Deceased Estate Property Insurance

The policy doesn't automatically end, but it doesn't simply carry on unchanged either. The insurer should be notified that the owner has passed away, and cover generally continues for a period while the estate is administered, subject to the policy terms. Two things need attention: whether the policy stays valid in the changed circumstances, and whether unoccupancy conditions start to apply if the property is now empty - standard policies often restrict cover after 60 or 90 days unoccupied, depending on the policy. Checking both early avoids problems later. If you can't find a schedule or renewal notice, treat the property as uninsured until proven otherwise.

If a policy was in force when the owner passed away, it usually continues to respond for a time, subject to its terms and to the insurer being notified. The bigger risk is a policy that lapsed before or shortly after the owner passed - if a renewal notice went unpaid because no one was watching the mail, the property may be sitting uninsured. It's worth confirming the position rather than assuming it. In practice, the quickest checks are a policy schedule or renewal notice in the paperwork, or a bank statement showing a premium payment. If none of those turn up, treat the property as uninsured and get cover arranged - that's the same approach we take when executors bring us an estate property with an unclear insurance history.

Yes. Executors and administrators generally have a duty to preserve the assets of the estate, and insurers can write cover for estate-held property before probate is granted. That's general information, not legal advice - estate administration rules vary, so take your own advice on your duties as executor. The policy is arranged in the name of the estate or the executors. To get it moving you need the property address, a rebuild estimate and a picture of how the property is currently occupied - you don't need the grant itself, and nothing locks the estate in: when the property sells or transfers, the policy is cancelled or assigned and unused premium is typically refunded pro rata, subject to the policy terms.

It matters a lot. Standard home and landlord policies often restrict cover once a property has been unoccupied beyond a set period, commonly 60 or 90 days depending on the policy. An estate property can easily sit empty for longer than that while probate runs. Cover for an unoccupied property needs to be arranged on terms that reflect the vacancy, which is exactly what we do. Our vacant property insurance page covers this in more detail.

The property address, an estimate of the rebuild value, how the property is currently occupied (empty, tenanted, or family staying there), the state of any existing policy, and the names of the executors or the estate. If some of that isn't known yet, start with what you have - we can work with incomplete information and firm it up as the estate administration progresses.

Yes. We've arranged cover for estate-held property, including a block of units held by a deceased estate. The executors held a block of four units in Sydney with no current insurance in place. While they coordinated the estate, Tank obtained terms from several markets and placed cover with CGU at approximately $4,600 a year, so the property wasn't sitting uninsured during probate.