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?
Ask your insurer when your responsibility and cover begin, how it defines occupancy and what inspection interval applies before move-in. Confirm any additional conditions for renovation rather than assuming weekly visits are sufficient.
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?
Even a short empty period is worth planning for. Ask your insurer which conditions apply, arrange any required visits and keep a condition record. Inspections cannot remove every risk or guarantee cover.
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.
Does the unoccupancy clock start at exchange, completion, or when the seller moved out?
For your policy it generally runs from when the property was last lived in — which may be well before you bought it. If you're buying a house that's already been empty for months, tell your insurer that; the clock doesn't reset just because ownership changed.
I'll be at the house most days decorating — doesn't that make it occupied?
Usually not. Most insurers define occupation as someone sleeping there regularly — often set nights per week — with working services and enough furniture for normal living. Daytime DIY visits rarely qualify, but they're ideal inspection opportunities: log them.
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.
Start your inspection recordNo card required. Use all features free for 14 days. Subscribe after your trial to keep making changes; your data stays viewable and exportable.