Home emergency cover

Home emergency cover, or emergency home insurance, covers the cost of calling out a tradesperson to deal with an urgent issue affecting your home. This could be a burst pipe or your boiler breaking down, for example.

Home emergency insurance only covers the cost of the initial call-out and emergency repairs to make your home safe. It won’t pay for permanent repairs or any damage caused, but you may be able to claim for these through your buildings insurance or contents insurance.

Home emergency cover is usually available as an optional add-on to your standard home insurance policy.

Most insurance providers define a household emergency as a sudden and unforeseen situation that needs to be dealt with quickly. An issue will generally be classed as an emergency if:

• You’ve lost vital services, such as heating, lighting or water

• Your property is unsafe or uninhabitable

• There’s a risk to your health and wellbeing.

For example, a leaking tap, although frustrating, isn’t an emergency. But a blocked drain that’s causing damage to your property or a risk to health (or both) would be considered an emergency.

Home emergency insurance doesn’t usually cover:

• Routine maintenance

• Damp, mould and rot

• Older boilers (your policy will specify how old, but it’s often around 10-15 years)

• Minor issues, such as a dripping tap or a broken socket

• Issues that aren’t classed as an emergency, such as problems with your central heating system that cause low pressure

• Issues that aren’t reported within a set timeframe, for example 48 hours

• Pest infestation of outbuildings

• Emergencies that occur after your home has been unoccupied for a set number of days – usually either 30 or 60 days

• Wear and tear, so it’s important to maintain your central heating system. Most insurance providers will also insist you have your boiler serviced every year

• Some providers might not cover solar panels.

A regular home insurance policy covers fire, flood, theft and vandalism. It generally doesn’t cover urgent problems, such as your boiler breaking down.

If you want cover for emergencies, you can add home emergency cover to your home insurance policy for an additional cost.

According to our data, home emergency cover typically only costs £22 more to add to your home insurance policy, which could save you time and money in a crisis².

When you consider the potential cost of emergency call-out fees for water, gas and electrical problems, it could be worthwhile. These are average fees for some of the most common emergency plumbing jobs:

Bear in mind that if you need to call someone out of hours, for example at the weekend, then costs are likely to be higher.

Home emergency cover could be useful for homeowners to protect against the unexpected, but it’s not compulsory. You’ll have to decide whether it’s right for you based on your budget, circumstances and own research.

If you have a packaged bank account, it’s worth checking whether home emergency cover is included so you’re not doubling up on cover.

Do I need home emergency cover as a tenant?

If you’re renting, you don’t need home emergency cover – it’s the landlord’s responsibility to take care of emergencies.

You can include home emergency cover as an optional extra when you compare home insurance quotes with us. Just select the emergency cover box when getting a quote.

Or, if you’re looking for a homecare plan that covers more than just emergencies, you can compare boiler cover with us. Comprehensive plans could include cover for plumbing, central heating, drains and electrics too.

Even though some problems are beyond your control, there are practical steps you can take to reduce the risk of home emergencies:

• Prevent clogged drains: be mindful of what you send into your pipes. Scrape food off plates and cookware, and don’t put baby wipes down the toilet.

• Insulate your pipes: putting foam lagging around your pipes can be a relatively cheap and easy way to prevent your pipes from freezing in winter and cracking.

• Be careful with electrics: don’t overload your fuse box by plugging in too many devices at once.

• Clean your gutters: cleaning out your gutters in the spring and autumn can help prevent external drains from getting blocked. It can also help prevent leaks and damp in your home.

• Be careful with DIY: make sure you know where pipes and cables are before you start drilling or hammering. A stud sensor can help you identify where to avoid.

• Bleed your radiators: it’s a good idea to bleed your central heating system at least once a year to keep it working efficiently.