Glossary

Vacancy clause

Policy language that removes or limits coverage for certain losses, such as vandalism and glass breakage, once a home has sat empty beyond a set number of days.

Also called: vacancy exclusion, vacancy provision, vacancy and unoccupancy clause

A vacancy clause cuts off coverage for specified losses when a home has been vacant longer than the policy allows. In the standard ISO HO-3, vandalism, malicious mischief and breakage of glass are not covered if the dwelling has been vacant for more than 60 consecutive days immediately before the loss. A dwelling under construction is not treated as vacant.

Insurers' own forms often go further. Some shorten the period, and some add water damage, theft or freezing to the excluded list. "Vacant" usually means empty of furnishings and contents, and policies often leave the word undefined, so a house with furniture but no residents is a separate question; see unoccupied.

Say a house is listed for sale, emptied out and left alone for 75 days, and vandals smash windows and tear out copper pipe (hypothetical). The vacancy clause may bar the claim, even though the same damage would have been covered at day 30. Fire and wind usually remain covered, but that depends on the wording.

If a home will sit empty, tell the insurer before the deadline runs. You can often add a vacancy permit or move to a vacant dwelling policy. The guide vacancy and unoccupancy exclusions explains the options, and vacant home insurance: when you need it and what it covers covers buying coverage for an empty house.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Unoccupied Describes a furnished home that nobody is living in for a time, which can limit coverage under some policies, unlike a vacant home that is empty of contents. Vacant dwelling policy A specialty property policy for a house nobody lives in, written because owner-occupied forms restrict coverage once a home sits empty. Exclusion A policy provision that removes coverage for a stated cause, type of loss, property or circumstance that the coverage would otherwise reach. Endorsement A written change attached to a policy that adds, removes or alters coverage, limits or conditions, and controls over the base form wherever the two conflict. Landlord policy Insurance for a home you own and rent to tenants, covering the building, lost rent and the owner's liability, but not the tenant's belongings.

Related guides

Burst and frozen pipes: what's covered A burst pipe is usually covered if you kept the heat on or drained the system. What reasonable care means, how vacancy affects a claim, and the first hour. Home insurance after a death in the family What happens to a homeowners policy when an owner or spouse dies: the Death condition, surviving owners, the mortgage, premiums and a first-month checklist. Insuring a home during a renovation Remodeling changes your risk and replacement cost. What to tell your insurer, what the HO-3 says about construction, and how to check a contractor's coverage. Insuring an inherited house: what to do in the first 30 days The owner's policy can bridge a death, but only briefly. How the Death condition, vacancy clauses, a mortgage and probate decide what covers an inherited house. Landlord insurance: what a rental property policy covers Landlord insurance covers a house you rent out, lost rent after a fire or leak, and your liability to tenants. What it leaves out and when you need it. Homeowners insurance for military families How deployments, PCS moves, on-base housing and rentals affect your homeowners policy, what a military insurer adds, and what to arrange before orders arrive.

Related insurers

Foremost Insurance Farmers-owned specialist founded in 1952 for mobile homes; also writes landlord, vacant, seasonal and standard home policies via independent and Farmers agents.