Second Home Insurance
Insurance that protects your second home, like it’s your first home.
What is Second Home Insurance?
Need to insure a property that isn’t your main residence? That’s what second home insurance is for.
If you’re fortunate enough to own two or more homes, this policy can provide the cover needed to protect these properties, much like a standard home insurance policy provides cover for your home and primary property.
Standard home insurance policies can’t be used to insure a second home, so this specialist policy is needed to make sure all your properties are appropriately insured. After all, you’d want to make sure that your second property is as insured just as well as your main residence is, wouldn’t you?
What could a Second Home policy include?
- Protection for your contents, assuming the property is locked and secure.
- Cover against malicious damage.
- Home Emergency Insurance.
- Cover in the event of theft or attempted theft.
- Wide range of optional extras to choose from.
Home Insurance for Second Homes - what cover do I need?
Owners of multiple properties tend to assume that their standard home or buildings insurance can cover all of their properties under that one policy, but that’s not the case. In fact, second homes can’t be legally insured under an ordinary home insurance policy, mainly because they are taxed differently to main residences.
That’s where second home insurance steps in, designed to address the unique risks and considerations associated with owning a second home. Despite being separate from standard home insurance, second home insurance does however cover much of the same things a regular home policy would.
Second Home Contents Insurance
Second home contents insurance ensures that items and personal possessions in your second home are covered against loss or damage, whether its clothes, jewellery, furniture, or electronics.
Second Home Buildings Insurance
Second home building insurance covers the costs of full rebuilding your second home, including the materials and labour required.
Falling trees, fires, lightning, explosions, vandalism and flood risk are just some examples of unfortunate events that could cause damage to your property, that could also be covered for.
Second Home Combined Insurance
Have everything covered under one joint policy, both the structure of the home and its content, rather than having separate policies.
What's the right Second Home Insurance for me?
Depending on how you use your second home, will depend on what type of insurance you need. There's types of second home you may need cover for:
Let properties
A specialist type of landlord insurance is required if intend to rent out your second property to tenants.
Unoccupied properties
The longer your second home is left unoccupied, the more likely the property could face risks such as water damage, theft or vandalism.
Holiday homes Abroad
You can get your hands on a comprehensive policy that's specifically tailored to what holiday homes require, which might be different from the policy that protects your main residence.
For each of these property types, you can get a different specialist home policy to keep you protected. If it’s a second home insurance policy you’re after, get in touch, and we can help you get a hold of a quote that you’d be happy to commit to.
How much does it cost to insure a second home?
We get asked this a lot, and the price you can expect to pay for second home insurance premiums will vary for each individual. There’re several factors that insurers need to consider when they come to calculate your insurance premium, such as:
- Where the property’s located
- What type of cover you opt for
- How regularly you use your second home
- How the second home is used i.e., is it used for long stays or short holidays?
- The property’s age and what materials were used to build it
- The rebuild cost of the property
What we can say is that whilst, typically, second home insurance policies do tend to be more expensive that regular home insurance policies, our team will go above and beyond to make sure they can get you the best price we can offer, for a policy that doesn’t force you to compromise on your expectations.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that it’s more cost effective to manage all of your properties under one policy, than to manage them all under multiple different policies. Having a second home insurance policy could save you both time and money.
Find out more about second homes...
Want to find out more about second home and standard home insurance policies? Take a look at some of articles that you can find on the Howden Blog!
Second Home Insurance FAQs
What makes a home a second home?
A home can be classed as a second home if the homeowner buys it to live in, in addition to their main residence. A second home is essentially a property that you own that is not your main home, and this could be a holiday home or a property that you let out, but also often stay in.
When it comes to getting your second home insured, it’s helpful for insurers to tell them how you use the additional property. That way, they can find and align a policy that makes the most sense for your property, meaning that any future claims you make are valid.
It’s also important to bare in mind that you need to nominate which property is your primary residence two years in from acquiring a second home, and this decision should be based on where you and your family spend the most time, where you keep your belongings, and where you’re most likely to be sent governmental and legal documentation.
How long can a second home be unoccupied?
Most standard home insurance providers will provide cover for your second home if it is unoccupied for fewer than 30 days at a time. If the property is unoccupied any longer than that, many insurers will instead offer you an unoccupied insurance policy as sufficient cover.
However, other providers offer second home policies for unoccupancy periods of up to 60 days, so it's worth doing your research and double-checking policy wording before buying cover and leaving your second home unoccupied for long periods.
Can I get home emergency cover on a second home insurance policy?
Yes, most second home insurers will offer you the option to add home emergency cover to their policy.
You’ll need to check insurer’s policy wording before buying home emergency cover, but generally, you can expect this insurance to cover you for home emergency repairs to water and heating systems, doors, windows, and for pest infestations.
What else can I add to my second home policy?
Many insurers offer you the opportunity to add various cover extras to your policy before finding you a second home insurance quote. It works the same way a holiday home or landlord insurance policy would, and as well as home emergency cover, you could expect to be offered the option to include:
Legal expenses
Coverage for the expenses incurred in defending against claims made by others or pursuing legal action against someone else.
Loss of keys
Reimbursement for locksmith services, lock replacement, and new keys if yours are lost or stolen.
Loss of rent
Covers compensation for lost income if your tenants fail to pay rent.
Employers' liability cover
Essential if you employ individuals for tasks related to your second home, such as cleaners or gardeners. It provides coverage for claims arising from injuries or losses incurred by them while working for you.
Why choose Howden for Second Home Insurance?
As a specialist home insurance broker, we pride ourselves on doing the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to. Thanks to the great relationships we have with our selected panel of standard and specialist insurers, we make the process of comparing multiple second home insurance policies, on your behalf, simple and easy. What’s not to like?
Here at Howden, our team knows that each policy needs to be as individual as its owner and their home, and that’s why we provide a tailored, personalised service, focused on getting to know you and learning more about what you want from your insurance cover.
Ultimately, whether you need to make a claim, purchase a new specialist home policy, or renew an existing one, just know that we’re here to help.
Unoccupied Property Insurance
Unoccupied properties need insurance too.
Empty properties are still at risk and vulnerable, and that’s why having unoccupied property insurance is essential.
Let Property Insurance
Let property insurance that’s built for your needs.
We understand that there’s no one-size-fits-all policy when it comes to let property insurance.
Home Insurance
Home Insurance to protect your dwelling
Trust Howden, a home insurance broker, to help you find a tailor-made home policy that meets your budgetary and insurance expectations.