There are two types of unoccupied property insurance policy. Firstly, you can get a bespoke policy where you declare at the outset, or start, of the cover that the property is unoccupied, untenanted or vacant. The second option is where you have a standard policy, that covers a building being let or tenanted but, if the property becomes empty, usually for more than 30 days, then additional terms and conditions kick in.
On the first option, it is usually very clear what the terms, conditions, warranties and excesses are, or it should be. The normal option for getting this kind of cover is to go to a business insurance broker. They will look into providing you with a quote, based on the property being annually unoccupied.
At quote stage, under the rules and regulations laid down upon us, we need to explain to you the details of the what is, and what is not covered. Usually, for an annual unoccupied property, you will have to do certain things for the cover to operate. One of the things will be a warranty relating to security, water and inspections. You will normally need to drain the water tanks, or turn off the water if there is no water tank, ensure the property is secured, including closing letterboxes (to prevent arsonists setting fire to materials and then stuffing in the letterbox) and lastly you will need to regularly inspect the property.
These are standard across the market.
The ones you need to watch out for are the standard commercial property owners insurance policies as many of these have their unoccupancy warranties buried deep in the policy wording. It is only if the property becomes empty and you have a loss do you realise that you are not covered.
If you have a let property and for whatever reason it is going to be empty for an extended period, speak to your broker and ask them how this affects your insurance cover.