You could be liable if someone gets hurt whilst on your land, even if they are not meant to be there.
If someone suffers damage to their property as a result of your ownership of the vacant land, you could find yourself being sued.
You can protect yourself against these risks by taking out public liability cover.
What are the key risks of being uninsured?
If certain activities take place on the vacant lot, you are at increased financial jeopardy.
Foot traffic. Pedestrian traffic, while seemingly harmless, has a risk. If someone walking on your property happens to trip and fall, you may be held financially liable or even sued.
Recreational activities. Allowing sporting endeavours has an even greater risk of someone being injured on your land. If you allow activities like hiking, biking, fishing, etc on the vacant property, you'll need to get cover.
Your vacant lot is an urban area. If your vacant land is in an urban area, it's highly likely that foot traffic will occur on the property. As a result, the likelihood of someone tripping and falling increases. Also, if you choose to rent your land out for parking and an accident occurs, you could be liable for any damage.
What types of insurance should I consider?
There are several types of insurance to consider for a vacant lot depending on its use and location.
Third-party damages and injuries
Public liability insurance will protect you and your assets against liability for third-party injuries, damages or even death occurring on your land. This type of insurance can also cover activities that may occur in cities such as parking rentals.
If employees are involved in your vacant lot (e.g. security)
Did you know that even if you're not a business owner but part of management as an officer, director or senior manager, you assume financial risk for your employees? For example, say the business where you work also owns a vacant lot next to the building, and the employees use the lot to move equipment around. If an accident occurs due to lack of safety procedures and one of your employees gets injured, you, as part of management, can be included in a lawsuit. Management liability insurance is available that protects both the business's owner and its leadership from such a scenario.
If you have equipment on the lot
If equipment or other items are on the vacant lot, contents insurance will cover those assets. Vandalism and fire are two events that your policy would cover.
Finder survey: How often do Australians of different ages compare or switch their public liability insurance?
Response
65-74 yrs
55-64 yrs
45-54 yrs
35-44 yrs
25-34 yrs
18-24 yrs
once a year
3.11%
2.92%
1.45%
2.36%
1.46%
2.86%
I never compare or switch
1.24%
4.09%
1.45%
1.97%
2.91%
5.71%
every 2 yrs
1.24%
1.17%
1.45%
1.97%
1.43%
more than once a year
0.62%
0.48%
0.39%
once every 3+ yrs
0.62%
1.17%
0.48%
0.79%
0.49%
4.29%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1112 Australians, December 2023
How can I get insurance for vacant lots?
There are two main ways to obtain insurance cover – through a broker or online.
Brokers can be a good option if your insurance needs are complex. A broker offers a single point of contact who can work with you to determine your specific needs and circumstances. Because brokers represent many different insurance companies, they can comparison shop for you so you can receive the coverage you need at a competitive cost. However, brokers earn commissions from insurance companies when they sell their products. Commissions can sometimes cause brokers to present products that you don't need, leading to higher cost and being over-insured.
Obtaining insurance online offers numerous benefits, with convenience being one of the top benefits. Insurance-related online search engines enable you to compare and see the cost and coverage immediately. After selecting the appropriate coverage, you then work directly with the insurance company. Shopping for insurance online cuts out the broker middleman and can potentially save you money.
Talk to a broker about insurance for vacant lots
Frequently asked questions
There are a number of steps you can take to minimise the risks your vacant property may pose. First, walk the property and identify potential hazards. Is the ground uneven? Are there areas where previous owners or trespassers dumped trash? You should then remove the hazards you found or post signs warning people of the potential danger. Finally, visit the property frequently and familiarise yourself with its normal state. This will help you determine if and when something is amiss so you can address it immediately.
Owning anything carries responsibility, and vacant lots are no different. This is why protecting yourself financially from untimely events that may take place on a property is a must. Public liability, management liability and contents liability are all smart options depending on the land's use and location.
Brad Buzzard was a content writer at Finder working across insurance including travel, life, health, business, car, pet and home. Brad brought with him a wealth of experience as a journalist, content writer, social media manager and researcher, being in the industry for almost 2 decades by the time he joined. Before working for Finder, Brad’s expertise could be seen across TLC Marketing, Reborn, DDB Group, We Are Social, Nielsen and Wheeling News- Register, varying across Australia and the United States. See full bio
When faulty products cause injury or loss, your business needs to protect itself with product liability insurance. Learn how product liability cover works and get quotes.
How likely would you be to recommend Finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stands by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.