Insuring the home of someone who has died
Tell the home insurer about the death straight away and ask it to keep covering the property. Home policies usually cut cover once a home has been empty for a set time, often 30 or 60 days, and getting probate alone took 46 days on average in August 2026, before any sale can complete.
Checked 11 October 2026 · Citizens Advice: what to do after a death
What to do first
- Tell the insurer. Citizens Advice says to tell them the person has died and ask them to keep insuring the property.
- Keep the basics running. It also says to make sure the home stays insured and keeps its basic utilities, like electricity and water.
- Find out the limit. Ask how long the home can be empty before cover changes, what changes, and whether the insurer can extend it.
The executor or administrator is responsible for the estate's assets, including the home, from the date of death, gov.uk says.
Sources: Citizens Advice and gov.uk, checked 11 October 2026.
The empty-home limit
Home insurance usually limits cover once a home has been unoccupied for a set time. The Association of British Insurers and the Financial Ombudsman both put it at often 30 or 60 days. After that, the ombudsman says, insurers typically stop covering certain events, such as theft, attempted theft, malicious damage or escape of water.
| Insurer | Limit | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Aviva | 60 days | Lists it under what's usually not covered. What does home insurance cover?, published 19 December 2024. |
| Direct Line | 60 days | Doesn't cover damage once the home has been empty that long. Freezing temperatures article, updated 31 March 2026. |
| Admiral | 60 days | Its standard limit; it may extend it if you ask first. Insuring an unoccupied house, updated 8 January 2026. |
| LV= | 60 days | Reduced cover applies after that. What's covered with LV= home insurance. |
| Halifax Home Insurance | 60 days | You must tell it before the home is empty that long. Policy booklet, correct as of June 2026. |
Each insurer links to the page or document the limit came from, read 11 October 2026. Your own policy schedule has the limit that applies to you, and it may differ. Sources for the typical range: Association of British Insurers and Financial Ombudsman Service.
Why probate runs into the limit
A home in the person's sole name can't be sold until the executor has the grant, as HM Land Registry practice guide 6 sets out. On HMCTS's own figures for August 2026, the wait for a grant alone was:
- 46 days on average for all applications (6.5 weeks), 14 days inside a 60-day limit
- 82 days for an online application HMCTS stopped (11.7 weeks), past a 60-day limit
- 115 days for a paper application (16.4 weeks), past a 60-day limit
Add the time a sale takes once the grant arrives, and the limit can pass before the home is sold. See how long probate takes for the monthly figures.
Renewing the policy may not restart the clock
In a 2024 Financial Ombudsman decision about an executor's claim, renewing the policy didn't mean a new 60-day period began. The claim, for a leak after the limit had passed, was turned down, and the ombudsman found the insurer hadn't acted unfairly. Ask your insurer how it counts the empty period, and keep the answer in writing.
Source: Financial Ombudsman Service, decision DRN-4530553. Individual decisions don't set precedent.
When the limit passes
Cover for an empty home can sometimes be bought back. In the same ombudsman case, the policy let the lost cover be restored for an extra premium, on conditions such as the water being turned off and the property being inspected inside at regular intervals. Ask the insurer what it offers and what it would need from you.
If the existing insurer won't cover an empty home, Citizens Advice points out that some insurance companies specialise in homes with no-one living in them.
Comparing cover for an empty home
Whether you stay with the existing insurer or move, these are the questions that decide whether a claim is paid:
- How many days can the home be empty, and does the count start at the death or when you tell the insurer?
- Which events stop being covered after that: theft, vandalism, escape of water, freezing?
- What conditions apply: how often someone must visit, whether the water must be off or the heating on?
- Is the cover for the buildings only, or the contents too?
- Can it run month to month until the sale completes?
We don't list or rank insurers, and we earn nothing from any of them.
Common questions
Does home insurance stop when the owner dies?
Tell the insurer as soon as you can and ask it to keep covering the property, as Citizens Advice recommends. What happens next depends on the policy and the insurer, and many limit cover once the home has been empty for a set time.
How long can a house be empty before insurance is affected?
Often 30 or 60 days, according to the Association of British Insurers and the Financial Ombudsman. All 5 insurers we checked use 60 days in their own documents. The exact limit is in the policy schedule.
What isn't covered once the limit passes?
The Financial Ombudsman says insurers typically stop covering certain events once the limit passes, such as theft, attempted theft, malicious damage or escape of water. The policy wording lists exactly which events apply.
Does renewing the policy restart the empty-home limit?
Not necessarily. In a 2024 ombudsman decision about an executor's claim, renewing the policy didn't mean a new 60-day period began. Ask the insurer how it counts the time, and get the answer in writing.
Who should arrange insurance for the home of someone who died?
The executor or administrator. gov.uk says they're responsible for the estate's assets, including the home, from the date of death until everything has been passed on.
About this page
Guidance comes from Citizens Advice, the Association of British Insurers, the Financial Ombudsman Service and gov.uk. Limits come from each insurer's own website or policy booklet, read 11 October 2026, and the waiting times from HMCTS. Compiled by James Burfield. General information, not insurance or legal advice: your policy wording is what counts.