If you are planning an extended vacation or business trip, or have moved into a new home and not yet sold your old house, you might have a problem with your homeowner's insurance. Don't make your empty home a target for vandals, thieves, someone needing a place to spend the night, or teenagers looking for a place to hang out.

Insurance companies usually try to avoid insuring vacant homes, unless they know there is someone frequently checking on the home. Without someone checking on a regular — almost daily — basis, the risk for claims-inducing damage soars. Not only is there a greater risk of vandalism and fire, but if no one is checking on the house, there is the potential for flooding from burst pipes, which can cause extensive damage, or infestations of insects or other vermin.

Often, insurance companies will give you a window in which a house can be vacant, such as 90 days. After that, they may reserve the right to cancel the home insurance policy. Home insurers will often work with you if you have a special situation — for example, if you bought a new house and are waiting to sell your vacant house, but are still checking in on it.

A house that is regularly "checked on" shouldn't look vacant, even though it is. Someone should be picking up the mail, mowing the lawn, putting on lights in the house, perhaps parking a car in the driveway — anything that makes it an unattractive target for vandals and vagrants. Additionally, the person checking on the house should give a quick peek inside regularly.

Another option is to have a "house sitter" in the home, keeping an eye on things. If a family member or friend can stay in the home for a period of time, the home is considered occupied. If family or friends are not available, house sitting services are available in most areas, with rates subject to negotiation in many cases. The cost of a special policy for a vacant home may be more than the cost for a house sitter for however long you need one.

What to do when no one wants you

There are going to be cases when you won't be able to get a regular homeowners insurance policy for a vacant house, even though it seems like you've called every insurance company in town. In those instances, you'll have to find, with your agent's help, an insurance company that specializes in insuring vacant homes.

Unfortunately, finding such a company can be difficult. If your agent can't help you, contacting your state's insurance department might lead to some possibilities, perhaps through home insurers of last resort, often called FAIR Plans, or specialty carriers.

In New York, for example, the New York Property Insurance Underwriting Association (NYPIUA), also known as the FAIR Plan, takes on vacant homes — with some conditions and usually with high premium charges. NYPIUA is an association of private insurers that take on riskier properties.

In the end, the best advice is this: If you must leave a house unoccupied, do your absolute best to keep it that way for as short a time as possible.