Why the specific wording matters
A general question — "am I covered while I am away?" — produces a general answer, and general answers are not useful when a claim is assessed against specific policy conditions. These questions are worded to produce answers you can act on.
Ask for written confirmation. A broker's email is a document; a phone conversation is a memory.
The list
- How does my policy define "vacant"? How does it define "unoccupied"?
- Given that I will be away from [date] to [date], which category applies?
- After how many days do any restrictions begin?
- Exactly which coverages are restricted or excluded at that point?
- What conditions must I meet during the absence for coverage to remain in force?
- If heat must be maintained, what minimum temperature does the policy specify?
- If the water must be shut off, does it also need to be drained?
- Does the policy require the property to be checked? How often?
- Does the policy specify who may perform those checks?
- Am I required to notify you of the absence? In what form, and by when?
- Is a vacancy permit or endorsement available? What does it cost and what does it require?
- Does my plumbing type, heating type, or any rental suite affect any of this?
- Will you confirm these answers by email?
What to do with the answers
Turn them into your departure plan. If checks are required weekly, that is your cadence. If heat must be at 15 °C, that is your thermostat setting and the number every visit report should be measured against. If the water must be drained, book a plumber before you go rather than discovering the shut-off valve is seized on departure morning.
Keep the written confirmation with your property documents. If a claim ever arises, the record of what you were told and what you did in response is worth having.
Related questions
What does my insurance require when my home is vacant?
We cannot tell you, and neither can any home-watch company — that answer lives in your specific policy, and it varies substantially between insurers and between products.
What we can tell you is what to ask. Call your insurer or broker before you leave and ask these questions specifically: What does my policy define as vacant, and as unoccupied? At what point do restrictions begin? Which coverages are affected? Are there conditions I must meet during an extended absence — maintaining heat at a specified temperature, shutting off and draining the water supply, or having the property checked at a stated interval? If checks are required, how often, and does the policy specify who may perform them? Do I need to notify you that the property will be empty?
Get the answers in writing. An email from your broker confirming the requirements is worth having if a claim is ever made.
A common pattern in Canadian policies is a requirement to either maintain heat during the heating season or shut off and drain the water supply, sometimes paired with a required check interval. But that is a pattern, not your policy. Ask.
VacantHomes.ca provides documented property visits that give you an organised record of monitoring. We do not represent that any service, or any visit frequency, satisfies any policy condition — that determination is between you and your insurer.
Do I need to tell my insurer I am going away?
Quite possibly, and it costs nothing to ask.
Many policies require notification if a property will be unoccupied beyond a defined period. Some require it in writing. Failing to notify where notification is required can affect how a claim is handled.
For short absences — a two-week holiday — notification is generally not required under most policies. For extended absences of a month or more, and particularly for a full snowbird season, it is worth a call regardless of whether you think it is required.
The conversation is short. Tell them how long you will be away, when, whether anyone will be attending the property, and what arrangements you have made for heat and water. Ask them to confirm in writing what conditions apply.