Home emergency cover

If your home is rendered unsafe by flood or storm damage, your insurer should cover the cost of alternative accommodation until it’s repaired.

Your policy will likely provide comparable alternative accommodation, so you should be housed in a similar sized property.

Make sure to check your level of cover, as some damage can leave your home uninhabitable for a significant period of time, sometimes over a year.

This protects your property against any sudden and unintentional physical damage. This could include putting your foot through the ceiling when in your loft, or accidental damage to your brickwork.

These disasters could end up costing hundreds of pounds to repair, so it’s worth making sure that accidental damage is included in your cover before you buy a policy.

This covers emergency issues such as a burst pipe, blocked drain or broken toilet or shower. If you live in a flat, you may not be able to get plumbing insurance because you share pipes with other properties. Also, drainage cover doesn’t include pipes outside your home, which are the responsibility of your local authority.

This protects you from mains electrical failures, such as permanent damage caused by a power cut. Note, most policies don’t cover damage to wires on the exterior of your home.

This covers you if there’s a boiler-related emergency, such as a leak or failed central heating system that leaves you with no hot water. Servicing or standard maintenance won’t be covered unless you pay extra. Also not covered are boilers under warranty, or those more than seven years old.

Home repair insurance can also be called on if a window or the locks on your external doors are broken. Most policies will only cover immediate risks; you can’t claim for new locks if you lose your keys, for example.

Provides protection against bad weather damage and urgent repairs. Note that this isn’t for general maintenance. It’s to make your home safe and dry in a roof-related emergency.

If provided, your insurer will arrange an exterminator to remove wasps, hornets, mice or rats from your home.

Emergency home cover provides immediate fixes, but won’t cover you for any subsequent repair work. It would pay to fix your burst pipe, for example, but not for fixing floors or paintwork, or for improvements to your heating system to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Check to see if your regular home insurance covers these repairs.

Some policies won’t cover you if your home’s been left empty for a specified period of time, typically for more than a month. Consider unoccupied property insurance if you plan to be away from your home for a while.

Standard maintenance isn’t covered by home emergency assistance insurance.

Your insurer might refuse to pay out if it believes your emergency was a result of negligence.

Some policies set a maximum amount per claim. Check the policy to make sure it covers you for the callout, plus parts, labour and VAT.

Check to see if there’s a period at the start of your policy when you can’t make a claim.

Most insurers and cover providers define an emergency as anything that affects your health and wellbeing, or which leaves your home unsafe or prone to further damage.

No, most home emergency policies do not charge an excess if you claim.

Not always, because policies are designed to make your home safe, so only cover immediate repairs and labour costs.

Yes, many insurers include it as standard or as an optional extra. A standalone policy may provide better cover so check your options to find the best protection.

It depends on the policy, but most don’t limit the number of callouts you can make. Others may set a limit across a specified period – for example, five callouts a year.

No, it’s not a legal requirement, but a home emergency policy will cover any emergencies they have. It also means you won’t have to sort or repair any emergency issues yourself.