Closing Up a Second Home for Winter: Insurance Checklist

The house is quiet. The risk is not.

Every November I get the same call. A family has pulled the boat, stacked the beach chairs in the garage and locked the door on the shore house. Then someone asks: "Are we still covered while nobody is there?"

It is the right question. Across the mid-Atlantic, families own second homes at the Jersey Shore, in Rehoboth and Bethany, in Ocean City, in the Poconos and around Virginia's lakes and coast. Many of those homes sit empty from now until spring. A house with nobody in it behaves differently, and insurance policies are written with that in mind.

I am a Certified Personal Risk Manager (CPRM) and a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC). Here is the six-point checklist I walk families through before they close up a second home for the winter.

First, know the difference between "unoccupied" and "vacant"

Policies use these words carefully. An unoccupied home has no one living in it right now but still holds furniture and belongings, like a beach house between seasons. A vacant home is empty enough that no one could reasonably live there. Courts have drawn that line, and it matters, because vacancy can trigger coverage limits that a simply unoccupied home may not face.

Virginia's Bureau of Insurance puts it plainly in its homeowners guide: if your home is left vacant or unoccupied, some part of your coverage may be suspended automatically. That is why the first step is always the same: read what your own policy says.

Check 1: Heat it or drain it

Frozen pipes are the classic winter loss in an empty house. A pipe bursts in January, water runs for weeks, and no one finds it until March.

The Maryland Insurance Administration and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners both explain that a homeowners policy may cover sudden water damage from a burst pipe, but only if you took reasonable care to keep pipes from freezing. Policies generally expect you to keep the home heated to a minimum temperature, or to shut off the water supply when the home is vacant. If the insurer finds the plumbing was neglected, the damage may not be covered.

Before you leave:

• Decide: keep the heat on at a steady temperature, or have a professional shut off the water and drain the lines.
• Disconnect garden hoses and winterize outdoor spigots and irrigation.
• Insulate pipes in crawl spaces, attics and exterior walls.
• Write down what you did and when. If you ever have a claim, that record helps.

Check 2: Know your vacancy clock and your policy form

Many homeowners forms reduce coverage once a home has been vacant for a set period. Risk management publisher IRMI notes that after 60 days of vacancy, a homeowners policy can take away important coverages, and vandalism and glass breakage may not be covered at all. Your policy may use a different number, so look for the vacancy or unoccupancy section.

Second homes are also often insured differently from your primary home. The Delaware Department of Insurance notes that secondary homes are typically written on a "named perils" basis. That means the policy covers only the causes of loss it lists, rather than everything not excluded. Ask which form you have.

While you are in the policy, check the rebuild value. Virginia's guide recommends keeping your dwelling limit at no less than 80 percent of replacement cost, the cost to rebuild today, and warns that falling below that line can reduce what you are paid even on smaller losses.

Check 3: Flood is separate, and it has a waiting period

This is the most common gap I see at the shore. FEMA says homeowners and renters insurance do not typically cover flood damage, and that a 30-day waiting period must pass before most flood policies become active. Delaware's and Virginia's regulators repeat the same warning.

Winter nor'easters and coastal storms do not wait for a convenient moment. If your second home has no flood policy, start the conversation now, not when a storm is on the forecast. New Jersey's Department of Banking and Insurance also urges residents to consider flood insurance even in lower-risk areas and to review their deductibles before storm season. If you already have flood coverage, confirm that the building and contents limits still fit the property.

Virginia owners have one more item: Virginia requires insurers to offer water and sewer backup coverage, which may cost extra. Ask whether you have it.

Check 4: Renting it out changes the picture

Many families rent the shore house for a few weeks to help cover costs. That can change your coverage. Pennsylvania's insurance commissioner warned that most homeowners policies exclude commercial activity on the property, and that home-sharing often falls outside traditional homeowners coverage. The advice: contact your insurance professional before you rent.

If you rent, tell your insurer how often, for how long and through what platform. Ask how a guest injury, guest damage and lost rental income would be handled. The answer may be an endorsement, a landlord or dwelling policy, or a short-term rental policy.

Check 5: Build a check-in routine

An empty house needs a set of eyes. Name a trusted neighbor, property manager or home watch service. Set a schedule, and keep a simple log of each visit. Insurers ask how often an unoccupied home is checked, and a leak found in a week does far less damage than a leak found in a season.

Technology helps. Water leak sensors, low-temperature alerts and automatic water shutoff valves can warn you or stop a loss early. Some insurers recognize these devices, so ask.

Refresh your home inventory too. New Jersey's regulator recommends keeping an up-to-date inventory with photos or video and storing key documents somewhere safe. Take ten minutes on your last weekend to walk through and record each room.

Check 6: Make sure your liability reaches every property

A second home is a second place where someone can get hurt. Ice on the steps. A contractor on the roof. A neighbor's child near the dock.

Your personal umbrella policy is designed to sit above the liability limits of your home and auto policies. It only works the way you expect if your umbrella insurer knows about every property you own and your underlying limits meet its requirements. If the shore house is in a trust or an LLC, the names on the policies need to line up with the names on the deed. I see that mismatch more often than any other.

A quick look across our five states

• New Jersey: review deductibles and consider flood coverage even in lower-risk areas; keep a home inventory (NJ Department of Banking and Insurance).
• Delaware: secondary homes are often written on a named-perils basis; flood has a 30-day wait (Delaware Department of Insurance).
• Maryland: keep heat at a minimum temperature or shut off water when vacant; burst-pipe claims can be denied for neglect (Maryland Insurance Administration).
• Pennsylvania: short-term or home-sharing rentals often fall outside homeowners coverage; call before renting (Pennsylvania Insurance Department).
• Virginia: coverage may be suspended when a home is vacant or unoccupied; insurers must offer water and sewer backup coverage (Virginia Bureau of Insurance).

How Prominent helps

At Prominent Insurance Services, we look at the whole picture: every home, every vehicle, the umbrella above them and the trust or company that owns them. As an independent agency, we compare options and explain the trade-offs in plain language. We serve families across Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.

Before you lock the door this season, let us read the policy with you.

Book a 30-minute review: https://calendly.com/prominentins/30min, or call (302) 351-3368.

General education, not legal advice. Coverage depends on your policy terms and the insurer's underwriting.

Book a 30-minute review: https://calendly.com/prominentins/30min or call (302) 351-3368.