When Should Homeowners Insurance Start? 
Alex is right - the day you take ownership of the property . Sometimes the underwriting process can take a few days so you should allow one week to get things in order . If the insurance company is going to inspect the property as part of the policy conditions , this can even take up to a month to get the results back . Also , in PA most policies will start at 12:01 AM so if you are changing insurance companies make sure you keep this in mind . 