What Is Second Home Insurance?

Written by  Aaron Besson

Edited by  Bryan Ochalla

+ 1 More

Published Aug 28, 2025 Content was accurate at the time of publication.

Secondary home insurance covers a home you own that isn’t your main residence. It covers your vacation home like a standard homeowners insurance policy. The main difference is second home insurance usually costs more.

Home insurance companies usually consider second homes to be a higher risk. This is because no one is around part of the time to notice or prevent problems that could cause the homeowner to file a claim.

What does second home insurance cover?

A secondary home insurance policy covers vacation homes the same as a standard home insurance policy. This means it covers your:

What does second home insurance not cover?

Secondary home insurance usually doesn’t cover things like flood or earthquake damage. Most of these policies also won’t cover:

The things your home insurance policy won’t cover are called exclusions. Also, your exclusions depend on the type of policy you have.

If you have a named peril policy, it will only cover the types of damage listed in your policy details. If you have an open peril policy, it will cover any damage unless it is specifically called out in your policy.

Do I need secondary home insurance?

If you own your vacation home outright, you do not need to have home insurance for it. If you took out a loan for your vacation home, though, your lender will probably require you to insure it.

You should consider getting insurance for a second home even if it’s not required. If you don’t, you’ll have to pay to repair any damage out of your own pocket.

Keep in mind that you can’t include your second home on the same insurance policy you have for your main residence.You need a separate policy for your second home.

Do I need vacant or unoccupied home insurance?

Whether you need “vacant home insurance” or “unoccupied home insurance” depends on if the home is furnished.

Home insurance companies consider a house vacant if there are no furnishings in it and no one lives in it for 30 days or more. A house is unoccupied if there is furniture in it. 

Unoccupied homes are a higher risk to insurers because of the furniture. The furnishings make it more likely the homeowner will file a claim for damage or theft and cost the insurance company money.

How much does second home insurance cost?

Home insurance for a second home usually costs more than a policy for a main residence. This is because a second or vacation home is more likely to be damaged or broken into if no one lives there full time. 

There are other factors that impact how much you pay for secondary home insurance, too. These include where it’s located and how much it would cost to rebuild.

Location

If your vacation home is on the coast or near a beach, insurers may see it as having a higher risk for windstorm damage. And if you have a cabin in the woods or on a mountain, it might have a higher risk of wildfire damage. These risks can cause you to pay more for home insurance.

Rebuild cost

Your secondary home insurance premium is also based on how much it would cost to rebuild the home. The more it would cost to rebuild your vacation home, the more you’ll pay to insure it. You’ll pay less if your second home’s rebuild cost is low.

Amenities

You’ll also pay more for vacation home insurance if there is a swimming pool, hot tub or trampoline on the property. Home insurance companies see all three of these as liability risks. You’ll see higher home insurance rates because of them.

Getting the best homeowners insurance for a second home

Farmers is the best home insurance company for vacant homes. The main reason for this is that Farmers offers 12-month vacant home insurance policies. Most insurance companies only offer three- or six-month policies. 

Also, Farmers prorates your policy if you move back into or sell the home before the end of the policy period.

These companies also offer vacation home insurance: