Insuring Your Vacation Home in the Desert. Having your Vacation home in the Desert is great! We are such a great place to get away from everything (the cold and snow back home) and just have fun. However (you knew there was a “however”), you may want to check with your insurance company about coverage if you leave either property vacant for any period of time.
Insurance companies see vacant properties as high risk. However, even if you don’t have a vacation home, home vacancies can still happen for several reasons, such as the property being for sale, undergoing renovations, divorce, or aging parents.
Whether you’re at your primary residence or your vacation home and it’s going to be empty for an extended time, you will need to know if your home will still be covered. Some insurers may cancel your policy if your home is vacant for over 30 days (A vacant exclusion generally kicks in after a house has been empty for 30 or 60 days.).
What are your options?
Insurance companies may offer additional endorsements to insure unoccupied homes if the owners know the house will be vacant for an extended period of time. Depending on the insurance company, depending on the insurance company, additional vacant-home insurance may be available in term lengths, generally from three months to a year.
Second/Vacation homes generally need a policy other than your primary home insurance. Read your policy to see what coverage is and call your insurance agent to discuss. Then ask what they suggest for coverage.
Find out now. If you have a claim and your insurance company finds out your home was vacant for any period of time, they may refuse to pay your claim.
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