Insurance
FILE HH-POLThe clause most owners have never read
The renewal letter arrives, and somewhere in it is a paragraph about unoccupied dwellings. This page explains what that language tends to ask for, in plain words — and if you would rather not read your policy alone, send us the wording and we will read it with you. No charge, no obligation.
Section 01 — Vacancy clauses, in plain language
If your home sits empty, your policy may quietly stop covering it.
This is the part most owners have never read closely. Most Ontario policies carry language about unoccupied and vacant dwellings — often requiring a competent person to check the property at set intervals during heating season. It is rarely the fire or the break-in that gets denied. It is the water damage that happened in a house nobody had walked through in five weeks.
Many Ontario policies stop covering an unoccupied dwelling after a stated period, unless a competent person has been checking it at a set interval. That period and that interval vary by insurer and are not printed the same way twice — the only number that matters is the one in your own wording.
Our visit log is written to satisfy exactly that. Not as a marketing line — as a document, dated and photographed, that you or your broker can produce.
- What the wording asks for
- A competent person checks the dwelling at set intervals while it is unoccupied.
- What we produce
- A dated, timestamped entry for every visit, with photographs attached.
- What you can hand over
- The full visit history for the property, exported as one document.
We are not insurance advisors. What we can do is read the vacancy clause with you, tell you what cadence it appears to require, and help you ask your broker the right questions.
Section 02 — Queries on file
Questions owners ask about the wording
Anything else, call Tom at 705.444.4338. We reply within one business day.
Q.01Does a home watch visit satisfy my insurer’s vacancy clause?
That depends on your wording, so we won’t pretend otherwise — policies differ on the interval and on who may do the checking. What we provide is the evidence side: a dated, photographed record of every visit that you or your broker can produce if a question ever comes up. Send us your wording and we will read it with you.
Q.02Who counts as a “competent person” under a vacancy clause?
Most policies use the phrase without defining it tightly. In practice it means someone capable of noticing a problem and acting on it — not a wave at the driveway from the road. Our staff are insured, bonded and background-checked, and every check they make is logged. If your wording asks for more, we will flag it rather than paper over it.
Q.03What if my policy never mentions vacancy or unoccupancy?
Some don’t — the language varies more than most owners expect. That is worth confirming rather than assuming: ask your broker directly, or send us the policy and we will help you frame the question.
Q.04Will you deal with my insurance broker directly?
Yes. We are happy to send proof of our own coverage, and the visit history for your property, to you or straight to your broker.
Section 03 — Free property assessment
Let’s walk your property together.
An hour on site, no cost and no obligation. Here is what happens after you press send:
- Tom or Jon replies within one business day
- We walk the property together — about an hour
- You get a written recommendation: cadence, watch list, and what it would cost
- We never share your address or that your home sits empty
