Renovating first, waiting on a chain, or relocating later — insurers class the gap as unoccupancy. Cover is restricted or conditional, and documented inspections are usually part of the deal.
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Why the gap matters
You're responsible for the property from exchange or completion — often before you've spent a single night there. The empty weeks are precisely when problems surface.
Unknown property, unknown faults
You haven't lived with this plumbing, wiring or roof through a storm yet. Previous owners' small neglects tend to reveal themselves in the first empty months.
Restricted cover from day one
Insurers commonly apply unoccupancy terms immediately when they know you're not moving straight in — with inspection requirements attached.
Empty homes attract attention
Neighbours don't know you yet, the house is visibly unlived-in, and sale details were public. Regular visits and signs of activity matter.
How Inspection Record covers the gap
Start on completion day
Add the property, set the interval your policy requires, and the first reminder is already scheduled before the champagne is open.
Learn the property as you log it
Each visit's photos — meters, stopcock, roofline, damp-prone corners — build a baseline condition record of your new home.
Evidence for the insurer
A dated, photo-backed log shows the inspection condition was met for the whole unoccupied period, however long the move takes.
Flexible when plans slip
Chain delayed? Builder overran? The schedule just keeps running — no gaps in the record while the move-in date drifts.
What interval should you set?
As always, the policy wording wins: 7- or 14-day inspections are typical for unoccupied purchases, especially where renovation happens before the move. If works are underway, treat it like a renovation property and lean towards weekly.
What insurers expect to see
Proof you actually visited at the stated interval and that the property was secure — dates, checks and photos. It's also your evidence of condition if a pre-existing fault emerges into a dispute.
Common questions
We're moving in six weeks — do we really need this?
Six weeks is beyond many policies' 30-day unoccupancy allowance, and moves slip. Six or seven logged visits cost you an hour in total and remove the risk entirely.
The house is being renovated before we move in — which rules apply?
Both: it's unoccupied and under works, which insurers treat as higher risk. Expect a shorter inspection interval and follow the renovation guidance — photograph the works' progress on each visit.
Does the record help beyond insurance?
Yes — a photographic baseline of your new home from day one is useful for snagging, warranty claims against the seller's disclosures, and planning the works.
From keys to move-in, covered
Start the record the day you complete — and hand your insurer a perfect inspection log if anything happens before you move in.
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