Home Emergency Response

How to make a claim

How do I make a claim on my Home Emergency Response policy?

You can call our emergency helpline on 0800 316 3983. We're here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and will send a tradesman to your home as soon as possible.

I have no cover, can you help?

I don't have cover, can you send a tradesman if I have an emergency now?

Yes. If you have an emergency at home right now, call 0800 197 4184 to get help straight away.

We'll tell you how much it will cost to fix the problem and will send a tradesman as soon as possible. While you're on the phone we can also also arrange cover for future emergencies over the next 12 months.

Home emergency claims

How many days do I have to wait before I can make a Home Emergency claim?

You can make a claim from the 15th day after the start date of your policy. This only applies at the start of your policy and not when you renew your cover.

You're not covered for problems that you knew about when you bought the policy or problems that happen before the 15th day of your policy.

How many emergency claims can I make each year?

Home Emergency Response
You can make unlimited claims during the 12 months that your policy runs for. For each claim you get up to £2,000 cover for labour, parts, materials and VAT.

Emergency Boiler Cover
You can make up to 4 claims a year for boiler failures which leave you without heating or hot water. There is no limit on the cost of parts and labour.

Boiler & Central Heating Cover
There is no limit on the number of claims you can make or on the cost of parts and labour.

Do you cover parts and labour for emergency repairs?

You're covered for up to £2,000 for each Home Emergency Response claim you make. That includes call out, labour, parts, materials and VAT.

There are no limits on the cost of parts and labour for Emergency Boiler Cover and Boiler & Central Heating Cover.

Are there any policy excesses to pay if I make a claim?

Home Emergency Response
There are no policy excesses or call out fees to pay for Home Emergency Response.

Emergency Boiler Cover and Boiler & Central Heating Cover
An optional voluntary excess of £50 is available if you want to reduce the price of your policy by paying the first £50 on any claim you make.

What's covered? What isn't?

What emergencies are covered? What's excluded from your cover?

You can check out the basics of what's included and what's not in the Home Emergency Response Cover Summary.

You'll find full cover details in the Home Emergency Response Policy Booklet.

Is there anything that isn't covered for flats?

You're not covered for the shared bits of flats or maisonettes with shared facilities, so the following types of claim are not included:

• Plumbing claims relating to sections of shared pipe
• Drainage claims where a shared pipe is blocked
• Claims for keys, locks and glazing in shared communal areas
• Water supply pipes are not covered for flats or maisonettes

Emergency Boiler Cover and Boiler & Central Heating Cover is the same for flats as it is for a house or any other eligible property.

Moving house

What happens to my cover if I move house?

You can change the address for your Home Emergency Response policy as long as we are able to insure your new home. Call us on 0800 107 1031 to let us know about your change of address.

We may be able to change your policy for Emergency Boiler Cover and Boiler & Central Heating Cover depending on your new boiler, but you may be asked to take out a new 12 month contract.

Tenants and landlords

I am a tenant, can I take out Home Emergency Response?

Yes, you can. Usually a landlord takes care of emergency repairs, but you can get cover if you rent property from a private landlord. You'll be asked to confirm that your landlord is happy for us to carry out work at their property when you make a claim.

We are unable to cover social or housing association tenants.

Please call us on 0800 197 4180 to buy cover for the property you're renting.

I am a landlord. Can I take out Home Emergency Response?

Yes. Home Emergency Response is now available for your residence and up to two rental properties.

How many properties does a Home Emergency Response policy cover?

One. Each property requires its own Home Emergency Response policy.

Does Home Emergency Response include a Gas Safety record?

No. A Gas Safety Record (CP12) should be obtained via an annual check, completed by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

What are my legal duties in relation to gas safety as a landlord?

As a landlord, you should ensure gas appliances are serviced in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. If these are not available, it is recommended that they are serviced annually – unless advised otherwise – by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Annual safety checks should be carried out on each gas appliance and flue. Before any new lease starts, make sure that these annual checks have been made within one year before the start of the lease.

All installation, maintenance and safety checks must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and a record of each safety check kept for at least two years.

Copies of the latest safety check record (CP12) should be given to existing tenants within 28 days of the check being completed, or, to new tenants before they move in.

Gas boiler and central heating cover

What types of boiler do you cover?

Emergency Boiler Cover

• Conventional gas boilers (up to 15 years old)
• Gas combination boilers (up to 10 years old)
• Condensing gas boilers (up to 10 years old)

Boiler & Central Heating Cover
Covers gas boilers of any age as long as essential working parts are available from our supplier.

Emergency Boiler Cover and Boiler & Central Heating Cover is not available for:

• Gas boilers with an output over 70 kw
• Wood, solid fuel, electric or oil fired boilers
• Warm air and solar heating systems

How do I find out the output of my boiler?

You should be able to find this in the manual the manufacturer gave you. If you can't find it or haven't got the manual, please contact the manufacturer to check.

My combination boiler is 9 years old, can I get cover for it?

Emergency Boiler Cover
Yes, we'll cover your boiler for the full year if it's not too old at the start of the cover year. Please call us about upgrading to Boiler & Central Heating cover when you renew your cover.

We can cover combination or condensing boilers which are less than 10 years old, so your boiler would be covered for the year if it is 9 years old at the start of your policy.

Boiler & Central Heating Cover
Covers gas boilers of any age as long as essential working parts are available from our supplier.

Is my boiler covered in the summer?

Yes, you get boiler cover for a full 12 month period without any exceptions.

How many boiler breakdown claims can I make?

Emergency Boiler Cover
You can make up to 4 claims under Emergency Boiler Cover where you boiler suffers a 'complete failure', where you are left without hot water, heating or both.

Boiler & Central Heating Cover
There is no limit on the number of claims you can make for a boiler breakdown.

What's the difference between Emergency Boiler Cover and Boiler & Central Heating Cover?

Emergency Boiler Cover provides cover for emergency repairs following a sudden and unexpected failure of your gas boiler which leaves you without hot water, heating or both. Your gas boiler and heating controls are covered.

Boiler & Central Heating Cover provides the same emergency cover as Emergency Boiler Cover but cover is extended to include radiators and the pipework connecting components of your central heating system. Intermittent faults, radiator failures and water or gas leaks from the system are covered.

Annual boiler service

How do I arrange a boiler service?

We'll call you to arrange a date for your boiler service. We'll give you a 2-hour time slot for the engineer's arrival. Our usual servicing hours are 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Can I move my boiler service to a different date?

Yes, if you give us more than 24 hours notice, you can rearrange the appointment without charge. If you rearrange the appointment within 24 hours of the appointment we may charge an attendance fee of £60, including VAT.

Will I get a boiler safety certificate?

If your boiler passes the safety inspection element of the service, you will be provided with a checklist as a record of the work that has been carried out on your main heating system.

What happens if my boiler fails the safety inspection?

An initial boiler inspection is carried out if you choose Emergency Boiler Cover or Boiler & Central Heating Cover. If your system fails the inspection the engineer will explain any work that needs to be done to fix existing problems before we can service your boiler.

Any work to fix existing problems is not covered by your policy, so you are responsible for the cost of any work that's required. This work must be carried out within 14 days from the date of the inspection for us to be able to service your boiler.

If you decide that you would like us to fix existing problems for you we can tell you how much it would cost. You also have the option of getting the problems fixed by your own engineer.

You can cancel your policy if you don't want to get the existing problems fixed. We'll give you back any money you've already paid.