Home emergency cover typically includes sudden problems in the home that need urgent attention. It’s always worth checking individual policies to be certain, but they usually include external water supply pipe problems, plumbing failures, drainage issues, domestic central heating failures, electrics, gas, lost keys and pests. The problem needs to be serious enough to pose a safety risk or make the house unliveable.
Knowing what your home emergency cover includes is essential for homeowners who already have a policy or are considering taking one out. Home emergencies rarely have the decency to occur when you have no plans. Don’t leave yourself floundering, working out whether it’s covered or not.
It is designed to help with emergency repairs, not everyday maintenance. In other words, it only covers things that suddenly go wrong. Anything relating to routine maintenance, old faults or jobs that have been sitting on your to-do list since 2019 is unlikely to be covered.
What’s Included in Home Emergency Cover?
The exact support from home emergency cover depends on the policy terms, claim limits and exclusions. Below is a rough breakdown of each item that may be covered.
External Water Supply Pipe
Running water is essential for all households, and it’s hard to live without it for too long. As far as emergencies go, damage to the external water supply pipe is up there with some of the biggest disasters possible for homeowners.
A leak, blockage, or collapse is covered by home emergency insurance as long as it occurs between the main stopcock in the house and the point where it connects to the public water main/communication pipe. The pipe must be your responsibility.
External Water Supply Pipe Exclusions
The cover may not apply if the pipe is outside your home’s boundary and is shared with a third party who does not agree to the work. It will not provide cover if the damage has been caused by a lack of maintenance. It does not cover reinstatement costs for surfaces such as drives, paths or decking that need to be excavated.
Plumbing Emergencies
Plumbing is a nightmare at the best of times. If something goes wrong here, water may well end up inside the house. A severe problem could flood the house and cause extensive damage.
Any emergency caused by unexpected failures or damage to the internal plumbing that could lead to internal flooding or water damage in the house is covered. This includes central heating pipes and radiator valves.
Plumbing Emergencies Exclusions
Home emergency cover does not include general maintenance or leaks from appliances. Home emergency does not cover drips or water leaks. One important factor to note is whether you have a second toilet in the house. It will not provide cover if a sink, shower, bath, or toilet has stopped working, and another accessible one is available.
Drainage Failure
Blocked drains are always grim. Discovering this issue, possibly by sense of smell, is never pleasant. It can cause safety issues in and out of your house. Home emergency cover can include sudden and unexpected failure or damage to your home’s drainage system.
This can help with problems that affect the safe use of your home, especially if the issue poses a risk of damage or makes the home unliveable. It can help with sudden drainage problems, but it will not cover every pipe or those ‘I probably shouldn’t have flushed that’ moments.
Drainage Failure Exclusions
Drainage cover does not usually include every drainage issue. Common exclusions can include:
- Routine cleaning of leaves, debris or oil build-up
- Non-standard drainage systems
- Cesspits
- Septic tanks
- Vacuum drainage systems
- Electric pumps
- Shower pumps
- Saniflo units or similar pumped systems
- Drainage pumps
- Swimming pool or spa bath systems
- Detached outbuildings
- Guttering or fall pipes
- Blockages caused by flushing unsuitable items
- Damage to drains outside the boundary of your home
- Communal drainage areas
- Blocked toilets where there is no damage, and another toilet is available
Domestic Central Heating Systems
Boilers always have bad timing. A cold house is bad news, especially in the middle of winter. Home emergency cover can include the unexpected and complete failure of your domestic central heating system.
Fixing a central heating system can be a complex job. If parts are needed and they take more than 48 hours to arrive (after the engineer has been), the policy can provide a £40 heating contribution. If the boiler is beyond repair, the cover can contribute up to £500 towards a replacement.
Domestic Central Heating Systems Exclusions
You must have an old-school gas boiler (no, not quite as old-school as coal!). It will not cover general maintenance or damage caused by rust or hard-water scale. Cover is usually available if the boiler gives up suddenly. If there have been warning signs or the boiler hasn’t been serviced regularly, then you may have an issue.
Electrical Emergency and Breakdown Cover
A sudden electrical disaster can leave you feeling pretty shocked. Home emergency cover can include the breakdown or failure of the permanent electrical wiring system in your home. An internal electrical issue can mean the house becomes dangerous and unliveable.
Electrical Emergency and Breakdown Cover Exclusions
There are several exclusions relating to electrical damage. These include:
- Your electricity supply meter
- Domestic appliances
- Plug-in electrical items
- Replacing light bulbs
- Replacing fuses
- Routine electrical maintenance
- External lighting
- Garden lighting
- Electrical supply to outbuildings
- Swimming pools
- Fish tanks
- Ponds
- Burglar alarms
- Smoke alarms
- Satellite or TV equipment
- Telephone equipment
- Doorbells
- Garage doors
- Shower units
- Immersion heaters
- Solar panels
- Wind turbines
- Three-phase electrical systems
- Wiring in communal areas
So, if there’s an emergency with the house wiring, that may be covered. If the toaster gives up halfway through breakfast, sadly, you’re toast and you need to sort it yourself.
Emergency Gas Supply Pipe
You don’t want to be messing about with gas. That needs serious care and attention, especially if something has gone wrong. You don’t want to make this one worse. Home emergency cover can include an emergency relating to the internal gas supply pipe in your home following a gas leak.
The National Gas Emergency Service must have attended and isolated the leak before this part of the cover applies. If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
Emergency Gas Supply Pipe Exclusions
Any general maintenance needed for the emergency gas supply pipe is not covered. Under this section, any issues with gas boilers or hot water are not included. You must make sure your system meets Gas Safe regulations; otherwise you risk not being covered.
Security, Lost Keys and Roofing
A broken lock or damaged external door can leave your house insecure. Without basic protection, the house can become unsafe to live in or vulnerable to theft. Nobody wants to spend the night guarding the door like a nightclub bouncer waiting for trouble. And knowing how house problems go, it probably happens the night before a hectic and important day.
This section also covers the roof. Home emergency cover can arrange an emergency repair to make the home safe and/or prevent further damage to the roof. If you’re sweating because you can’t find your keys and therefore can’t gain normal access, home emergency cover can help you gain access to the house.
Security Exclusions
If you have lost your keys but a duplicate set is immediately available, home emergency cover will not step in and take action. If the lost key is for an outbuilding or shed that’s not part of the main home, then you will not be able to claim it under your emergency cover. Security cover does not extend to issues with internal doors and external window locks. If you’ve got a fancy electronically operated garage door, home emergency insurance will not cover the replacement or repair of that unit.
Pest Infestation
Pests have a lovely habit of turning up uninvited when you least expect them. They give no warning, have no manners and certainly pay no rent. Home emergency cover can help if certain pests, such as wasps, hornets, rats or mice, make themselves a little too comfortable inside your home.
Home emergency cover can pay for the call-out, labour, parts, and materials involved in the emergency related to the pest infestation.
Pest Infestation Exclusions
Not every single creepy crawly is on the list. Any infestation of ants, fleas, bedbugs, cockroaches, bats, spiders, flies, squirrels, or bees is not covered. Check your full policy details to ensure you are fully aware of which pests are covered for your individual case. If those pests are roaming free in garages, sheds, outbuildings or areas that do not affect the main living space, then they are excluded. Damage caused by pests is also excluded.
What is Not Covered by Home Emergency Cover?
Home emergency insurance can help with those urgent problems that generally make the house uninhabitable, but it’s not a fix-everything policy, nor is it there to cover issues that have been developing for quite some time. Common exclusions include:
- General maintenance
- Wear and tear
- Gradual deterioration
- Known faults before the policy started
- Defects during the waiting period
- Damage caused by the emergency
- Poor maintenance
- Poor workmanship
- Design faults
- Systems not installed correctly
- Repairs that cannot be completed because of access problems
- Public supply interruptions for gas, water or electricity
- Damage caused by the approved engineer gaining access
- Commercial premises
- Business premises
- Mobile homes
- Bedsits
- Rented or let properties
- Homes left unoccupied for more than 30 days
- Homes outside the territorial limits
- Boilers not serviced in line with manufacturer recommendations
Make sure you check your policy carefully. It helps make sure you’re getting the cover you expect, not a nasty rejection when your home decides to kick off.
Expert Insight
Home emergency cover is best understood as urgent support for sudden domestic problems, not a maintenance plan for everyday repairs. The key thing to check is whether the problem would count as an emergency under the policy. A burst pipe, complete heating failure, or a lost key may need fast help. A slow drip, routine service or long-standing issue may not be covered.
Nick – Insurance Specialist at Insureworks
Home emergency cover arranged by Insureworks is designed for homeowners who live in their property as their main permanent residence. This needs to be within Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. You need to have a gas boiler. Get a jargon-free quote online today so you can understand what is covered by home emergency insureance.