There are many circumstances in which you might need a short-term home insurance policy. Whether you're between tenants, have an empty property, are completing renovations or are worried about damage to your property in a short timeframe, short-term insurance is ideal.
The problem is that it might not be easy to find. Every standard home insurance policy will typically run for 12 months, so you'll need to look for specialised policies instead and compare several options to get the best short-term deal.
We have tried several of the best short-term home insurance policies to handle this and noted what we found when using them.
Check out our list to discover which options are best.
| Provider | Score | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Exchange to Completion | ★★★★★ | Click Here |
| 2. Stanhope Insurance | ★★★★★ | Click Here |
| 3. Falcon Insurance | ★★★★★ | Click Here |
| 4. Admiral | ★★★★★ | Click Here |
| 5. EmeraldLife | ★★★★★ | Click Here |
| 6. Lighthouse Home Insurance | ★★★★★ | Click Here |
What Is a Short-Term Home Insurance Policy?
The short-term home insurance policy you apply for will cover you against risks to your property.
It typically lasts for a few months but, as mentioned, can be challenging to find. Some policies, for instance, will last three months. Others, such as unoccupied property insurance, will last six or nine months.
Each provider will have a limit in terms of the number of days you can receive coverage, which will be specified in the policy documents. In the event you require cover for longer than this limit, you're going to have to ask for an extension to arrange cover for longer.
The policy will cover a few factors. When you select building insurance, the policy will cover you for the property's structure and permanent fixtures. When you choose contents insurance, you'll be covered for your belongings.
Pros and Cons of Short-Term Home Insurance
It's ideal to be aware of the pros and cons of this insurance cover.
Here are the advantages you should look for and the drawbacks you might want to consider.
Pros
✅ Liability cover: With some policies, you'll have liability cover included. This coverage is important if someone sustains an injury on your property or dies. It's also ideal as it covers the cost of damage to an individual's property.
✅ Several levels of cover are available: You'll be able to get comprehensive or basic cover with the temporary buildings insurance your insurance provider offers. The cover can also include protection from fire, attempted theft, water damage, vandalism and flooding, depending on the policy you have.
✅ Possible to get flexible policies: Since you only pay for the required duration, your policy is flexible and tailored to your requirements. As mentioned, policies last for between three and nine months, with some lasting 12 months.
Cons
❌ Potential for high deductibles: You may find that deductibles are high with some policies. This disadvantage means you may have to pay from your pocket before you receive cover.
❌ Multiple renewals required: Since this insurance type is short-term, you may need to renew it multiple times. Depending on the insurance provider you select, you may also need to extend your policy, which can take time.
❌ Potential for exclusions: Some short-term home insurance policies may have exclusions. These exclusions may vary and mean the policy will not cover you for every potential issue or receive the protection you want.
Best Short-Term Home Insurance Policies — Reviews
If you've decided that you want to take out a short-term home insurance policy.
Here are some of the best options you may select, many of which work as insurance products for unoccupied properties or for rental properties since standard policies are not intended for a short-term purpose.
1. Exchange to Completion
We used Exchange to Completion's short-term home insurance for the period between our property contracts exchange and completion. This policy covered damage to the building if specific risks affected the property.
For instance, if our property had been damaged by flood, malicious damage, storms, fires or escape of water, we would have been covered.
What we liked about this policy was the fact that if any pipes in our building were broken accidentally, the policy would have covered the cost of repair.
We noticed that a few features would not have been covered, including wear and tear, storm damage to the fence or any damage the occupier deliberately caused to the property.
We had to cover excesses with this provider and were only covered for our specific building located in England. This feature was offered because Exchange to Completion only covers properties in this location and Wales. Despite this limitation, we valued the policy Exchange to Completion offered us and the range of cover we received.
2. Stanhope Insurance
Stanhope offers short-term house insurance serving as unoccupied home insurance with many bespoke options. We chose the three-month policy but could have selected a six- or 12-month policy. We found that this provider could cover us for up to £10,000 in general contents and £1m for building cover.
We could receive coverage for vandalism or property damage with this insurance provider. We could also receive cover if someone got injured on our property since we were covered with liability coverage.
This insurance provider would have also protected our property from damage. For instance, if a natural disaster had impacted our home, we would have been covered in this case.
While we used this provider when our property was going through a renovation, we liked that this provider would have been ideal for gaps in tenancy, gaps between exchange and completion of house contracts and several other short-term coverage requirements.
3. Falcon Insurance
Falcon Insurance offers short-period lets insurance, which we used as landlords when renting out our rental property for three months. We learned that getting coverage for multiple risks with this provider is possible. For instance, this policy protected our property and belongings.
Now, this policy has many other advantages. For example, we could receive cover for three months when moving belongings around the property, which would have protected the home if the process led to damages.
We were pleased that this short-term or temporary home insurance would have covered us against tenants who could have left without paying their costs after using rental properties.
We received flexible payment options and competitive rates with Falcon Insurance, which is why we have included this provider on our list.
4. Admiral
When we used Admiral, we found a short-term home insurance suited to our needs. We received valuable cover as homeowners who rented out our property short-term. The cover we used was the host insurance.
What was ideal about Admiral's short-term home insurance was that we would have been covered if a paying guest had damaged our property. We could add this policy to our Admiral home insurance cover.
Admiral offered us three levels of cover: the Admiral, Admiral Gold and Admiral Platinum. With the Admiral Platinum option, we received buildings and contents, accidental damage and home emergency cover.
What was specific to the Admiral host insurance was the option to receive cover for 90 days and up to £5,000 for our high-risk items if they had been vandalised, stolen or damaged.
5. EmeraldLife
EmeraldLife allowed us to choose the duration of our cover. We had options of three, six or 12 months and found that their policy was suitable for many situations.
We selected the three-month cover, which applied as an unoccupied home insurance policy. However, they also provide compatible policies for landlords.
For example, when insuring a property we were renting out, we found EmeraldLife to be a flexible and tailored policy provider that acknowledged our requirements. In this case, we did not need to commit to a full 12-month policy. If we had chosen the 12-month policy and were dissatisfied with the cover, we would have had the option to cancel it if we hadn't made a claim.
This provider would have covered us for specific risks throughout the three-month duration we specified in the event we had been affected by risks. For instance, if we had been a victim of burglary or a tenant had damaged our property, we would have been covered.
6. Lighthouse Home Insurance
Lighthouse Home Insurance provided short-term home insurance options that lasted between three and 12 months. We noticed this policy was served as an unoccupied property insurance policy. When we used it, we received cover for our UK property.
While we used this insurance policy as landlords who were between tenants, we could also have used it when travelling overseas, purchasing a property, waiting to sell an inherited or renovating a property.
We liked that the policies were very flexible, and immediate coverage was available with Lighthouse Home Insurance.
We found three cover levels were available, including premium, standard and essential. While the essential cover kept us covered for natural disaster damage and fires, the standard cover offered legal liability and the impact of subsidence on top of these and many other risks. The premium cover protected us from theft costs, escape of water and flooding expenses.
Best Short-Term Home Insurance Policies: The Verdict
Short-term insurance for properties can be difficult to find, but with our list, you'll hopefully have a good starting point for discovering a policy that works for you.
Some providers will suit your circumstances better than others, so don't forget to compare your policies and ask for quotes from multiple providers. Check as many insurance providers as possible and shop for the best short-term home insurance policy.
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