Shay Lally Quantity surveyor

IN THE BIG Reno Clinic series, Houses to Restore QS Shay Lally provides answers and solutions to the big (and little, but important) questions you may have about making the most of your home.

Send your question for Shay to reno@thejournal.ie

This week’s question:

We’re buying a fixer-upper and struggling to find home insurance that covers a vacant property through planning, retrofitting and extending. Please help!

Shay says:

This one jumped out at me because I hit the exact same wall a few months ago buying my own fixer-upper and thought it’d be helpful to share my experience.

Short answer: it’s harder than it should be, but it’s available – you just need the right broker and total honesty about your plans.

My lender wouldn’t let me draw down the mortgage without house insurance in place. But most insurers won’t touch a property you plan to leave vacant while renovating. The moment mine found out the house’s age and that I intended to refurbish it, they pulled their offer. It simply wasn’t something they’d cover.

I went to the broker we use in work for various policies. I was upfront about exactly what I needed cover for, and they found a provider willing to insure me. Two months later, that provider reviewed my case internally and revoked the policy; the renovation timeline was longer than they were comfortable with. Thankfully the broker had a back-up option ready, and I stayed insured throughout without a gap.

The trap: Even providers who do cover renovation projects often have narrow criteria; how long the property will sit vacant, how long the works will take or whether a contractor is doing the work under their own policy. If you step outside those lines they can revoke the policy, even after they’ve already said yes.

What to do:

Go to a broker who specialises in home insurance, not just whoever offered you the mortgage.

Be completely honest about your plans: expected vacancy period, how long the works will take, and whether you’re using a contractor with their own insurance.

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Expect setbacks. Have a back-up provider or a broker who can pivot quickly if a policy gets pulled, so you’re never left without cover like I was.

This will likely be the first of many curveballs on the renovation journey — but it’s solvable. Good luck with it.

Shay will be back answering your questions next week. Send him your pressing queries on managing a renovation to reno@thejournal.ie.