Vacant and unoccupied are usually two different things
Most Canadian policies distinguish between the two, and the distinction drives what coverage remains in force.
Unoccupied generally describes a property nobody is currently living in, where the absence is temporary, belongings remain and the occupants intend to return. A snowbird's house through the winter is the standard case.
Vacant generally describes a property whose occupants have moved out with no intention of returning, largely empty of belongings. A house whose owners relocated before it sold, an estate property after contents have been removed, or a rental between tenants would typically fall here.
Insurers word this differently and there is no standard definition across the industry. The wording in your policy is the only version that governs your situation.
What commonly changes when a property becomes vacant
Many policies restrict or exclude specific perils once a property has been vacant beyond a defined period — often around thirty days, though it varies substantially.
The coverages most commonly affected first are water damage, vandalism, malicious damage, theft and glass breakage. These are precisely the losses most likely to occur in an empty property, which is not a coincidence — it is the reason for the restriction.
- Water damage — frequently excluded or restricted after a defined vacancy period
- Vandalism and malicious damage — commonly excluded
- Theft — commonly excluded or restricted
- Glass breakage — commonly excluded
- Liability — often continues, but confirm rather than assume
Conditions during extended absence
Separately from vacancy restrictions, many policies impose conditions during any extended absence in the heating season. The most common pattern is a requirement to either maintain heat in the building, or shut off and drain the water supply.
Some policies add a requirement that the property be checked at a stated interval by a competent person, and some specify what "competent" means. Some require notification of the absence.
These conditions are ordinary and generally reasonable. The problem is that most owners do not know they exist, discover them after a loss, and find that a claim is affected by something they could have resolved with a phone call.
What to ask your broker
- What does my policy define as vacant, and as unoccupied?
- Which category does my situation fall into?
- At what point do restrictions begin?
- Which coverages are affected, and how?
- What conditions must I meet during the absence?
- Is heat required, and at what minimum temperature?
- Or is the water required to be shut off and drained?
- Is a check interval required? How often, and by whom?
- Do I need to notify you, and in what form?
- Is a vacancy permit or endorsement available, and appropriate here?
- Does anything about the property change the answer — poly-B, a suite, a woodstove, prior claims?
- Can you confirm all of this in writing?
Where a documented service fits
A monitoring service with proper documentation gives you a dated, photographed record of when the property was attended and what was observed. If your policy requires checks, having evidence they happened is materially better than asserting it afterwards.
What no service can do is tell you that it satisfies your policy. That determination belongs to the insurer who wrote it. Be wary of any home-watch company that claims its plan meets insurance requirements — it has no standing to make that promise, and relying on it is worse than having no arrangement at all, because you would have stopped asking.
Related questions
What is the difference between a vacant and an unoccupied home?
In insurance terms these are usually two different things, and the distinction matters because policies commonly treat them differently.
Unoccupied generally means nobody is currently living in the property, but the situation is temporary and the occupants intend to return — belongings are still there, furniture is in place, and the home is still a home. A snowbird's house through the winter is the standard example.
Vacant generally means the occupants have moved out and do not intend to return, and the property is largely empty of belongings. A house whose owners have relocated before it sold, a property held in an estate after contents have been removed, or a rental between tenants would typically fall here.
Why it matters: many policies restrict or exclude specific perils once a property is considered vacant beyond a defined period — often around thirty days, though this varies considerably between insurers. Water damage, vandalism, theft and glass breakage are frequently the first coverages affected.
These are general descriptions, not definitions of your policy. Insurers word this differently and the wording in your own policy is the only version that governs. Read it, and ask your broker which category your situation falls into.
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.
Will a home watch service satisfy my insurance requirements?
That is entirely for your insurer to determine, and any company that tells you otherwise is making a promise it has no standing to make.
Some policies require checks by a "competent person" at a defined interval and do not specify further. Others are more prescriptive. Some require no checks at all provided water is shut off and drained. Whether a particular service meets a particular condition is a question for the insurer who wrote the policy.
What a documented service does provide is evidence: dated, photographed records of when the property was attended and what was observed. If your policy requires checks, having a record that they happened is materially better than asserting it afterwards.
Before you rely on any arrangement, confirm the requirement with your broker and tell them what you have arranged. If it matters to your coverage, get their confirmation in writing.
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.