Home Emergency Cover

Many homeowners may not realise this, but standard home insurance often won’t cover you if your boiler breaks down, your drains get blocked or your water pipes freeze and crack. These kinds of problems generally require a home emergency insurance to supplement your home insurance cover.

How much does home emergency cover cost?

That will depend on a range of different factors, including the type of home you own, the type of boiler your home is fitted with, your location and the risk of water pipes freezing in your area.

Some home emergency cover policies offer coverage for a wider range of potential home emergencies as well, which can also impact the cost of your home emergency insurance.

Does home emergency cover protect me against pest infestations? 

Some home emergency insurance policies may cover you if you have an infestation of pests, but it’s not always included so you should definitely check your own policy’s list of features and exclusions.

Is it true my home emergency cover will only cover a boiler breakdown in the winter?

Yes, many home emergency policies will have a fairly narrow definition of what constitutes an emergency, which means if your boiler breaks down in the middle of summer you may not be covered, even if your policy does include some form of boiler cover. 

Is it true my home emergency cover might not cover me if my boiler is old?

Yes, since older boilers are obviously a lot more likely to experience a serious fault or even total failure, some home emergency cover policies may stipulate that your boiler must be less than a certain age – 10 years, for instance.

This varies from company to company though, so it’s vital that you check the fine print to ensure a specific boiler is included.