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Coronavirus help and support for our insurance customers
Property insurance which can cover second homes such as weekend or weekday homes.
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Weekdays 9:00am - 5:30pm
If the property is not your main residence but you visit it frequently it’s likely to be considered a second home rather than a holiday home. So what’s the difference? Mainly what you use if for. If the property is not solely used for holiday purposes and you visit it quite frequently, it is less risky for insurers and likely to be a lower premium. If you think your property might best benefit from second home insurance give us a call to discuss. A second home must be in the UK and not let out.
If you have some contents in your second home which you need to provide cover for, we can help. This includes all your general contents excluding any personal possessions. If the contents sum insured you require exceeds £60,000, it will be sent to our underwriters for consideration.
The three most common risks when it comes to second homes are malicious damage to the property, escape of water and theft or attempted theft. With our policies, you are protected against these as standard so if you do need to make a claim, we have you covered.
When you make a claim, you can rest assured that the claims team will work with you to help you understand your claim, and you will be kept updated at every point.
If and when it comes to the crunch and you need to make a claim, the details will be sent to the insurer to get your claim resolved as quickly as possible.
If there are any complications with your claim, this will be followed up with the insurer and you will be kept updated.
Call or email us with:
Call the team on: 0345 074 4760
Email the team at: household@geounderwriting.com
Get tips and advice from our industry experts to ensure you get the most out of your second home insurance.
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We understand that due to the Covid-19 outbreak you may be unable to visit your property. Read our FAQs for this situation.
For most customers, your policy will be unchanged after the end of the Brexit transition period on 1 January 2021.
I stay in my second home more than I stay at my main home, can you cover me?
In insurance terms, if you stay at your second home more often than your first home, we would consider the second home to be your main residence. An example would be if you rent a flat in London five days a week but return to your main residence at weekends. In this case you would need to insure both properties on standard home insurance policies to get the right cover.
Do I need a specific type of locks for the property?
Yes. Window and door locks must meet our minimum security requirements. Windows must have key-operated security devices. Doors must be BS3621, mortice deadlock of at least five levers, rim automatic dead latch with key-locking handle on inside with key-operated multi-point locking system with at least three fixing points and lock cylinder with at least five pins to the main entrance door.
Am I covered if I let my second home to others?
Our second home policy will not cover you to let out your property commercially. This includes anyone who stays there who pays you for their visit. If however you let family or friends use the property and do not receive any financial reward, you will still be covered.
If you wish to let out your property commercially, you will need holiday home insurance.
How long can we leave our second home unoccupied for?
If your second home is going to be unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days, you must get someone to inspect the property every seven days. Properties are at higher risk if they appear unoccupied and regular visits allow for maintenance of the visible areas. Also, regular visits mean that leaks or break-ins can be spotted as early as possible, helping minimise damage.
While your second home is unoccupied, water, gas and electricity supplies must also be turned off at the mains (and for the period from November to March inclusive all water tanks, pipes and apparatus are drained), unless required to operate an automatic central heating system used to maintain a minimum temperature of 15°C at all times.
It depends on the type of property and policy cover you have. For holiday home cover (‘not let’), if you have accidental damage included in your policy, you will be covered for use by friends and family, so long as you are not letting the property for cash reward. If you have second home insurance, you just need to let us know.
If you are planning on renting your property, you can also get extended holiday home insurance for when your property is ‘let’. Speak to one of our friendly advisors to find out more.
The requirements of your policy will not change, and as your guests may not be familiar with your property it is worth carrying out an inspection after they have left. Your guests must leave the property in accordance with the unoccupied element of your cover, please refer to your policy documents.
What do I do if I need to cancel my cover?
You are entitled to a full refund of the premium paid if you cancel it within 14 days of receipt of your policy documents, if no claims have been made. You will still need to pay for the customer service charge and any time you’ve spent on cover. Simply call us - or send an email or letter - and we’ll be happy to process your request.
Where can I find more information about monthly Direct Debit?
If you want to know more about our monthly payment option, please read our dedicated page on Direct Debit.