What is the definition for “unoccupied” when applied to house insurance?

sure sounds like it to me, I would make it a week if possible to be on the safe side.

Yes. Unoccupied means standing empty. So if she spends a night or two there in the middle, the timer starts over. But to be certain, if I were you, I would just call my insurance company and ask. You will be covered then if anything does happen.

If anybody can stay in your house, while you are away, it can then be classified as occupied. Though you will need to inform the insurance company. Unoccupied means totally empty in house terms.

If the house burns down or is destroyed by acts of nature, will it be covered? That’s what you have to ask yourself! Is it worth saving a few bucks then ending up with nothing? Call your agent and tell them…Merry Christmas!

3 months? what’s your address?

Yes as long as You keep the utilites on , even if your sister stays or not , you should be fine.. unoccupied, can take on a long list of unanswered question, but people leave town all the time.. Just have her check on your home , pick up all mail and newpapers, and you will ok with the insurance portion of this,, it has to do with the utilities.. and you could still have coverage, even if they were off also.. maybe not the contents, but the house itself is covered.. Think about people with rental property.. sometimes its not rented for a longer time than you are going to be gone

You really need to have a VACANCY clause added onto your policy. Occupied is defined as >3 days per week… The vacancy cost is a little costly, but if there is a fire or loss, and there is not somebody there occupying, the claim WILL be denied. I will pay the little extra for the Vacancy to avoid this possibility. I have had a lot of insured’s claims denied b/c of this reason!

you should be fine as long as someone is staying in the house for a day or two. unoccupied means no one is staying in the home. vacant means no one stays in the house, utlities are off, and no furnishings are in the home. if for some reason you will be gone longer, advise your agent of this.

No, sorry. You’ll probably need to refer to your policy to see if it’s defined there, because any policy definition takes priority over the common definition.

Normally it means, you still live there legally, but aren’t there for a reason - typically would be, because you are in the hospital or on vacation. A non-owner occupant, ie, your sister, doesn’t count.

Are you going on vacation for three months? If that’s the case, I’d just be honest with your agent and tell them, it’s not a big deal for VACATION.

Now, what I would do if it was me: first of all, if your house is unoccupied for more than 30 days, a few coverages get automatically suspended, like vandalism, and burst pipe water damage, if you don’t winterize the house. But an unoccupied house policy doesn’t have these coverages ANYWAY. So, I would be VERY CAREFUL to winterize the house - shut off the main water valve, drain the pipes & toilet tank. Have your sister stop by to pick up the mail & check up on the house a couple times a week, and not worry about it. If the insurance company sends you a letter, you’ll be back in the house before they can get around to cancelling you.

This is a question that confuses many people.

You are dealing with two specific terms here, and from what I see, you may get confused from some of the answers you have on here.

The two terms are Vacant and un-occupied. To break it down for you, un-occupied means that the house is furnished and in a livable condition. If your sister stays there for a few days, then the home is occupied and as someone said “the timer starts over”. If a home is “vacant” then it is empty, there will be no, or very few furnishings and not look like someone lives there, making it more susceptible to theft or vandalism.

That is why you lose coverage for theft, vandalism and malicious mischief if the house is un-occupied for a specific amount of time, stated in your policy.

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