{"id":27126,"date":"2025-03-20T03:56:56","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T10:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=27126"},"modified":"2025-12-01T00:38:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T08:38:40","slug":"buyer-can-i-get-homeowners-insurance-on-a-home-i-dont-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-can-i-get-homeowners-insurance-on-a-home-i-dont-own\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It Possible to Get Homeowners Insurance on a Home You Don\u2019t Own? Find Out!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did your parents pay off the mortgage on your childhood home years ago? While they\u2019ve likely kept up with property taxes<\/a>, you could nonetheless have some concerns about homeowners insurance<\/a>. Or maybe you\u2019re inheriting a great-aunt\u2019s house that\u2019s been sitting empty for years. Now, you\u2019re wondering: can I get homeowners insurance on a home I don’t own?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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There are times when you\u2019d need to insure a home that you don\u2019t own yet or is in a probate or trust state when you insure it. But getting homeowners insurance on a home you don\u2019t own can be tricky, and not everyone can do it. Here\u2019s how to know whether it\u2019s a good idea and how to go about it.<\/p>\n

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Can I get homeowners insurance on a home I don\u2019t own?<\/h2>\n

An insurance agent might let you take out an insurance policy for your parent\u2019s house or another relative\u2019s home, but you won\u2019t be able to make yourself the beneficiary or receive any payouts if something happens to the house.<\/p>\n

If hail damages the roof or a forest fire destroys a garage, and you need to file a claim for any reason, you won\u2019t be getting the payout. The money would go to the current homeowner.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

How can I determine if a house has insurance on it already?<\/h2>\n

First, try to find out if the house has a mortgage<\/a>. Lenders<\/a> require homeowners to carry insurance on any property that hasn\u2019t been fully paid off, so if there\u2019s a mortgage on the house, then it already has insurance. If not, the mortgage lender is doing something to remedy the situation.<\/p>\n

If the property is a condo<\/a> or co-op, the condo association or co-op board will have the same homeowner’s insurance requirements.<\/p>\n

Lenders check with the insurance agent or homeowner periodically to verify that coverage is still active. If they\u2019re not satisfied with the response, or if the homeowner doesn\u2019t send proof of coverage fast enough, then the homeowner can be considered in violation of the mortgage loan\u2019s conditions, and the lender may impose fines on the homeowner, and, in certain cases, even foreclose on the house.<\/p>\n

If the house is paid off<\/a>, it might or might not have insurance on it \u2014 there\u2019s no real way to know. You could ask your grandparents (or the relevant relative in question), but they\u2019re under no obligation to tell you. That said, most homeowners would want to protect their big investment from a total loss in the event of a disaster.<\/p>\n

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What if I\u2019m inheriting a house?<\/h2>\n

When you inherit a home, you\u2019re now a homeowner without the benefit of a home inspection<\/a>, and depending on how well your relative maintained the home<\/a>, you could be in for a few surprises. Make sure that insurance isn\u2019t one of them.<\/p>\n

Talk to your agent and a lawyer. The former homeowner\u2019s insurance policy will no longer apply, so you\u2019ll need to secure a new policy to cover the home.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t plan to live in the house but will be keeping it, then you may need to get a special policy called vacant and unoccupied home insurance. Some companies have a separate policy, while others offer this protection as an add-on.<\/p>\n

The premiums on vacation and unoccupied homes are typically higher than for an owner-occupant. Insurance companies worry that no one would notice a burst pipe<\/a> until it\u2019s done significant damage, or that squatters could break in and vandalize a vacant home.<\/p>\n

What if you\u2019re going to sell<\/a>? The good news is that even though the insurance will cost more if you hope to sell the house shortly, you can purchase short-term homeowners insurance policies for periods between three and six months.<\/p>\n

You should definitely maintain a policy, even if it costs more than you\u2019d hoped. If a potential buyer is injured during a showing, for example, you\u2019ll want liability insurance coverage to protect your estate from a lawsuit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can I get homeowners insurance on a home I don’t own? If you just inherited a house, you might be wondering the same thing. Find out here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":153,"featured_media":27172,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[192,660,654],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-buyers","category-homeowners-insurance","category-homeownership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCan I Get Homeowners Insurance On a Home I Don\u2019t Own? A Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Can I get homeowners insurance on a home I don't own? If you just inherited a house, you might be wondering the same thing. 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