How Often Should Someone Check an Empty House? What Insurers Say
There's no single rule. Published insurer wording ranges from every day to every seven days, so here is what two insurers say and what to ask your own.
Ask your home insurer first, because the answer is in your policy and it varies. The insurer wording we've read ranges from a check every day to one every seven days. If your policy sets no rule, go by how long you'll be gone and the time of year. This article shows what two insurers have published and what to ask yours. For how this plays out on our visits, see our page on house checks in Regina.
What does TD Insurance say?
TD's consumer page on home insurance myths says "you need someone checking in on your home every seven days". That's a summary on a web page. It isn't policy wording, so if you're insured with TD, your own policy is still the document to read.
What does Saskatchewan Mutual say?
Saskatchewan Mutual's habitational policy wording for 2018 to the present is more specific. Freezing damage isn't covered in the heating season if you're away more than 10 consecutive days. Coverage holds if one of three things is true:
- A reliable person enters the home daily to confirm the heat is on
- The water is shut off and all the pipes and appliances are drained
- The home has a low temperature alarm monitored 24 hours a day
The same wording has a separate exclusion for a home vacant more than 30 days without a permit. On our reading, a weekly visit alone wouldn't meet the daily wording above. That's why it matters to read your own policy and to ask before you choose a schedule.
Why do the answers differ so much?
Insurers write their own policies, and a single company can sell more than one. A rule can also change with the season, the length of time away, and whether the house counts as unoccupied or vacant. Your policy decides what each of those words means. So an answer from a neighbour, a forum or an article like this one can only tell you what to ask.
What should I ask my insurer or broker?
Phone them with your dates and go through these:
- How many days can the house sit empty before a rule applies?
- How often does someone have to go in, and what do they have to check?
- Is the rule different in the heating season?
- Does my house count as unoccupied or as vacant, and what changes if it does?
- Can I shut off and drain the water instead?
- Does a paid service count, or a neighbour, and do you need any kind of record of the visits?
Write down the answers and who gave them to you. If you can get them by email, that's better.
What if my insurer has no rule?
Then think about what could go wrong and how long it could go unnoticed. A leak or a dead furnace keeps getting worse until somebody walks in. These are the questions we'd weigh:
- What month is it? In Regina the average January overnight low is about minus 20°C, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada's climate normals for 1981 to 2010. A winter absence leaves less room between visits than a summer one.
- How long will you be gone? A long trip gives a small problem more time to become a large one.
- Is the water on? A house with the water shut off and drained has less that can go wrong.
- How old is the furnace? If you already worry about it, you'll want more visits.
Our Regina winter checklist goes through what to do to the house before you leave.
How long can I leave my house unoccupied?
This is the same question from the other side, and it has the same answer: your policy sets the limit. In the examples above, TD's page talks about a check every seven days, and Saskatchewan Mutual's heating season rule starts after more than 10 consecutive days. Snowbirds pass both in the first couple of weeks, so our snowbird guide starts with this call.
Can someone check on my house once a week?
Yes, weekly is one of our schedules, and so are every two weeks and twice a week. Daily visits are by quote. You can see what each costs on our pricing page. Once you know your insurer's answer, tell us and we'll talk through which one fits.
We can't promise that a schedule meets your policy. Only your insurer can confirm that, so please check with them before you book. We do this work in Saskatoon as well, and our page on home watch in Saskatoon has the local details. For Regina houses, you'll find the steps to get started on our page about home watch in Regina.
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