Unoccupied properties give landlords headache

Buy-to-let investors have been told that unoccupied properties can be a real problem when it comes to insurance.

Website landlordinsurance says that investors must inform their insurer once a property has been unoccupied for a specific number of days.

Failure to do this could result in the house not being covered and could leave the landlord seriously out of pocket.

"The biggest issue to watch out for is unoccupied properties. That is the biggest concern area - unoccupied properties are not always acceptable," said Lee Grandin, managing director of the firm.

"Or they are limited to a certain number of days as unoccupied – normally 60 days – and it's important to make your insurer aware that you're doing works to the property, especially if it extends for more than 60 days.

"If you don't disclose this information, your insurance will be invalid. You must tell the insurer when the property is unoccupied. It is a very important clause within the contract because there is a very high claim rate for unoccupied properties," he continued.

Mr Grandin also pointed out the need for investors to take out landlords' liability insurance.

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