What Not To Do with a Vacant House
Feb 18, 2023
Kansas/Missouri - Kansas City
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Mom and Dad are not currently living in their home. Perhaps this is a temporary thing. Perhaps it is a permanent thing and you just have not yet sold the house.
There are two things that you need to be very aware of - water and insurance.
A few years ago we purchase this home on Manchester in the northland of Kansas City.
The homeowner did two things very wrong, and we share his story to help educate people who have vacant homes.
First, he shut off the expensive utilities in the home - the electricity and the gas which provided heat. He did not shut off the water, or at least shut-off water coming into the house. It got very cold, and the pipes froze and left him with a potentially horrible mess, once the frozen pipes thawed out. You see as water freezes, it expands. That expansion cracks the pipes, toilets, and anything else that might hold water. We have seen this happen with radiators in a home we owned that had a boiler system. And we have heard of issues with sprinkler systems, pools, and even attached water hoses on the outside of the house.
Then when all that frozen water thaws out in the cracked container - it starts going everywhere. And if the water is on coming into the house, not only the water that was frozen, but all the water behind it keeps coming. We have heard stories of pipes freezing, cracking, thawing, and then water gushing out the doors for days until someone noticed and contacted the water department to get it shut off.
So tip number one - if you have a vacant home. Keep the heat on and set it at 50 degrees. But just in case, shut the water off at the main and drain all the water from the lines and fill them with antifreeze. This is called winterizing a home and paying someone whatever it costs to winterize the home could save you tens of $1,000s in repairs later.
Second, this homeowner had owned the home as a rental, so he had rental insurance. What happened to him would happen to someone with a standard homeowner policy as well. He had held the home vacant for more than 30 days, almost a year actually. So when the water damage happened, he turned to his insurance company, as anyone would. They told him sorry, but read the vacant clause in your policy. If the home is vacant for 30 days or more, they don't have to pay you a dime.
So tip number two - if you have a home that is going to sit vacant for 15 days or more. While you are on vacation, in the hospital, in rehab, or in a new home . . . check with your insurance company to find out what you need to do to have coverage while the home is vacant. There is a special type of policy for vacant homes, so you can get some coverage, just not the same as your home owner policy. And it will cost quite a bit more. The other option might be to have someone move in and care for the home, but the problem that might arise there is that they may not want to leave when you need them too. We have seen families who have moved in a grandchild to care for a home. They are living free and clear, and when they are ready to sell the home, the grandchild does not want to leave.
We hope this story will help at least one person with a vacant home.
You can read our article about the Manchester house . . . and see how we were able to help the owner of the home.
- To view the original version of this article visit www.kcmohomebuyer.com/blog/we-buy-houses-in-kansas-city-even-when-frozen-solid/
- Seniors Blue Book was not involved in the creation of this content.
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