Unfortunately, insurance policies do not cover every single event and inevitably all policies contain some exclusions. Examples of some of the common exclusions are described below, although this list is not exhaustive.
All insurance requires a duty of care, i.e. you (and your family or anyone living with you) must take all reasonable steps to prevent and reduce accidents, losses and damage. You must also maintain insured property in good condition.

If you do not take reasonable care of your property (for example, if you leave your home unoccupied and do not lock the door) your insurers may not pay out in the event of loss or damage. TOP
 
Home Buildings Insurance policies will generally exclude certain events if your home is left unoccupied for a certain number of days or more (30 days or 60 days are fairly typical). You will need to check your own policy to ascertain the limit will applies in your case.

If you are planning to leave the property unoccupied for a longer period, you should advise your insurer, since they may be able to extend the policy. If you expect your property to be unoccupied for a longer period, specialist insurance policies available for long-term unoccupied properties. TOP
 
Some policies will not cover damage to gates, fences and hedges by storm or flood. TOP
 
Although the main structure of your house should stand for many, many years, there are certain parts which will wear out or fail quicker than others. For example, flat roofs and timber window frames will eventually fail (much quicker without regular maintenance). The failure of such items is not covered under a Home Buildings policy if the failure is due to normal wear and tear.

In addition, loss or damage caused by insects, vermin, infestation, damp, rot or any gradually operating cause are normally excluded. TOP