What is home emergency cover, and do you need it?
Updated: 15.04.26
Home emergency cover is a popular, often optional, extra, that gives homeowners and landlords peace of mind that help is at hand if something goes wrong. Whether you find yourself battling a burst pipe or dealing with a boiler breakdown, policies will address the immediate crisis and find a suitable tradesperson to fix the problem.
But home emergency cover isn’t a catch-all for every household disaster, so it’s important to check what your policy does and doesn’t cover. We look at what you can expect from a policy and why it’s such a helpful addition to your home insurance or landlord building insurance.
What is home emergency cover?
Policies cover the cost of calling out a tradesperson to fix urgent household issues. This could include burst pipes, boiler breakdown, or a broken window that poses a risk to your home’s security.
It’s important to know that home emergency cover is only designed to help resolve the immediate problem. For example, stopping a leak or restoring your heating. Policies don’t cover the cost of repairing the broader issue, for example, if a pipe bursts and causes water damage, home emergency cover only provides a temporary fix to stop the leak. It won’t cover the damage caused by the escape of water or cover the cost of repairing the pipe properly (resultant damage would usually fall under your home insurance policy instead).
What typically counts as an emergency?
What’s covered will depend on your policy, so it’s always best to double-check the terms and conditions in your agreement. Typically, home emergencies include:
Heating failure, for example, if your hot water or central heating suddenly stops working.
Utility failure if there’s a sudden outage in your gas or electricity supply.
Plumbing issues such as burst pipes, blocked, or damaged drains. Dripping taps are not generally classed as a home emergency (no matter how frequent the drips) and are considered to be basic maintenance.
Compromised security where there’s a risk to safety, including broken windows, external doors, and locks. Bear in mind that home emergency cover only deals with the immediate problem, so a broken window would be boarded up until you can arrange a permanent repair.
Pest infestation inside the property. Policies generally only cover emergency pest control costs and only for certain types of vermin (which will be listed in your policy). If you’re renting out property, find out what your landlord responsibilities for pest control are in our guide.
Some home emergency policies will also contribute to the cost of alternative accommodation if you can’t stay in the property because of a home emergency, and may also contribute to the cost of a replacement boiler if yours can’t be repaired.
What isn’t covered by home emergency cover?
As with most insurance policies, there are exclusions; these also vary by provider, but common exclusions include:
Old boilers – boilers older than 15 years or with an output over 60 kilowatts generally aren’t covered if they break down.
Properties that are empty for 30 days or more – if you’re leaving your home empty for at least a month, consider unoccupied home insurance instead.
Wear and tear – this can seem ambiguous, but it essentially means you’re not covered if something stops working because of age (such as an old boiler).
Lack of maintenance – insurers expect properties to be well-maintained. For example, you won’t be able to claim for a boiler breakdown if it hasn’t been serviced in the last 12 months.
Immediate claims – most policies have a waiting period between buying the policy and when you can claim. Although the length of time varies, you generally won’t be able to make a claim within 14 days of your policy start date.
It’s also worth noting that some policies have a limit on how much you can claim. For example, if the limit is £500, your insurer will only cover this amount.
Is emergency cover worth it for landlords?
Landlord home emergency cover can be an invaluable resource, and help you to meet your landlord responsibilities for providing habitable housing.
A main benefit is convenience, especially if you don't live near your rental and can’t handle emergencies personally.
Policies usually include a 24/7 helpline, so you and your tenants won’t have to find a tradesperson yourself; your insurer will do that for you. Being able to respond quickly also helps keep tenants happy, maintaining your relationship and minimising conflict.
Another important benefit that shouldn’t be overlooked is cost. Having a home emergency policy helps limit your costs by avoiding expensive call-out fees.
How much does home emergency cover cost?
Both homeowners and landlords could save in the long term by taking out home emergency insurance. Depending on your needs, cover with Alan Boswell Group can cost as little as £155 per policy for landlords and £75 per policy for homeowners, with no excess to pay.
Home emergency cover vs. boiler service contracts
Home emergency cover is often confused with boiler service contracts. They aren’t the same, but can complement each other.
Home emergency policies are, first and foremost, an insurance product. These cover the cost of temporarily fixing a household emergency. You can also make multiple claims while the policy is active (for example, you could make five claims over the course of a 12-month policy, depending on your T&Cs).
A boiler contract, on the other hand, is essentially a maintenance agreement. This typically includes an annual service and covers callouts and repairs, depending on the level of support you pay for.
Boiler contracts can work out slightly more expensive in terms of value in comparison to a home emergency policy, as they only cover your boiler or heating system. Whereas home emergency cover can be used for a range of household emergencies (but you will be expected to have your boiler serviced annually for your policy to be valid).
Need help with your insurance?
If you have a question regarding your home emergency insurance or need a quote, we’re happy to help.
Send an enquiry
FAQs
Generally, no. Home emergency only covers the cost of a temporary repair. However, if your boiler is beyond economic repair, some policies may contribute towards a new boiler. For example, policies from Alan Boswell Group will contribute £500 towards a new boiler if needed (remember to check your own policy for any limits).
This will vary depending on the insurer. Policies with Alan Boswell Group have zero excess. Read our guide on insurance excess for a deeper understanding of excess
Generally, no. Home emergency cover is sold as an optional extra to your home or landlord insurance, so it won’t affect your no claims bonus.
However, if there is a household emergency and you claim on your standard home insurance policy, this could impact your no claims and affect future premiums.