What happens to your insurance coverage when your building becomes vacant or unoccupied (idle)?

Most insureds are not aware of the restrictions in their property insurance when a building is unoccupied or vacant.

Reality Alert: A group of children were celebrating a birthday party at a fitness center. One of the kids threw a basketball into the air and knocked a sprinkler head. Although the impact was relatively minor, the fragile glass bulb in the sprinkler head shattered, activating the sprinkler, causing hundreds of gallons of pressurized water to flood the hardwood basketball court.

In the News: A spa employee left a load of laundry in the dryer over night. The cycle finished and the clothes were simply left in the dryer so they could be folded the following morning.

In the News: A nighttime fire at a day spa caused fire, smoke, and water damage forcing the facility’s closure. Thirty-six firefighters from three stations fought to contain the blaze for over two hours.

Reality Alert: Over the Christmas holiday a fitness center was closed for several days so employees could enjoy some time off work and be with their families. This period of closure, however, provided thieves the perfect opportunity to stage a massive heist of a large amount of copper piping throughout the facility.

Stories from the Road: A concerned West Bend customer contacted a loss control representative with questions regarding the current fire evacuation plan in place at their place of business. The management team and staff had routinely practiced a wide range of emergency drills and had a thorough written emergency action plan in place, but it was recently brought to their attention that many of the illuminated exit signs in the facility actually lead to dead ends.

Reality Alert: A weekend thunderstorm at a preschool resulted in over $15,000 in damages to personal property within the building and over $20,000 to the building itself. Water began to fill the basin beneath the building’s basement after heavy rains.

Ladder Fatality in the News: A 54-year-old woman suffered a fatal ladder fall after retrieving Christmas decorations from her attic. Reports indicate that one of the ladder rungs broke while she was standing on it.

Carbon Monoxide in the News: Six apartment residents were rushed to a hospital after a carbon monoxide leak was reported at the complex. Emergency responders were called to the scene after a mother noticed her small child was unconscious.

AED Could Have Prevented Tragedy: A 16-year-old high school basketball player had just made a game-winning shot in overtime when he suddenly collapsed to the floor. Initially, parents, coaches, and players thought it was due to exhaustion or just the excitement of the moment, but they all quickly realized something much more serious had happened.