Guide · November 9, 2026
Selling a vacant house that has been empty for months
An empty house keeps costing money and can collect problems: leaks nobody sees, tall grass, break-ins. A weekly check protects it, and it can be sold with the work still to do.
Key points
- An empty house still costs the mortgage, tax, insurance, utilities and yard care every month.
- Read your insurance policy for its terms on an empty house, and tell the insurer the house is vacant.
- In Florida, the homestead exemption follows where you live on January 1. Tell the property appraiser when you move out.
- Florida section 82.036 lets an owner ask the sheriff to remove people who moved in without permission, when its conditions are met.
- Tall grass and trash on an empty lot can start a code case. In Arizona, a city gives at least 30 days' notice before it cleans up and bills the cost.
- BIMINIO buys empty houses as they stand, with the repairs and the clean-out left to us.
Why empty houses are hard to keep
A house can stand empty for many reasons: the owner moved for work, moved into care, passed away, or bought another home first. Each month the house waits, it costs money and nobody is there to notice a problem. A slow leak under a sink, a broken air conditioner in summer or a window left unlatched can grow for weeks before anyone sees it. Write down the date the house became empty, because the insurer, the property appraiser and a buyer may each ask for it.
This guide covers what to check while the house is empty, in Florida and Arizona, and the ways to sell it. It gives no legal, tax or insurance advice, so ask your insurer, the county and a lawyer about your own case.
| Monthly cost | Why it keeps running |
|---|---|
| Mortgage payment | The loan is due whether anyone lives there or not |
| Property tax | Billed once a year in Florida and in two halves in Arizona |
| Insurance | The policy must stay in force, and vacancy terms can change it |
| Power and water | Needed for the air conditioning, a dehumidifier and showings |
| Yard and pool care | Tall grass and a green pool can start a code case |
| HOA dues | Due each month or quarter if there is an association |
Insurance on an empty house
A home policy can have terms that change cover when a house stands empty for a set number of days. Read the part of your policy about vacancy or unoccupied homes, and call the insurer to tell them the house is empty. Ask what the policy needs from you: regular visits, the water shut off, or a different policy.
If the insurer will not keep the house covered as it is, ask about a policy for vacant homes. Never let the cover lapse, because a loss with no insurance is yours to pay.
Property tax when you move out
In Florida, the homestead exemption and its cap on assessed value belong to the home you live in. Section 196.031 asks that the owner hold title on January 1 and make the house their permanent home. If you move out for good, the house no longer qualifies as your homestead for the next year.
Section 196.011(10) says that in counties without a yearly application, the owner must notify the property appraiser promptly when the house is no longer entitled to the exemption. An owner who does not can owe the exempted taxes for up to the past 10 years, plus a 50 percent penalty and 15 percent interest a year. Call the property appraiser when you move out, and ask what applies to you.
In Arizona, ask the Maricopa County Assessor's Office whether moving out changes how the house is classed for tax, and keep your mailing address current with the county treasurer so the tax bills reach you.
Property taxes when you sell →
Keeping the house safe while it waits
An empty house that looks empty is an easier target. Keep it looking lived in and keep it dry. Small steps, done every week, help prevent the damage that shows up in a buyer's inspection.
- Visit once a week, or ask a neighbor or a paid service to
- Lock every door and window, and check the side gate
- Keep the air conditioning set to control humidity
- Shut off the water at the main if no one can check for leaks
- Mow, edge and pick up flyers and packages
- Forward the mail, so tax and code notices reach you
- Take dated photos on each visit
If someone moves in without permission
Florida Statutes section 82.036 gives an owner a way to ask the sheriff to remove people who moved into a residential home without permission. The owner sends the sheriff a verified complaint, under penalty of perjury. The conditions include: the people entered unlawfully and stay there, the home was not open to the public, the owner told them to leave, they are not current or former tenants under a rental agreement, they are not the owner's immediate family, and no court case between the owner and them is open.
If any condition does not fit, the owner may need to go to court. In Arizona, call the police and an Arizona lawyer, who can tell you which process applies. Do not change the locks with someone inside or remove their things on your own.
Code cases on an empty house
Tall grass, trash, a green pool or a broken window on an empty house can lead a neighbor to call the city. In Arizona, section 9-499 lets a city order rubbish, trash and weeds removed with written notice and not less than 30 days to comply. If the owner does not act, the city can do the work and record the cost as a lien that comes before other liens except general taxes.
In Florida, a code board can set a daily fine after the deadline in its order, and a recorded fine order becomes a lien on the land. A notice sent to an empty house can sit unopened while the fine grows, which is why forwarding the mail matters.
Selling a house with code violations or liens →
The mortgage on a house you no longer live in
Keep paying the mortgage while the house waits. The federal rules on early contact and the 120-day wait before a first foreclosure filing apply to a loan on the borrower's principal residence, as 12 CFR 1024.30(c)(2) says. If the empty house is no longer your main home, ask a lawyer or a HUD-approved housing counselor whether those protections still cover your loan.
If the payments are becoming hard to carry, act early. A sale with months of margin gives you more buyers and more choices than a sale against a foreclosure date.
Selling from far away
If you live in another city or state, you can still sell without moving back for weeks. Ask the title company early how you can sign the closing papers from where you live, and how it will send your money. Give one trusted person a key for the inspection, or arrange a lockbox.
If more than one person owns the house, plan for each owner to sign. Start that conversation before you take an offer, so a signature does not hold up the closing.
Selling a house after you move away →
Ways to sell an empty house
An empty house is easy to show, because nobody has to leave for a visit. It also shows every flaw: worn floors, marks on the walls, and rooms that look smaller with no furniture. You can clean, paint and stage it, then list it, or you can sell it as it stands.
| Choice | Good when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Clean, repair and list | The house needs little work and you can visit often | Monthly costs continue while it is for sale |
| List as is | The house is sound and the price is set for its condition | Buyers with loans need it insurable and livable |
| Sell to a cash buyer as it stands | The house needs work, or you live far away | A cash offer is below full market value |
Selling an empty house to BIMINIO
BIMINIO buys empty houses in Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Lakeland, Phoenix and Glendale, as they stand. You do not need to clean, repair, stage or visit. Leave behind what you do not want. You get a written cash offer within 24 hours, with the comparable sales we used. If you accept, one building inspection of under 30 minutes follows. You pick a closing date from 7 to 35 days out, and we pay the closing costs. A cash offer is below full market value.
Want a number for your house? BIMINIO buys in Florida and Arizona, as is. A written offer comes within 24 hours.