Is your house still insured when it is empty?

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-07 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

General information, not advice on your situation. Buying through Tower's online quote is direct, without advice. QuoteHub is a Tower partner and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission from Tower.

A house that is empty for a few weeks is normally still insured. The change comes after 90 days in a row: under Tower's current wording, cover is limited from day 91 to a short list of causes, and an additional $1,000 excess applies to a claim for loss to the house. A house you have told the insurer is a holiday home, and that is shown on your certificate of insurance, is the exception. Other insurers write their own rules, so the number of days, the causes that stay covered and the excess can all differ. This page sits inside our house insurance guide and uses Tower's wording as the worked example, because Tower publishes it in full.

What "unoccupied" means in the policy

Insurers use "empty", "vacant" and "unoccupied" loosely, but the wording defines its own term. In Tower's house wording, unoccupied means no-one stays in the house overnight. That is a different test from whether the house is furnished, has power on or is being looked after.

A furnished house with its lights on a timer is still unoccupied if nobody sleeps there. The wording counts 90 consecutive days. By its definition a night when someone does stay is not an unoccupied night, but it does not spell out whether a single night restarts the count, so ask your insurer before relying on a quick visit.

The first 90 days and what happens after

Nothing changes for a short absence. Tower says you do not have to tell it if your home is unoccupied for a short period, and you are still covered. A two-week holiday, a month overseas or a few weeks between moving out and moving back in are normal use.

The clock matters once the gap runs past 90 days in a row. As a worked example, a house left empty from 1 December reaches day 91 at about the start of March. From that point the limited cover applies. The policy requires you to tell Tower immediately if the house has been, or will be, unoccupied for more than 90 days, unless you have told it the house is a holiday home and that is shown on your certificate of insurance. If you already know the gap will be long, tell the insurer before it starts.

The four causes that stay covered after day 90 are:

1. a natural hazard;
2. a fire resulting from a natural hazard;
3. a fire that is not related to or started by a deliberate or intentional act;
4. a storm or flood caused by weather events.

The same clause appears in the Standard, Plus and Premium house wordings.

What the four causes mean in practice

"Natural hazard" is a defined term, not a general phrase. Tower's wording defines it by reference to the Natural Hazards Insurance Act 2023: earthquake, landslide, volcanic activity, hydrothermal activity, tsunami or natural hazard fire. Storm and flood sit in cause four. Our guide to natural hazards and flood cover explains how that fits with the Natural Hazards Commission (NHC, formerly EQC) cover.

Everything outside the four is excluded while the limit applies. The wording separately excludes damage caused while the house is unoccupied for more than 90 consecutive days, other than those four causes. The list does not name theft, vandalism, or a burst pipe, which is where an empty house is most exposed: a pipe can fail, or a window can be forced, with nobody there to notice.

Three short examples show how the same house can be treated differently.

• A burst pipe after 40 days away. The house is inside the 90 days, so the normal policy applies, with its usual excess and exclusions. Gradual leaks are a separate question; see roof leaks and gradual damage.
• A burst pipe after 120 days empty. The house is past day 90 and a burst pipe is not one of the four causes. Unless the insurer agreed further cover in writing, the claim is unlikely to fit the list.
• A storm lifts roofing iron after 120 days empty. Storm caused by weather events is one of the four causes, so the claim can still proceed, with the additional $1,000 excess on top of the normal one.

Holiday homes are treated differently

Tower's wording says the limit and the additional excess do not apply if you have told it the house is a holiday home and that is shown on your certificate of insurance. Tower's house insurance page says the same. A bach that sits empty all winter is the usual case. What counts is that the insurer has recorded it, not how the house is used in practice.

Declaring a holiday home has a cost. Some benefits switch off for it, including temporary accommodation and the benefit that pays to replace lost keys or locks. In the Premium wording, carpets extended replacement also does not apply to a holiday home or a house unoccupied for more than 90 consecutive days. Tower also says you must tell it immediately if the house becomes a holiday home or becomes tenanted, so a change of use is something to report, not assume.

Common reasons a house sits empty

• Between tenants. Tower's owner-occupier house wording does not cover a house that becomes a dedicated tenanted property you do not use personally, and points to its separate landlord policy. Tower's Landlord's Plus wording carries the same 90-day clause, so a long vacancy is a problem on a rental too. See landlord versus house insurance.
• Short-term letting. If you only occasionally let the house, the house wording asks you to clean and inspect it after each rental and claim against any booking service first. See short-term rental insurance for the wider picture.
• Between buying and moving in. If the house sits empty before you move in, see our guide to insurance on settlement day and tell the insurer the plan.
• Renovations. You must tell Tower immediately if you make structural alterations. Our guide to insuring a building or renovation project covers the wider picture. The wording also defines an uninhabitable house as one without a functional bathroom or kitchen, or one that is unsafe or impractical to live in, so a gutted house can raise questions beyond the 90 days.
• Extended travel or time in care. If you will be away for more than 90 days, tell the insurer before you leave.
• A house for sale. An empty house on the market is still unoccupied under the definition, even when it is staged and viewed regularly.

Keep the house locked, checked and honest

The wording sets duties that matter most when nobody is home. You and anyone you put in charge must take reasonable care to protect and maintain the house and make sure it is securely locked when unattended. If you do not meet your responsibilities, Tower can decline a claim, recover a payment already made, or cancel or avoid the policy. Not telling the insurer about a long vacancy is the kind of omission that puts a later claim at risk.

Contents are affected too. Tower's contents wording limits cover after 90 consecutive days in the same way, with an additional excess of $1,000 and the same holiday home exception, so furniture left in an empty house meets the same gap. See home and contents insurance for how the two policies fit together.

What to do before the house goes quiet

1. Work out how long it will be empty. If it could pass 90 days, plan for the limited cover to apply.
2. Call your insurer before the gap starts. Tower says to phone it on 0800 379 372 if the house has been, or will be, unoccupied for more than 90 days, and its wording says it may agree to provide further cover on added terms.
3. Ask for any new terms in writing, including any additional excess.
4. If it is a holiday home, ask for that to be shown on your certificate.
5. Keep the sum insured right while the house waits; our guide to working out your sum insured shows how.
6. Arrange for someone to check the house. A person who visits, clears the letterbox and looks for leaks or storm damage can catch problems that would otherwise run for weeks, and cover for hidden gradual water damage stops after 90 days.

Getting a quote from Tower online

Have the address, build year, construction type, floor area and your sum insured ready, and know whether the house will be lived in or left empty. QuoteHub's link opens Tower's own online quote, and Tower asks you to phone it if the house will be unoccupied for more than 90 days: Tower's online quote.

Questions people ask

Do I have to tell my insurer if my house is empty?

Tower says you do not need to tell it about a short absence, but you must tell it immediately if the house has been, or will be, unoccupied for more than 90 days. A declared holiday home shown on your certificate is the exception. Other insurers set their own time limits, so check yours.

How long can a house be empty before the insurance stops?

Under Tower's wording the cover does not stop. It is limited from day 91 to a short list of causes, with an additional $1,000 excess. A different insurer may use another timeframe or exclude vacant houses outright.

Is an unoccupied house covered for burst pipes or break-ins?

Not after 90 consecutive days under Tower's wording. The four causes that stay covered do not name theft, vandalism or burst pipes, and the hidden gradual water damage benefit stops applying once the house has been unoccupied for more than 90 days. Before that point, the normal cover applies, subject to the usual excess and exclusions.

Can I get cover for a house that will be empty for months?

Possibly. Tower says that if you tell it a house will be unoccupied for more than 90 days it may agree to provide further cover, with added terms and conditions and perhaps an additional excess. Expect conditions, and ask for them in writing.

Does a holiday home count as an empty house?

Not for the 90-day limit, if the insurer has recorded it as a holiday home. Tower says the limit and extra excess do not apply to your holiday home, and its wording adds that this must be shown on your certificate of insurance.

Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Empty House Insurance NZ: What Cover Applies. www.quotehub.co.nz/house-insurance/vacant-house-insurance-nz. Updated 2026-10-07.

References

• Tower: House insurance
• Tower: House Standard wording 09-24
• Tower: House Plus wording 09-24
• Tower: House Premium wording 09-24
• Tower: Contents Standard wording 09-24
• Tower: Landlord's Plus wording 09-24

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