Why your home insurance may not cover an empty house during PCS

A PCS move or a deployment that leaves your house empty can quietly change what your homeowners insurance actually covers, according to Military.com.

Snapshot

Military.com explains that most standard homeowners policies include a vacancy clause that can reduce or eliminate coverage for theft, vandalism and water damage once a home sits empty for roughly 30 to 60 days. The article walks through the difference between a "vacant" home and an "unoccupied" one, and lays out steps service members can take before leaving to avoid a denied claim.

Key points

• Vacant vs. unoccupied: Military.com notes insurers generally treat a fully empty home as vacant and a furnished-but-empty home as unoccupied, and the distinction affects what's covered.
• The 30-to-60-day clock: Coverage for vandalism, theft and water damage commonly phases out once a home has sat empty past that window, per the article.
• No automatic military exception: Deployment orders alone don't guarantee a carrier will waive vacancy rules; Military.com advises confirming directly with insurers like USAA or Armed Forces Insurance rather than assuming blanket coverage.
• Notify before you go: The article recommends calling the insurer ahead of a PCS or deployment to ask about a vacancy permit endorsement, unoccupied-home coverage, or a separate vacant-home policy.
• Renting changes everything: If a home doesn't sell and becomes a rental instead, Military.com points out a standard homeowners policy won't apply and a landlord policy is needed.

Quick take

For troops facing short-notice orders, this is the kind of paperwork that's easy to skip and expensive to regret. Military.com's bottom line is straightforward: a phone call to the insurance company before packing the truck can be the difference between a covered loss and a denied claim months later.

Read the full story: military.com