Inherited Property Insurance

Home Insurance for an Inherited Property

If you’ve been left a flat, apartment or house as a legacy in a family member’s will it’s possible the probate process might take as long as three to twelve months, and the executor of the will won’t be able to distribute the deceased person’s property to the beneficiaries until this process has been completed.

However, once the probate process is finished and the legacy home you have inherited has been signed over to you it would be a wise idea to consider taking out a suitable home insurance policy to protect your new asset.

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Can I take out legacy home insurance while the probate process is ongoing?

No, until the probate process has been completed the deceased person’s assets won’t be distributed to the beneficiaries named in the will, and from a legal perspective you won’t actually own the home until this happens even though the will lists the home as part of your legacy.

Do I have to move into the legacy home in order to insure it?

No, it is possible to insure your new home even if you don’t plan to live it – if you already owned your own home prior to inheriting this property as part of your legacy, for instance.

However, most standard home insurance policies carry a clause that limits the number of consecutive days an insured property can be left unoccupied, so you might need to look into a more specialist type of home insurance known as unoccupied home insurance.

What type of home insurance should I take out if I plan to rent my legacy home out to tenants?

If you already own your own home and are therefore thinking about renting your legacy home out to tenants you wouldn’t take out home insurance for that property at all. Once tenants move in you will become their landlord, at which point you should take out landlord insurance rather than standard home insurance.

The property I’ve inherited is a leasehold flat – do I need buildings insurance?

If the property you’ve inherited is a leasehold flat in a block of flats it’s possible the freeholder might arrange the buildings insurance each year, in which case you would only need to take out contents insurance for the property you’ve inherited.

However, some flats come with a ‘share of the freehold’, in which case you might need your own buildings insurance policy, so it’s worth reviewing the deeds for the property in order to check this.

How can I find the best deals on my legacy home insurance?

As with any insurance policy, the key is to shop around because some insurance providers offer home insurance deals to new policyholders, which means the renewal quote from an existing provider often isn’t the best deal.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that some banks offer their account holders home insurance discounts when they sign up for a new policy, and a few even offer account holders free home insurance, so it’s worth checking with your bank before you compare home insurance quotes for the home you’ve inherited.