Vacant homes, shops, offices and warehouses. Residential and commercial options, with a broker who knows which insurers will cover an empty building.
Trusted by 30,000+ clients Australia-wide
We aim to answer all calls within 3 seconds
Backed by our Price Promise
Building and public liability cover for unoccupied residential and commercial property
Many standard policies restrict cover once a building is left empty. You get your own property broker, who goes to market across 10+ insurers to find cover for your unoccupied residential or commercial property.
Three steps, and we do the legwork.
We go to 10+ insurers and come back with options for your unoccupied property. Same-day quotes available.
Pick the option that suits and we handle the paperwork.
Named #1 Top Brokerage 2025, trusted by 30,000+ clients, and with you long after the policy is sold.
We insure unoccupied residential and commercial buildings, including properties that are hard to place.
Named #1 Top Brokerage 2025 and rated 4.9/5 on Trustpilot and 4.7/5 on Google from over 12,000 reviews.
Our renewals team reviews your cover and price, and updates it when the property is sold, leased or occupied again.
Notify a claim 24/7. Our dedicated claims team deals with the insurer for you.
“The claims experience was made so easy.” – Scott B., Google review
Real reviews from owners of vacant and hard-to-insure buildings we've insured across Australia.
“Ben has been absolutely outstanding to work with. He saved Goulburn Transport a substantial amount of money, and we couldn’t be happier with the result. His professionalism, knowledge, and can-do attitude were first class from start to finish. Ben went above and beyond, made the whole process simple, and delivered real value for our business.”
“I had an excellent experience with Lincoln. After lodging an enquiry, he called me within half an hour and had sourced quotes overnight for a vacant mixed-use property. He was responsive, efficient and easy to deal with throughout. Very happy with the outcome and would highly recommend him.”
“I had an excellent experience with Shielded Insurance Brokers, and especially with Dan who looked after my claim. The entire process was handled with professionalism, patience, and clear communication from start to finish… His support genuinely made a stressful situation much easier to manage, and thanks to his help my business was able to keep running without interruption.”
“Kharn made my insurance enquiry very easy. I had been searching for an insurance quote for a commercial property and a residential home insurance on the one title. I'm in the process of purchasing this property and needed insurance in place before settling. Kharn was very professional and knew his job.”
“We as a business have entrusted Shielded insurance brokers for many years & will continue to do so. Their knowledge & expertise is exceptional & they go the extra mile no matter what. Great team, great service & always chasing the best deal!”
“Mehdi was so knowledgeable and helped me get some quotes for a building that is difficult to insure. Nothing was too difficult and the comms were excellent. He is highly efficient. 10/10”
“We have been insured with Shielded for the last year and unfortunately had a break and enter and lost very valuable equipment. Alex Shipman and all the team at Shielded were excellent to deal with and managed my claim and had everything finalised fast. I’ve never had to make a claim like this and only ever heard bad stories so I assumed this was going to drag out for 6-9 months but I’d say we barely made it over 6 weeks. Very happy.”
“Greg Snelling was an absolutely fantastic broker to deal with. He was helpful and responsive and his expertise made it easy to get insurance for a tricky building from a different time zone – highly, highly recommended.”
“I had quotes from previous brokers and the pricing was outrageous. Kharn was my contact at Shielded. He was a legend. Did the work. Got multiple quotes fast, he was on the phone ringing me about any additional questions the insurance companies required from our company so he could get the quotes completed promptly. Highly recommend.”
“The service was professional, responsive, and efficient throughout my recent insurance claim. They took much of the stress and hard work off my shoulders, guided me through the process, and helped achieve a quick resolution. Communication was excellent, and I always felt supported and informed.”
“Have had a long and stressful challenge dealing with my insurer however it turns out that my insurance broker actually provides the help! Worth going through a broker that really knows their stuff.”
“Tim Cantwell from the very first conversation has been a pleasure to deal with! Knows his stuff, responds instantly and is always available. First class customer service!!! A++ Thanks Tim!!!!”
Choose the cover your property needs. Mix and match on one quote.
Cover for a vacant house, unit or residential building while it sits empty.
Quote residentialCover for a vacant shop, office, warehouse or other commercial building.
Quote commercialCover if someone is injured or their property is damaged at your unoccupied property.
Quote liabilityReviewed by Joshua Scutts, Shielded Insurance Brokers · Updated October 2026 · General information only
We know unoccupied property insurance and the owners who need it.
Unoccupied property insurance covers a residential or commercial building while no one is living in or trading from it. It's designed for situations where a standard home, landlord or business policy may no longer apply because the property is empty.
Many home, landlord and commercial property policies limit or exclude cover once a building has been unoccupied beyond a set period stated in the policy. Empty buildings face a higher risk of undetected damage, break-ins and vandalism, so insurers treat them differently.
Yes. We arrange unoccupied cover for residential properties such as houses and units, and commercial properties such as shops, offices and warehouses.
Common situations include a property between tenants, a home that's on the market or awaiting settlement, a deceased estate, a property you've moved out of, or a commercial building waiting for a new lessee.
The property address, whether it's residential or commercial, roughly how long it will be unoccupied, the building's value and condition, and any security in place. Your broker will ask for anything else they need.
Contact us at Shielded Insurance on 1800 97 98 99 – you can notify a claim 24/7. Our dedicated claims team will guide you through the process and deal with the insurer on your behalf.
