Is it legal to own a house but not live there and be on the homeowners policy

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Asked October 9, 2018

1 Answer


It is difficult to have insurance on an unoccupied or vacant home. The reason being is because these homes are at a greater risk for theft, weather or fire related accidents, and vandalism. Insurance companies require that if a home be vacant for thirty days or more it is considered unoccupied and it should be stated in your policy’s vacant clause. Some insurance companies also require that you have a permit or endorsement which you will be charged for. Vacant home insurance is more expensive and extremely hard to get depending on the company. Some companies just rather not insure vacant homes all together. In the state of Pennsylvania there isn’t any state requirements regarding homeowner’s insurance. Even though this is true, some mortgage companies themselves require policy holders to carry some type of insurance. Unoccupied insurance helps prevent damage and loss of the home all together. Yes, this insurance is hard to get but can be beneficial over a period.

If you are planning on rent out the house, you would need to look into landlord insurance.

Answered October 11, 2018 by bestrates

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