What is home emergency cover?

It goes without saying that having reliable home insurance is essential for the safety of your household. You’ll no doubt have some other standard safety measures in place too, such as fire and smoke alarms.

But, what can you do about those unexpected problems, like a boiler or radiator breakdown? Nobody wants to be left without hot water and heating – and a hefty repair bill to boot. Unfortunately, though, we sometimes have to deal with these unpleasant surprises at home.

The good news is home emergency cover can make them as manageable and hassle free as possible. This guide is going to look at what home emergency cover is and how it could benefit you.

What is home emergency cover?

Home emergency cover is different to standard home insurance. It steps in to help with unexpected problems with your boiler, heating, electrics or plumbing.

A lot of the time, a regular boiler service can spot a fault before it develops into something more serious. But for the times when it can’t, home emergency cover can cover your home’s essentials.

The problem could be any of the following:

• Boiler breakdowns and repairs
• Heating or radiator breakdowns
• Electrical failures or faults
• Burst pipes
• No hot water
• Blocked drains
• Plumbing issues, like leaking pipes, toilets or taps

What is protected when you have home emergency cover?

Here’s what you can expect from all our home emergency cover plans:

• Boiler: your home emergency cover should protect your boiler as well as any additional parts, like the boiler flue and controls.
• Heating: you should also be covered for a central heating breakdown. That includes the breakdown of any parts, like radiators, pipes, cylinders and water tanks.

Our Starter and Complete plans also cover your:

• Plumbing: repairing your plumbing system, including the hot and cold water supply pipes inside your home.
• Pipework and drains: home emergency cover should also include repairs or replacements for blocked drains and problems with the internal waste pipes.
• Electrical: electrical cover includes issues with the mains electrical wiring system. For example, any problem with the fuse box, circuit breakers, sockets, and light fittings.

When you take out boiler and home emergency cover with OVO, you also get an annual service from a Gas Safe engineer. This makes sure your boiler is in good working order throughout the year.

A Gas Safe engineer will also look for minor faults before they have a chance to develop into bigger problems.

What are the benefits of home emergency cover?

Boiler and home emergency cover is there to protect your home. But what are the benefits?

An annual service to protect your home

While the level of cover will vary between providers, it will likely include an annual boiler service by a Gas Safe engineer. An annual service can spot any underlying faults to help prevent a boiler breakdown in the future. And it can significantly increase the lifespan of a healthy boiler, too.

We recommend having an annual service before winter begins. That way your boiler will be fully prepared for heavier use during the colder months.

Without an annual service, your boiler might develop faults, especially if it’s not being used for long periods of time when the weather is warmer.

You’ll have more peace of mind throughout the year

We know it’s easy to forget about your boiler, especially when the sun is shining. But having boiler and home emergency cover in place can help save the day if things go wrong. That’s because it will cover your boiler and heating system if it unexpectedly breaks down – and it can include other home emergencies, such as problems with your electrics and plumbing.

Boiler and home emergency cover is about peace of mind – especially during the colder months when you rely on your heating and hot water. It can be reassuring to know that a reliable Gas Safe engineer will be on hand to help, if you ever need them.

You will save money in the long run

Home emergency cover is there to help keep your home safe and protect you from a costly repair. Not only will a Gas Safe engineer be there to repair your boiler and heating system, but if you need a boiler replacement, your provider may even pay a lump sum of the cost.

See our levels of cover to find out which one suits your home.