When my DM died I just phoned the insurer she was with to let them know and that the house would now be empty and unoccupied until it was sold.

They continued to insure it but had stipulations such as requiring the heating to be drained and turned off along with all the electrics.

I'm sorry about your Mum.
When my Dad died his insurance provider bereavement team (Halifax) converted his house and contents insurance and it was good for a year - the only change they imposed was that it went from the 'all bells and whistles' cover to basic with no extras. And I had to visit the house once a week to ensure it was ok, turn off water etc in the winter.

I think it’s not the insurance that’s a problem so much but any remaining mortgage/equity release on the property - normally there are terms & conditions that mean you have to pay off the remaining loan within eg 12 months after death. If she owns it outright that won’t be a problem.

Thanks @Stuffin @StuntPigeon @Starseeed - that's helpful, really appreciate it. It's put my mind at rest about that. 🙏

If I remember correctly we had 12 months to sort everything but they dropped the cover for possessions considerably and wouldn't cover jewellery, a piece of artwork etc (anything over £1500) we took them off site obviously

We had to visit once a week to check no burst pipes etc, but other than that the insurance was fine.

My dad’s house insurers would only keep the policy going for 60 days after death on an unoccupied property, so it sounds like different insurers have different rules.

I found a new policy through a broker and one of the factors they took into account was how often I could check the property - I go monthly. I also have to keep it heated to 15.

I hope it is a peaceful ending for your Mum.

Apologies for jumping in on this thread but do you have any recommendations for insurers?

My father died earlier this year and the insurer's (Halifax) bereavement team was very good and they transferred the insurance to me but only for 6 months whilst probate went through.

Inevitably perhaps everything is taking mcuh longer than I anticipated so we will need insurance for an empty house from October Can I just go to the usual gocompare type sites or will I need a specialist insurer?

My Mum passed away at the end of November. The house is empty and on the market. Mum had insurance with Nationwide and they have been very helpful and allowed the insurance to continue, now in my name and I pay monthly. They are happy for this to continue as long as needed.

We had this with my dad and his insurer would only insure for a year after he died, we then had to find a specialist insurer.

You can purchase specific unoccupied / vacant possession insurance or probate property insurance. This is likely to be a better and more cost effective solution if you might take 12 months to sell and you don’t want the onerous conditions some regular home insurance providers might impose.

I think it can be bought off the insurance aggregator sites or, alternatively, speak to a high street insurance broker if you have one nearby.

Bickers insure unoccupied houses - my solicitor recommended them

My Dad died last month and his insurance was changed to the most basic and they will not renew it when it expires at the end of this month so I have another job to do finding another insurance to cover his empty house until we sell it.

I had a quick Google and there are firms that cover empty houses.

I had no problem with the insurance on my DM’s empty property. It’s been empty nearly a year now. I have to go once a week
and leave the heating on in the winter.