By the Lapera Insurance Team · Reviewed by Joe Lapera, Licensed Illinois Insurance Agent (IL Lic #100722394)
The flights are booked, the condo in the sun is waiting, and the to-do list for the house keeps getting longer. Somewhere on that list is a nagging question: does my home insurance still work if nobody is living here until April? Maybe you are the one heading south, or maybe you are an adult son or daughter keeping an eye on a parent's house. Either way, here is how a long absence really affects an Illinois home policy, and what to do before you lock the door.
Heading south for the winter? Your Illinois home policy probably still applies, but vacancy clauses and freezing rules depend on what you do before you leave. Tell your insurer your dates, keep the heat on (the Red Cross says no lower than 55°F) or shut off and drain the water, arrange regular checks, and ask about vacant home coverage if the house will sit empty for months.
Most of the snowbird clients we talk with are not worried about a burglar. They are worried about coming home in April to a ceiling on the living room floor. That worry is well placed: an Illinois winter is hard on an empty house, and the fine print in a homeowners policy pays close attention to whether anyone is home. The good news is that most of the risk is in your hands. This guide walks through the policy terms that matter, the small habits that keep a claim on solid ground, and the situations where a standard policy is simply the wrong fit.
What Is the Difference Between a "Vacant" and an "Unoccupied" Home?
TL;DR: There is no single definition, but a vacancy clause usually kicks in once a home has been empty for roughly 30 to 60 days, and each carrier decides what "empty" means.
In everyday conversation, "vacant" and "unoccupied" sound like the same thing. In an insurance policy, they can mean different things, and the difference can matter after a loss. As a general rule of thumb, people in the industry use "unoccupied" for a home that is still furnished and lived in part of the year, and "vacant" for a home with nobody living there and often little or nothing inside. Your own policy is what actually decides it.
Foremost, part of the Farmers family, puts it plainly in its guide to vacant home questions: "Many insurance companies have different definitions of what is vacant and what is unoccupied." Farmers says in its vacant home explainer that, generally, a home is considered vacant if it is left empty for 30 to 60 days or more. The Insurance Information Institute (III) said in a June 2025 post on vacancy insurance that most homeowners policies include a vacancy clause that limits or excludes coverage once a property sits unoccupied for typically 30 to 60 consecutive days.
For a snowbird, that range is the whole story. A two-week cruise is rarely a concern. A November-to-April stretch in Florida or Arizona runs well past 60 days, so it is worth knowing exactly how your carrier reads the calendar.
Lapera Insurance Agency is a Farmers Insurance agency at 530 Barron Blvd in Grayslake, Illinois. Our team has served Illinois families since 1993, with over 40 years of combined experience, and plenty of our longtime clients now spend part of every winter somewhere warmer. We write home coverage through Farmers and the Farmers family of carriers, plus additional markets. Every guide on this site is reviewed by a licensed Illinois agent before it publishes.
What Happens to Your Coverage After 60 Days Vacant?
TL;DR: In a widely used standard homeowners form, vandalism and glass breakage coverage on the house stops applying once it has been vacant for more than 60 consecutive days, though your own policy may differ.
Here is where the calendar starts to bite. A widely used standard homeowners form, the ISO HO 00 03 sample hosted by the Insurance Information Institute, lists vandalism and malicious mischief as a covered cause of loss to the house, but not "if the dwelling has been vacant for more than 60 consecutive days immediately before the loss." The same form limits glass breakage coverage on the residence premises with the same 60-day vacancy language. It also notes that "a dwelling being constructed is not considered vacant."
In plain terms: if your house is treated as vacant and someone breaks in and damages it on day 75, that part of a standard form may not respond. Check your policy; wording varies by carrier. Some carriers use different wording, some add their own vacancy conditions, and some offer endorsements that change the picture.
There is one Illinois safeguard worth knowing about, though it is technical. The Illinois Department of Insurance's review checklist for homeowners forms (revised September 2023) says that when a building is vacant or unoccupied, fire that follows vandalism must stay covered until the building has been vacant or unoccupied for 60 consecutive days. That is a rule regulators apply when they review a carrier's forms, not something you need to memorize. It does show why that 60-day line keeps coming up.
| Before you leave for the winter | Risk level | Our take |
|---|---|---|
| Tell us your travel dates and who is checking the house | Smart | Gives us a chance to flag any vacancy wording before it matters |
| Keep the heat on, no lower than 55°F, with regular checks | Smart | Matches the Red Cross guidance; ask what your policy requires |
| Shut off the main and have the system drained | Smart | Good for long absences; III suggests a professional do it |
| Leave the house furnished but empty for 5 months | Ask first | Usually fine on a seasonal plan, but confirm how your carrier reads it |
| Turn the heat off without draining the pipes | Risky | A freezing loss may not be covered if reasonable care was not taken |
| Nobody checks the house all winter | Risky | A small leak can run for weeks before anyone knows |
Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Frozen Pipes If You Are Away?
TL;DR: Often yes, but a widely used standard form covers freezing damage only if you used reasonable care to keep the heat on or to shut off the water and drain the system.
This is the big one for Illinois snowbirds. The same standard HO 3 form limits coverage for "freezing of a plumbing, heating, air conditioning or automatic fire protective sprinkler system or of a household appliance." Then it adds the key exception: that limit does not apply if you have used reasonable care to maintain heat in the building, or to shut off the water supply and drain all systems and appliances of water. Check your policy; wording varies by carrier.
So your two safe paths are simple to describe. Either keep the house heated and checked, or turn the water off and have the plumbing drained. The middle ground, heat turned way down and water still in the pipes with nobody looking in, is where claims get hard.
How warm is warm enough? The American Red Cross says that if you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on, "set to a temperature no lower than 55° F." The Insurance Information Institute suggests keeping your house heated to a minimum of 65 degrees in severe cold, and notes that many insurance policies require heat to help prevent frozen pipes. Since those two figures differ, ask us what your own policy expects before you set the thermostat and walk away.
A little technology helps, too. The Insurance Information Institute suggests a water leak monitoring and shut-off system that can alert you to leaks, and advises shutting off the water supply to the washing machine when you are away on vacation. A smart thermostat or a simple temperature alert can tell you, from Florida, that the furnace quit hours ago instead of weeks ago. For extended absences, III also suggests having a professional drain your water system.
A retired couple from the northern suburbs leaves for Arizona in early December. They set the thermostat at 55°F and ask a neighbor to walk through every couple of weeks. In February, a hard cold snap settles in and the furnace stops running. By the time the neighbor's next visit comes around, roughly two weeks later, a frozen pipe in an outside wall has split and water has been running into the finished basement for days. In this illustration, several things work in the couple's favor: the heat was set, someone was checking, and they had told their insurer they would be away. Whether and how the claim is paid would still depend on the policy wording and the facts, and a temperature alert would have caught the furnace failure within hours. This scenario is illustrative only, not a coverage determination or a promise of how any claim will be handled.
If a claim ever does come back with a no, our guide on what to do after an Illinois insurance claim is denied walks through the next steps.
Should You Tell Your Insurer You Will Be Gone for the Winter?
TL;DR: Yes, because a short call before you leave lets us check your policy's vacancy and heat wording while there is still time to adjust it, instead of discovering it after a claim.
We hear the hesitation all the time: "If I tell them, won't they cancel me?" It is a fair worry, and Illinois law gives you more protection here than most people realize.
According to the Illinois Department of Insurance, once a homeowners policy has been in force more than 60 days, or is a renewal, the insurer may cancel only if you fail to pay the premium, if you obtained the policy through misrepresentation or fraud, or if there is an increase in the risk originally accepted. The insurer must mail notice at least 10 days ahead for nonpayment and at least 30 days ahead for any other reason.
We cannot tell you how every carrier will view a long winter away, and that is exactly the point. It is far better to learn what your policy expects in October than to learn it in a claim file in March. Being upfront also protects you, because the details on your policy should match how the house is actually used.
Your dates
When you leave, when you plan to come back, and whether anyone in the family will stay at the house in between.
Heat or drain
Whether the heat stays on, and at what setting, or whether the water will be shut off and the system drained.
Who is checking
The name of the neighbor, relative or service checking the house, and roughly how often they will stop by.
Alarms and sensors
Any monitored alarm, water leak sensor, automatic shutoff valve or temperature alert you have installed.
Where to reach you
Your winter address, phone and email, so renewal notices and claim calls do not sit in an empty mailbox.
Other properties
Any second home, condo or rental you own, so the Illinois policy and any umbrella are set up to work around it.
Give us a ring before you pack the car, ideally a few weeks before you leave. Call or text (847) 223-4747, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Central, and we will go over the vacancy and heat wording on your policy with you.
Who Should Check on the House, and What If They Get Hurt?
TL;DR: A trusted neighbor or relative checking the house regularly is one of the best protections you have, and your liability coverage may respond if they are hurt, depending on the policy.
The Insurance Information Institute keeps it simple: ask a neighbor to check the house regularly any time you are away. A good check takes ten minutes. Walk every floor, look at ceilings and under sinks, glance at the furnace and the thermostat, run a faucet, and make sure the doors are locked and nothing outside says "nobody home."
Agree on a schedule ahead of time, and give your checker your phone number, ours, and the location of the main water shutoff. If something goes wrong, the first few minutes matter more than anything else.
Mail is the other giveaway. USPS Hold Mail requests run from a minimum of 3 days to a maximum of 30 days, according to the USPS Hold Mail FAQ, so it fits a short trip, not a whole winter. For a season away, the USPS temporary forwarding help page says you can forward mail to a temporary address for a minimum of two weeks and up to six months per request, with the option to extend to a total of 12 months.
What if your neighbor slips on the basement stairs while checking the house? Homeowners policies generally include personal liability and medical payments to others coverage, which are designed to respond when someone other than you or your household is hurt on your property. How they apply to a friend doing you a favor, or to someone you pay to look after the house, depends on the policy and the facts. Check your policy; wording varies by carrier. If you hire a house-sitting or home-watch service, ask them what insurance they carry, and let us know they will be coming and going.
What About Your Car While You Are Away?
TL;DR: Keep the car insured while it sits in the garage, and talk with us before you reduce any coverage, because comprehensive is what pays for non-collision damage while you are gone.
A car parked in an Illinois garage for five months is not going to be in a fender bender. That leads some snowbirds to wonder whether they can trim the policy while they are away.
Maybe, but please talk with us before you change anything. Comprehensive is the part of an auto policy that covers damage that does not come from a crash. The Insurance Information Institute gives the example of a tree falling on a car, or flood damage, both covered under the comprehensive portion. Theft is the other big one. Those are exactly the losses that can happen to a parked car while nobody is home.
Reducing or removing coverage can also create problems you might not expect, such as a lender requirement on a financed car, a gap in your insurance history, or a car that someone else in the family might drive while you are gone. We would rather walk through it with you and find the right setup than see a well-meant change cause trouble later.
For the rest of the auto picture after retirement, see our guide to the best car insurance for seniors in Illinois, and our sibling guide to the best home insurance for seniors in Illinois.
Do You Need a Separate Policy for a Florida or Arizona Home?
TL;DR: Yes, a home you own in Florida or Arizona needs its own policy written in that state, and since we are licensed only in IL, IN, OH, TN and WI, a local agent there will write it.
If you own your winter place, your Illinois homeowners policy is written for your Illinois house, and the second home needs a policy of its own. That policy has to be written in the state where the home sits, under that state's rules.
Here is the honest part. Our agency is licensed in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin only. We cannot write a Florida or Arizona home, so a local agent licensed in that state will need to handle it. What we can do is coordinate everything on the Illinois side: your Illinois home, your autos and any personal umbrella policy, so the pieces fit together and nothing falls through the gap.
Remember that the risk flips in summer. When you come home to Illinois, the winter place is the empty one. The Insurance Information Institute notes that a second home faces more danger from theft, vandalism and "easily undetected damage, like burst water pipes." Ask the agent there the same vacancy and heat questions you would ask us.
Owning property in two states raises your liability exposure, too. Our Illinois personal umbrella insurance guide explains how an umbrella sits on top of your home and auto policies, and why you should ask whether the second home's liability coverage needs to be listed underneath it.
What If the Home Will Sit Empty for Months?
TL;DR: When a home will be truly vacant for months, a standard homeowners policy may not be the right fit, and a vacant home policy is often the answer.
Not every empty house belongs to a snowbird. Some of the hardest calls we take come from families in the middle of a big change: a parent has moved into assisted living, a loved one has passed away and the estate is still being settled, or the house is listed for sale after a move. In each case, nobody is living there and nobody plans to, sometimes for many months.
That is a different situation from a seasonal absence, and it often calls for a different policy. Through Foremost, part of the Farmers family, we write coverage for seasonal, vacant and specialty homes. Foremost describes its vacant home insurance as fitting homes for sale, homes for rent and homes in the name of an estate or an LLC, and notes that not all products and coverages are available in all areas. Whether a particular house qualifies, and what the policy includes, depends on the property and the program, so we review it with you case by case.
One option that will not help here is the Illinois FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort. The Illinois FAIR Plan's current Producer Summary lists "Vacant or Unoccupied Properties except Rehabilitation" and "Seasonal Dwellings" as ineligible property. Our article on the Illinois FAIR Plan and who qualifies explains how that program works for homes it does accept.
And if the plan changes and the house becomes a rental, a homeowners policy is no longer the right form at all; our Illinois landlord insurance guide explains what to use instead.
Call us as soon as you know the house will be empty, even before you have decided whether to sell. The time between a move to assisted living and a listing can stretch longer than anyone expects, and it is much easier to set the right coverage at the start than to fix it after a winter.
- Call us with your dates and ask how your policy treats a home that is vacant or unoccupied.
- Decide heat or drain. Keep the heat on, no lower than 55°F per the Red Cross, or have a professional shut off the water and drain the system.
- Line up a house checker and agree on a schedule; leave them our number and the water shutoff location.
- Add a leak or temperature alert so you hear about trouble in hours, not weeks.
- Shut off the water to the washing machine and unplug what you do not need.
- Set up USPS temporary forwarding for a long stay, or Hold Mail for a trip of 30 days or less.
- Talk with us before changing your car coverage for the months it will sit.
- Confirm your Florida or Arizona home has its own policy through an agent licensed in that state.
Want the full picture of what a standard policy covers? Start with our Illinois home insurance guide, visit our home insurance page, or request a home insurance quote and ask us to review your vacancy wording at the same time.
The Bottom Line
Spending the winter somewhere warm should not mean worrying about the house all season. Your Illinois homeowners policy probably still applies while you are away, but vacancy clauses, often triggered somewhere between 30 and 60 days, and freezing rules that depend on reasonable care mean the details matter. In a widely used standard form, vandalism and glass coverage on the house stop after more than 60 consecutive days vacant, and freezing damage is covered only if you kept the heat on or shut off and drained the water. Check your policy; wording varies by carrier.
The fix is mostly common sense done ahead of time. Tell us your dates, keep the heat at 55°F or higher or have the system drained, line up regular checks, and add a leak or temperature alert. Make sure a Florida or Arizona home has its own policy from an agent licensed there, and if a house will sit truly empty for months, ask us about vacant home coverage through Foremost. Call or text (847) 223-4747, or request a quote, and our team will review your policy before you lock the door.
Related Questions
How long can a house be empty before homeowners insurance stops covering it?
It depends on your policy. The Insurance Information Institute says vacancy clauses typically apply after 30 to 60 consecutive days. In a widely used standard form, vandalism and glass coverage on the house stop after the dwelling has been vacant more than 60 consecutive days. Check your policy; wording varies by carrier.
What temperature should I leave my thermostat on when I go away for the winter?
The American Red Cross says no lower than 55°F if you are going away during cold weather. The Insurance Information Institute suggests keeping a home heated to at least 65 degrees in severe cold. Ask your agent what your own policy requires before you leave.
Does homeowners insurance cover frozen pipes in an empty house?
It can. A widely used standard homeowners form covers freezing damage only if you used reasonable care to maintain heat in the building or to shut off the water supply and drain the system. A house left unheated with water in the pipes may not be covered. Check your policy; wording varies by carrier.
Can my Illinois insurer cancel my policy because I am away for the winter?
According to the Illinois Department of Insurance, once a homeowners policy has been in force more than 60 days or is a renewal, it may be canceled only for nonpayment, misrepresentation or fraud, or an increase in the risk originally accepted. Telling your agent your plans up front is the safest approach.
Can the Illinois FAIR Plan insure a vacant or seasonal home?
Generally no. The Illinois FAIR Plan's current Producer Summary lists vacant or unoccupied properties, except rehabilitation, and seasonal dwellings as ineligible property. A vacant home policy, such as one written through Foremost, is often the better place to start.
Does my Illinois homeowners policy cover my house in Florida or Arizona?
No. A home you own in another state needs its own policy written in that state. Lapera Insurance Agency is licensed in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin, so a local agent licensed in Florida or Arizona would write that home, while we coordinate your Illinois home, auto and umbrella.
Last reviewed October 2026 by Joe Lapera, Licensed Illinois Insurance Agent (IL Lic #100722394). Figures verified against the sources linked above on that date.