The heating season is starting across Central and Eastern Europe, and autumn is also when plenty of flats sit empty between tenants. That combination is behind a large share of winter insurance disputes. A pipe freezes in an unheated flat, nobody notices for two weeks, and the insurer's answer is a polite letter quoting a clause you never read.

This guide goes through what to check in your policy now, while it is still mild. Terms differ a lot between insurers and countries, so treat this as a checklist and confirm the details in your own policy or with a broker.

Who insures what

The basic split is the same almost everywhere:

  • You, the landlord, insure the building or the flat itself: walls, floors, built-in fittings, plumbing, the kitchen if it is fixed, and any furniture and appliances you leave in the flat for the tenant.
  • The tenant insures their own belongings and, ideally, their liability to others, for example if their washing machine floods the flat below.

Your policy usually won't pay for the tenant's laptop or clothes, and in a block of flats the building's common insurance generally won't cover everything inside your unit either. Hungarian brokers make the same point: the owner covers the property and their own contents, and the tenant arranges cover for theirs (biztositasszakerto.com). It helps to write down in the lease which policy covers what, and whether you expect the tenant to have contents insurance.

Tell your insurer the flat is let

Many ordinary home policies assume the owner lives there. Letting the flat is a change in risk, and most policies require you to report it. Groupama Hungary, for example, asks at the start of the contract whether the property is let, and says you must report it if you let it later, because the premium may change (Groupama). If you don't, the insurer may reduce or refuse a payout under the duty to disclose. Deadlines for reporting changes can be short, sometimes a matter of days, so check yours.

Some insurers sell a dedicated landlord package. In Hungary, Alfa offers one for long-term lets (Alfa), and in other countries "landlord insurance" is a separate product altogether.

Short lets are often a separate matter

If you let the flat by the night through a booking platform, don't assume your long-term landlord cover applies. Many policies exclude or limit short-term letting, or treat it as a business activity. Ask the insurer directly and get the answer in writing.

Optional loss-of-rent cover

Some landlord policies, or add-ons to them, pay the rent you lose while the flat is uninhabitable after an insured event such as a fire or a major leak. A few also cover rent the tenant fails to pay; Groupama, for one, mentions cover for unpaid rent in its Hungarian product. These covers come with limits, waiting periods and conditions, so read what triggers them before you pay for them.

The main trap: vacancy and frost clauses

This is the part that matters most before winter. Most property policies cover a sudden burst pipe, but only if you took reasonable steps to prevent freezing. When the flat is empty, those steps are spelled out, and missing them can void the claim.

A few examples of what these clauses look like:

  • Hungary: Generali's Házőrző home insurance terms require that during the heating season, defined as 15 October to 15 April, water pipes and appliances that are temporarily out of use are drained and frost precautions taken (Generali terms, PDF). UNIQA Hungary said in March 2026 that burst pipes are among its most common home claims and that neglected frost protection can mean a reduced or no payout (UNIQA).
  • United States: a landlord winterisation guide on BiggerPockets, published in the past week, describes winter preparation as a condition of cover in many policies rather than just good maintenance (BiggerPockets). The landlord insurer Steadily writes that you typically had to keep the heat at a minimum of 55°F (about 13°C) throughout the vacancy, or shut off and drain the water, and that many policies reduce or remove cover once a property has been vacant for 30 to 60 days (Steadily).

The details differ, but the pattern is the same: heat it or drain it, and watch the vacancy limit.

How to find these clauses in your policy

The one-page summary you got when you signed rarely has these details. Ask for, or download, the full general terms and any special conditions, then search the document for:

  • vacant, unoccupied, uninhabited, not permanently lived in, and any number of days (30, 60, 90)
  • frost, freezing, heating season, drain, shut off
  • obligations of the insured, preventive measures or risk-reducing duties
  • burst pipe or escape of water, plus the exclusions and any limits, such as how many metres of pipe they'll replace

Note three things: how many days empty counts as "vacant", what exactly you must do (heat, drain, inspect), and whether you have to tell the insurer when the flat is empty. If anything is unclear, email the insurer or your broker and keep the reply.

When the flat is empty between tenants

Even a two-week gap in January is enough for a pipe to freeze. Practical steps:

  1. Keep some heating on, or drain the system. If you leave the heating running, set it low but steady and make sure the boiler won't switch itself off. If you can't guarantee heat, shut off the water at the main valve and drain the pipes, the water heater and appliance supply lines. If you're unsure how to drain a heating system, ask a plumber, because doing it wrong can damage the boiler.
  2. Close and drain outdoor taps. Garden taps and pipes on balconies or in unheated stairwells freeze first.
  3. Insulate the water meter if it sits in a cold shaft, basement or outside pit. Frost-damaged meters are common enough that some Hungarian policies have a separate small limit for replacing them.
  4. Leave interior doors and cabinet doors under sinks open so warm air reaches the pipes.
  5. Visit regularly, at least weekly during frost, or ask a neighbour to. Each time, take dated photos of the thermostat, the boiler display, the meter and any damp spots. They show the insurer you took care, and you'll spot problems early.
  6. Check your vacancy limit and, if the gap will be longer than your policy allows, tell the insurer before that date and ask what they need.

When a tenant lives there, the risk is lower but not zero. A line in the lease asking the tenant to keep the flat heated during frost and report leaks straight away costs nothing.

The records that help with a claim

If something does go wrong, shut off the water first to stop the damage spreading, then report it quickly. Some policies give you only a couple of working days. These records make the claim much easier:

  • the policy and full terms, plus any emails confirming the flat is let
  • the handover report and photos from the start of the lease and from the last move-out
  • dated photos from your visits during the empty period
  • heating and water bills or meter readings, which show the heating was on
  • invoices for boiler servicing and plumbing repairs
  • messages with the tenant about leaks, heating or repairs
  • photos and video of the damage before anything is cleaned up

It is far easier if all this lives in one place rather than across three phones. In LeasingTrack you can keep the policy, the handover photos and the messages with your tenant together with each property, so the file is ready when the insurer asks.

A ten-minute check this week

Find your full policy terms, look up the vacancy and frost sections, and confirm that your insurer knows the flat is let. If the flat will be empty this winter, decide now whether you'll heat it or drain it. Terms vary by insurer and country, so when in doubt, ask your broker or insurer to confirm in writing.