The UK Residential and Commercial property owners’ markets have seen big changes following the economic impact brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. The way in which property owners and tenants are using their properties has changed, likely for the foreseeable future.
At Folgate, we have seen the demand for unoccupied property insurance increase substantially in the past 18 months, with our broker partners now requiring several coverage options to suit their client’s needs. We would therefore like to remind our brokers that our Commercial Property Investors and Residential Property Investors products can offer flexible solutions to meet these needs.
Standard Unoccupied Building(s) Exclusions
In line with the market standard, Folgate’s unoccupied property cover excludes damage caused by Escape of Water, Escape of Oil, Riot, Civil Commotion, Malicious Acts, Vandalism and Theft and/or Attempted Theft when the building(s) insured are unoccupied (wholly or mainly empty, unfurnished, not in use or untenanted for 30 consecutive days or more).
Unoccupied Building(s) Cover Available
To assist our network of brokers and policyholders alike, Folgate have developed tiered unoccupied levels of cover offering wider protection to policyholders when their building(s) are unoccupied.
The levels of cover available are as follows:
| Full Perils Level 1
£2,500 Limit |
Full Perils Level 2
£10,000 Limit |
Full Perils Level 3
£25,000 Limit |
| Full peril cover limited to £2,500 in respect of any one claim or a series of claims arising out of one occurrence for damage caused by Escape of Water, Escape of Oil, Riot, Civil Commotion, Malicious Acts, Vandalism, Theft and/or Attempted Theft | Full peril cover limited to £10,000 in respect of any one claim or a series of claims arising out of one occurrence for damage caused by Escape of Water, Escape of Oil, Riot, Civil Commotion, Malicious Acts, Vandalism, Theft and/or Attempted Theft | Full peril cover limited to £25,000 in respect of any one claim or a series of claims arising out of one occurrence for damage caused by Escape of Water, Escape of Oil, Riot, Civil Commotion, Malicious Acts, Vandalism, Theft and/or Attempted Theft |
The below table details our appetite in respect of unoccupied properties:
| Target Risks | Decline Risks |
| Properties up for sale | Properties unoccupied long term (2 years or more) |
| Properties undergoing renovation works | Pubs, bars, and nightclubs |
| Properties in probate | |
| Properties pending tenant |
Daily Trading
Email presentations and submissions via our online trading platform are acceptable and welcomed.
Simpler still, if you require some guidance on the acceptability of a risk or are looking for a ‘very rough indication’ of premium “VRI”, please call one of our Underwriters using the contact details below who are more than happy to discuss these with you.
For enquiries, contact our Property team:
Sarah Bonner 020 7256 3415 Sarah.Bonner@folgateltd.com
Joe Ansell 020 8187 8861 Joe.Ansell@folgateltd.com