Leaving property empty after completion?

[firstnewhome]

Hi all
I've name changed for this as I don't know if it's a bit of a silly question but here goes. We're due to complete on our first home later this month but we're currently in a rented flat, which is likely to overlap for another five weeks. We were wondering about leaving the new place empty so we can do some cleaning and painting (nothing major) until our contract runs out on the rented place.

Is there anything we should be aware of when leaving our new house empty? Insurance or security implications etc?

For context, the rented flat is in a serviced block so I feel less nervous about leaving that empty, while the new one is a Victorian house.

DH and I can't agree whether to move into the new place or stay at the current one for now.

Hope that makes sense! Thanks.

You need to tell your insurance company it will be empty, some don't like it, some will. There are no other issues that I can think of.

Speak to your insurance company, there is often a maximum time you can leave the property empty.

OnI would take the time and do the painting etc. It depends on location but I did. I bought a house with my son while he was working away. I just made sure it was insured from the start.

You can move in slowly and do one rooms unpacking at a time. Perhaps he is just excited but point out that it is easier to decorate without furniture.

Standard is no more than 30 days for leaving a property empty.

We have overlapped tenancies before and like you our first house and a rented property.

We cleaned then decorated, new flooring down, moved in, cleaned old place whilst empty. So much easier than decorating around furniture.

Maybe put some lamps on timers in the new property to make it look occupied, obviously with some curtains or blind closed so people cannot see it has nothing in it.

Also if you are feeling brave, talk to the neighbours either side to tell them you will be moving in shortly but are decorating etc.

We sort of did this as there was a lot to be done. Dh lived there, sleeping on a camp bed and I moved in with my mam with the dc. It was too filthy for the dc to be there full time but we got absolutely loads done during the days when it was empty.

My youngest was a dab hand at glossing skirting boards by the end of it all!

Thanks everyone! This is both helpful and reassuring. I'm quite an anxious person so I've been thinking of everything that could possibly go wrong, and with this being our first home it feels like a very big deal!

insurance co's don't like empty houses. They are an easy target for burglars and squatters, and there are people who make a habit of stealing tools from homes that are being worked on.

If you can move a bed and some furniture in, and spend a few nights there, it may help.

Also, get plenty of timer-operated lights and radios going on and off at different times in the hall, landing,living rooms, bedrooms. If there is a phone line you can also get a DIY burglar alarm that will call you. Neighbours will probably ignore a bell-only alarm in an empty house.

Invite neighbours to park outside the house to make it look occupied.

Keep the front door and doorstep clean and tidy with no abandoned packages or leaflets, and put the bins in and out.

We were told 30 days by ours though I think you can do 5 weeks as long as you visit within 30 days but check.

Also, ensure you leave the heating on very low when it is cold and you're not there - you want to keep a min temperature of 5+ degrees or the water might freeze causing you LOADS of damage when it thaws. Also you'll need to decorate in the warm, so personally I'd set the thermostat for 10

I did just this - only it was 2 months. I was told by my insurers I could leave it empty for a max of 60 days.

For about 5 weeks of that time I had builders, plumbers etc in and out.

I don't know if it varies between councils but there was a minimal unoccupied discount on council tax.

It worked well for me, although things over ran and the kitchen was still not q finished when I moved in, and the new floors were going down the day I moved in. That was tight!

Just make sure it is secured (Victorian doors can be easy to shoulder barge) and you don't move any valuables in there.