While home insurance is likely to cover major repairs, in a pinch, home emergency cover can ensure that you face minimal disturbance.
In this article:
Home emergency cover is a special type of insurance policy that protects you in the event of sudden accidents or issues at home. These include:
If you encounter an issue that falls under the scope of your policy, you can get in touch with your home emergency cover provider. If they deem your claim valid, they can promptly send out a repair person to temporarily fix the issue.
It’s worth noting that home emergency cover deals with the immediate fallout from an incident. This means temporarily fixing a problem or simply ensuring the problem doesn’t worsen. There is usually a maximum limit to the repair costs covered by home emergency cover.
In some instances, home emergency cover could even provide temporary accommodation such as a hotel if your home becomes uninhabitable.
Home emergency cover is not designed to fully repair damage to things that go wrong with your house. For this, you’ll need a standard home insurance policy.
For example, if your boiler breaks down, home emergency cover would pay for a simple repair. You may even be able to get accommodation paid for, so you can access hot water. However, if the problem persists, you’d need to contact your home insurance provider to cover the boiler replacement.
Not all insurance policies will cover particular household appliances such as your oven, fridge or washing machine. So if you want this covered for a peace of mind consider Domestic & General. With over 16 million customers, be part of a reputable brand.
Lots of issues aren’t covered by home emergency policies, and you may need to contact your standard home insurance provider if they come up:
Whether or not you should opt to get home emergency cover depends on your circumstances. If it’s important to you to have issues resolved quickly and without stress, it might be worthwhile.
Before taking out a home emergency cover policy, or an add-on to an existing policy you have, check what your existing standard home insurance covers. It may already come with a level of home emergency protection you’ll be happy with.
Make sure you check the maximum claim amount on any home emergency cover policy you take out, and think about whether or not it will cover anything you may want to claim for.
Home emergency cover is not compulsory. If you’re a tenant, you also don’t need it; it’s your landlord’s responsibility to ensure issues in your home are fixed promptly. See our full guide to your rights as a tenant.
If you’re in the market for new home emergency cover, then we’ve listed the best options below. All
chosen providers have earned themselves five-star-rated cover from Defaqto, our partnered ratings
agency.
Key features:
– Pays up to £1,000 for hotel and transport costs if your home in inhabitable
– Up to £1,000 for labour, parts and materials per claim
– No excess to pay
While Aviva promises one of the best pay outs for home emergency cover on the market, it comes with a few exceptions. If your boiler or heating system is deemed “damaged beyond economical repair” then your pay-out will drop to £500 towards a replacement.
Key features:
– Pays up to £250 for hotel and transport costs if your home is inhabitable
– Pays up to £500 for labour, parts and materials per claim
– Will send a plumber to your home within three hours of an uncontrollable leak
Direct Line is one of the largest insurers across the UK, forming part of the Direct Line Group which includes Churchill and Green Flag too. Its home emergency cover differs from its competitors in a couple of ways. For instance, its cover for hotel and transport costs extends to your cats and dogs too.
In addition, it won’t pay out for roof damage or removing asbestos. Other providers, as you’ll see below, include damage to your roof as a standard.
Key features:
– Pays up to £1,000 for labour and materials for each repair
– Covers roof and home security
– No excess to pay if it’s part of your home insurance
Ecclesiastical is a specialist insurer which has been established for over 135 years. It used to just cover Anglican churches, but today it covers residential homes across the country.
It’s worth noting that home emergency cover is included in Ecclesiastical’s comprehensive home insurance package. This recently won “Best home insurer” at the Times Money Mentor awards, so it is one of the best overall packages on the market.
Key features:
– Unlimited claims and no limit to the value of each repair
– Covers just boiler, heating, plumbing, and electrical malfunctions
– Cheapest premiums come with a £95 callout fee
Unlike the other providers on this list, YourRepair doesn’t place a cap on the amount it’ll pay out for each repair. This is why it’s a litter more expensive than other providers, but it does come with other perks too. This includes an annual boiler service no matter which policy you choose and the promise to fix your monthly premium for up to three years.
Key features:
– Pays up to £1,000 for a tradesman to provide emergency assistance
– Pays up to £250 for hotel costs if your home is uninhabitable
– No excess to pay
LV= was established in the middle of the 19th century in Liverpool. Today, it has several offices across the UK and is one of the most notable life insurance providers.
However, its home emergency cover is also comprehensive. It includes cover for lost or stolen keys, damage to your roof, or home security among other areas.
Key features:
– Pays up to £1,000 for a tradesman to provide emergency assistance
– Up to £500 towards the cost of a new boiler
– Only available if you buy a home insurance policy with the provider
Compared to other providers on this list, MORE TH>N is a relatively new entrant on the market, launching in 2001.
It specialises in home and pet insurance, with its home emergency covering burst pipes, roof damage, boiler breakdown, and power failure among other areas.
Key features:
– Policies underwritten by Aviva
– Pays out £1,000 for labour and materials for each repair
– Pays up to £1,000 for hotel and transport costs if your home in inhabitable
Santander’s emergency home insurance is underwritten by Aviva. This means if you ever need to file a claim you’ll need to go through this insurer. Your cover pays out for boiler breakdown, damage to your roof, and leaks to your natural gas supply among other areas.
Some of the products promoted are from our affiliate partners from whom we receive compensation. While we aim to feature some of the best products available, we cannot review every product on the market.
Although the information provided is believed to be accurate at the date of publication, you should always check with the product provider to ensure that information provided is the most up to date.
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Look out for the first email on 3 September. You'll also receive our regular weekly round-up of money matters.
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