The cost of boiler cover insurance
There’s not a lot worse than having your boiler break down. Not only is it inconvenient, it could leave you out of pocket too. The good news is that boiler cover can help with the cost of repairs and depending on your policy, it could help you with other household emergencies; here’s how it works and what you can expect to pay.
What is boiler cover?
It’s pretty much as it sounds. It’s an insurance policy that covers your boiler so that if it breaks down, a specialist engineer will try to fix it.
You can buy boiler cover as a standalone policy but it’s also available as part of your home insurance package. Check with our partners at Quotezone, to see what they can save on your home insurance.
Unless your policy says otherwise, you should be covered for parts as well as labour. There might be a call-out fee, but this will depend on your insurer’s conditions.
Does boiler insurance cover plumbing and heating too?
It can do, but this will depend on what’s included in your policy. Most insurers will offer a range of boiler insurance packages at different price points, depending on what you want covered.
Different levels of cover you can expect to choose from, include:
Boiler cover only
This is a basic level of insurance that covers the boiler itself, including parts and controls. Anything that’s not part of the physical boiler, won’t usually be covered.
Boiler and central heating
Covers your boiler, parts and controls, and will help fix any issues with your heating if it breaks down.
Boiler, heating, plumbing and drains
These comprehensive packages cover the boiler, your central heating and any issues you might have with plumbing and even leaks.
Some insurers will include this within home emergency cover. These policies can also cover the cost of finding and fixing leaks, dealing with burst pipes and sometimes with pest infestations too.
What types of boiler does boiler insurance cover?
Insurers tend to cover newer boilers, so if yours is more than ten years old, you could struggle to get boiler insurance. That’s not to say cover isn’t available, but your choice of insurer may be limited and you might have to pay a little more.
If you do find cover for an older boiler, your insurer may have a condition that says they won’t replace it if it can’t be repaired.
How much does boiler cover cost?
As with most things, cost comes down to the options you choose. For instance, you can expect basic boiler cover to cost less than a home emergency package that covers your boiler, electrics and drains.
When you compare costs and quotes, remember to look at the excess and how this is charged. Excess is the amount you pay towards a claim, if you don’t pay it, your claim won’t go ahead.
As a general rule of thumb, the higher the excess, the lower the cost of insurance. Agreeing to a high excess can be a good choice if the chances of a claim are low (because your premium will be lower). Of course, the flip side is that if your boiler is getting on a bit and is likely to need some repairs, you may be better off with a low excess but paying a higher premium.
It's also important to know that you’ll usually be expected to pay your excess for each claim you make. For example, if your excess is £60 and you made two claims in one year, you would have paid out £120 in excess.
What do I need to know about boiler cover?
Terms and conditions aren’t much fun to read but it’s important to familiarise yourself with them so you don’t end up disappointed if you find something isn’t as you expect.
Typical limitations or rules that you often find with boiler cover, include:
No-claims periods
Policies often come with a ‘no-claims’ period which means you can’t make a claim during that time. No claims periods usually last a week or two and start from when you take out a policy. In other words, you won’t be able to buy a policy and then make a claim the next day. The reason for this is to stop people from taking out policies when there’s already a problem.
Limited number of call outs and maximum claim costs
The number of call outs you can have might be limited and you may also be expected to pay for call out charges.
Policies don’t usually pay out unlimited sums of money to fix your boiler. In most cases, there’ll be a limit to what you can claim.
Maintenance
Insurers will expect you to maintain your boiler so you should consider having it serviced annually. If it breaks down and it’s clear you haven’t maintained it, your insurer could refuse to pay out.
Some policies do include an annual boiler service so if you’re forgetful, this can make maintenance much easier.
Compare the cost of boiler cover insurance
If you like the sound of boiler cover but aren’t sure about the cost, remember that without it, it’s down to you to pay for all repairs (and find a heating engineer). To find the best deal for you, you can compare quotes right here to see what’s on offer (and more importantly, for how much).