House Sitting is Causing Confusion About Homeowners Insurance Coverage

Malvern, PA, September 15, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Vacant Home Insurance Now, a leading specialty company providing insurance to empty and unoccupied homes and buildings worldwide, has found that a major cause of confusion surrounding homeowners' insurance policies concerns questions over the existence of coverage during periods of house-sitting while the family is away.

"Every year, hundreds of thousands of people leave their home for over 3 months, and ask a friend, relative, or a neighbor to live in the house while the owners are gone," says Matthew McKinley, president of Vacant Home Insurance Now. "I can assure you that the homeowner that lets the neighbors college kid live in the house is usually taking a much bigger risk than (having) a rug destroyed by a party they may throw."

Homeowners do not realize that in most house sitting situations, a special type of homeowners insurance policy needs to be taken out on the property called a landlord policy (also called landlord - tenant policies and tenant - boarder policies). The confusion arises where people believe their existing homeowners insurance will cover the home during extended periods of house sitting coupled with the fact that they don't understand the nature of and the need for a landlord policy.

"If the owner and the immediate family are away for a certain period of time, 3 months or more in some cases, and someone not part of the immediate family is living in the house, a tenant or boarder insurance policy needs to be put on the home or the home may be exposed to catastrophic risk and not be covered under a standard homeowners insurance policy," says Mr. McKinley. "A good rule of thumb to stand by is if your home is not being occupied by members if your immediate family during a house sitting scenario, you should at the very least contact your homeowners insurance company to see if coverage will still exist."

If the home is not being occupied by any members of the immediate family, homeowners are strongly advised to contact their agent and / or insurance company to see if the current homeowners' insurance policy is adequate, and to uncover potential problems. In most cases where the family will be away for over 90 days, a tenant / boarder policy will most likely be required or coverage on the home can be lost.

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