Insurance for a holiday or second home usually requires specialist cover due to the property being unoccupied for extended periods of time during the year.

Holiday Home Insurance providers

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There can be other terms and conditions in policy so it is worth checking some of the key areas.

• Are there limitations or restrictions on how much the property is occupied? Including under-occupancy, over-occupancy and the amount of time empty.
• How much would it cost to replace the contents? This may be different to a main residence where the contents of a holiday home.
• Individual, personal and valuable items – how are they treated at the holiday home and are they covered with the main residence’s policy. This might include high value items like laptops or jewellery which are normally kept at your main residence.
• Are there any considerations given to acts of nature such as flooding or damage caused by storms.
• Who uses the property – if friends and family use the property, are there possessions covered and, as the owner of the holiday home, are you liable for any injury, loss or suffering caused at eh holiday home.

Holiday letting the property requires public liability insurance so make sure this is included, should you decide to use the property to generate income.

Buildings insurance

As with a main residence, buildings insurance is required, ultimately to have the house, or part of the building, garage or outbuilding repaired in the event of damage. This amount is not based on the value, but the re-build cost. This amount is given in a surveyors report when you purchase the property or can be requested from a local surveyor.