HOME EMERGENCY COVER & boiler repair insurance

What is home emergency cover?

Home emergency cover protects homeowners in the event of unexpected incidents that require immediate help – such as power outages, burst pipes or leaks and damage to windows or doors that pose a security risk.  

It is designed to cover the cost of emergency callouts to specialist tradespeople such as electricians, plumbers and locksmiths, and the repairs they undertake.  Unless it’s more economical to do so, the repairs will be temporary, rather than permanent. As an add-on to building and contents insurance, home emergency cover provides peace of mind for homeowners in the event of an incident.  

home emergency cover levels

Compare cover levels using the table below.

Check our Policy Booklets for full details on each product.

Home Emergency Cover LevelsBasic coverFull coverLandlord
Limit per callout £500£500£500
Total callout limit per year UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Access to 24/7 claims line 
Burst pipes 
Roof damage 
Failure of gas or electricity
Emergency repairs to boiler 
Toilet damage / failure (of the only unit)
Alternative accommodation 
Lock failure (external doors or windows)
Vermin infestation
woman on laptop next to window

Get a home insurance quote online

Get a quote online in less than 10 minutes*

What’s covered by full home emergency?

Failure of domestic power supply (gas or electricity)

In the event of sudden failure of your domestic power supply (gas or electricity), a qualified engineer will make repairs.

Emergency repairs to boiler

An engineer will inspect and make repairs in the case of sudden failure of your boiler / main heating heating system, except where it cannot be repaired or is beyond economic repair.

Removal of pests and vermin

Infestation by mice, rats, grey squirrels, wasps and hornets in the home is covered. Protected species like bees cannot be removed.

Securing external windows, doors and locks

If your home security is at risk, a certified tradesman will make emergency repairs to ensure that your safety is not compromised.

Roof damage

Protecting your home following roof damage (e.g. caused by a storm), where damage can cause further internal damage to your property.

Overnight accommodation

Overnight accommodation should your property become uninhabitable.

Leaking pipes, water tanks and toilets

Emergency repairs for burst pipes and leaking drainage system. If the only toilet is unusable, emergency assistance will be provided.

What isn’t included?

A claim where the insured property is left unoccupied for 30 or more consecutive days,
unless your property is noted as being unoccupied in your statement of fact.

Claims relating to normal day to day maintenance.

Assistance costs (including parts and materials) which exceed the emergency assistance limit of £500 incl. VAT (not including hotel accommodation costs)

Costs you incur before we have agreed to cover your claim.

.

Any claim where the incident happens within the first 7 days of you taking out this policy (unless taken out at the same time as your Homeprotect home insurance policy)

.

do i need home emergency cover?

For some, home building insurance and contents insurance provide enough protection against the risk of damage from fire, flooding, burglary and more.   

However, home emergency cover helps to provide additional protection against unique costs that aren’t always covered by standard home insurance policies. For example, while building and contents insurance protects against damage caused by fire, flood and more, home emergency cover protects against the cost of callouts in the event of a leak, power outage or similar incident.  

home emergency cover for landlords

Home emergency cover is available to those renting out properties and protects landlords in the same way as homeowners against the cost of emergency callouts in the event of an unexpected incident.  

Existing Customer?

Your latest policy documents are available to view and download.

Your Questions Answered

Our Full Home Emergency insurance option covers the cost of emergency boiler repairs (up to the £500 claim limit) in the case of sudden failure, except where it cannot be repaired or is beyond economic repair. Homeprotect emergency cover does not cover replacement boilers or appliances.     

The sudden or unexpected occurrence of an insured incident during the policy term, which necessitates immediate corrective action to:  

  • Prevent damage or further damage to your home;  
  • Make your home secure; or  
  • Relieve unreasonable discomfort, risk or difficulty to you and your family.  

The following circumstances are covered under our Basic Home Emergency (subject to terms and conditions), which is included as standard: 

  • Plumbing and drainage (i.e. damage to or blockage, breakage or leaking of the drains or plumbing system (that you are responsible for) 
  • Power supply (failure of the domestic electricity or gas supply) 
  • Toilet unit (damage to or mechanical failure of a toilet bowl or cistern that results in complete loss of function of the only toilet – or all toilets – in the property) 
  • Home security (damage to, or failure of, external doors, windows or locks which leaves the property insecure) 
  • Vermin (the sudden infestation of vermin in the insured property which prevents the use of the lofts or one or more rooms) 

Our full home emergency option also covers (again subject to terms and conditions), the following circumstances: 

  • Main heating system (i.e. failure to function of the boiler) 
  • Roof damage (where internal damage – e.g. an ingress of water – has been caused or is likely) 
  • Hotel accommodation (£300 to cover the cost of a room if the property is uninhabitable following an emergency) 

More details can be found in our Insurance Product Information Document (IPID)

In the event of a Home Emergency – please call our 24/7 claims line – contact us here

No, you don’t have to pay the tradesperson. Our home emergency provider – DAS – will arrange and pay for a contractor to take action to resolve the Emergency. The action taken will depend on what would be fair and reasonable in the circumstances and will be either to:

  • Carry out a temporary repair (or a permanent repair if this is no more expensive); or
  • Take other action, such as isolating a leaking component

Home Emergency cover is intended to deal with issues requiring immediate attention, therefore wear and tear is not covered under the Home Emergency product.

There is no limit to the number of claims you make per year on either our Basic or Full products.

For Full Home Emergency cover, if your home remains uninhabitable overnight following an insured incident, DAS will pay up to £300 for hotel accommodation. The decision on whether your home is uninhabitable will take into account whether it would be fair and reasonable to remain in your home.

The main Homeprotect policy will cover either loss of rent (if your property is let to tenants) or the cost of the alternative accommodation for yourself and other residents if your home is unhabitable for prolonged periods.

Please check your Policy Booklet for the maximum amount you can claim for.

No. Please do not arrange for a contractor yourself, as this will not be covered. When you have provided details of your claim to our home emergency provider – DAS –  and they have accepted it, DAS will arrange for one of their approved contractors to help you as quickly as possible. DAS will tell you what to do next.

  1. Turn off the stop-cock by rotating it clockwise until it is completely closed.
  2. Switch off your heating systems as soon as possible.
  3. Drain excess water from the system. You do this by turning on all the taps and flushing toilets multiple times, until the water stops coming through.
  4. If anything electrical has been affected by the flood, turn off the mains electricity immediately before approaching the wet area. If the flooding is near the mains switch then seek professional assistance and do not approach it.
  5. Check for bulges in the ceilings of rooms beneath the burst pipe, indicating trapped water. Place a bucket underneath the bulge and puncture it to control the drain.
  6. If the pipes require defrosting you should either thaw the pipes gently with a hair-dryer, or seek professional advice if required. Do not attempt to thaw pipes with the central heating as this can make things worse.
  7. Once the initial crisis is under control, you should contact us if you need to start a claim.

View more FAQs

Recommended by our customers

72% Saved money when they switched to Homeprotect*

5 Star Moneyfacts Logo for Home Emergency Cover
Defaqto - 5 star rated for buildings 2023
Reviews rating
trustpilot "great" score logo

Prefer to SPEAK WITH us?

Our insurance experts are on hand if you have any questions.