9th August, 2022

An emergency is almost always stressful, inconvenient and disruptive, but home emergency cover can provide peace of mind should the unexpected happen.

To put it simply, home emergency insurance covers the cost of calling out a tradesman due to a sudden emergency incident happening at home, such as a pipe bursting or your boiler breaking down in the middle of winter.

Insurance providers define an ‘emergency’ in different ways. But, essentially, an issue will be considered an emergency if it makes your home uninhabitable, unsafe, causes permanent damage to your home or puts your health and wellbeing at risk.

Home emergency cover can be purchased as a standalone policy, but is most often added to a home insurance policy.

If you’re an existing One Call Insurance customer, you may have a basic level of home emergency cover included for free alongside your home insurance policy (please check your documentation as not all policies have the free cover included). We also have multiple upgrades available for you to choose from for added reassurance and protection. Read on to find out more information.

How does home emergency cover work?

Home emergency cover is designed to reduce risk by fixing urgent issues in your home. It’s a preventative measure that can offer you peace of mind in the event of an unexpected emergency.

It’s important to remember that home emergency cover does not cover extensive repairs or permanent fixes - you’ll still have to claim on your home insurance for that. What’s more, cover levels vary and some exclusions may apply.

However, most policies will cover the necessary temporary repairs for at least some of the following: burst pipes; blocked drains, damage made to entrance ways effecting home security, roof damage caused by extreme weather, plumbing problems, central heating failure and boiler breakdown. Some home emergency policies will also cover you for the removal of pest infestations. Some policies will also cover the cost of alternative accommodation if the emergency means you can’t stay in your home.

There are some limitations. For example, most home emergency policies limit the cost of labour and the repairs (often offering a temporary fix – not permanent fixes to make your home habitable, safe and/or to prevent further damage).  Some also cap the number of call-outs, you can claim for each year.

What’s more, many policies won’t cover claims made during the first 14 days of taking out the policy, issues resulting from sludge in the boiler, pipework or radiators, long standing or recurring issues, emergencies arising after a property has been left unoccupied for 30 days or more, repairs to boilers not serviced every 12 months, and other issues caused by poor maintenance or general wear and tear.

What is covered in a home emergency policy provided by One Call Insurance?
As mentioned, our basic home emergency cover is provided for free in most home insurance policies.

Within this, we cover the likes of :
• Burst and blocked pipes
• Damage to locks, entrance ways, bricks, windows and doors where immediate repairs are necessary to prevent further deterioration or to ensure safety and security
• Fire, burglary and attempted burglary where immediate repairs are necessary to prevent further deterioration or to ensure safety and security
• Further cover includes storm damage and removal of wasps and hornets nests.
• Our emergency team are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
• Basic claims limit of £250

Please note, all repairs are temporary, meaning the service will not cover any permanent fixes. For example: if your window is broken following an attempted burglary - the home emergency provider will board the window up to ensure the property is secure but the service will not provide a replacement window. Or if you have a burst pipe, your home emergency cover will stop the leak to prevent any further damage your property - but any repairs or replacement parts will not be covered.  Depending on the emergency and how it occurred, permanent repairs are usually provided by your home insurance policy.

For additional peace of mind, you can upgrade your home emergency to our executive and premium cover levels. Not only will this mean that your claim limit is increased to £750, but you will also be covered for: your boiler (on our Executive Home Emergency product), the removal of black rats and mice and additional cover for emergencies arising out of damage to guttering and soffits. You will also be covered should you need to seek alternative accommodation – including travel costs, as well as unlimited call outs and no excess fees.

There are ways in which you can prevent home emergencies – or at least minimise the risk. For example, servicing your boiler every 12 months, keeping your appliances and electrics in good condition, cleaning your gutters and preventing blocked drains, insulating pipes and bleeding your radiators, and watching out for and repairing loose roof tiles.

The following situations would be classed as home emergencies:
• Your boiler has broken down (assuming you’ve serviced it annually)
• Your roof becomes damaged - Following a storm
• Your home is burgled - and the entrance ways, windows or locks are damaged
• The only working toilet is not working
• A water pipe has suddenly started leaking and there is nothing you can do to prevent it
• There’s a wasp nest inside your property boundary

The following situations would NOT be classed as home emergencies

• A toilet is not working, but there is another toilet in the property
• Your garden fence is blown down
• You have lost your keys
• A domestic appliance is not working properly
• Your boiler breaking down but is has not been serviced in the last 12 months or you are unable to provide service documents
• Leaking or dripping taps

How do I make a claim?

If you need to make a home emergency claim as a One Call Insurance customer, you can do so by calling 020 3738 7300. This telephone line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days per week and our staff will be ready to support you throughout the process.

In the event of an emergency, it’s important you remain calm and make the situation as safe as it can be. As it is in reference to a home emergency, it’s important that you call us straight away. If an issue is reported more than 48 hours after the event occurs, this would not be deemed an emergency and you will therefore not be covered. In most circumstances, emergencies are categorised according to their level of emergency, so it’s important to report the emergency as soon as possible to avoid delays.

As always, remain mindful and stay safe!

Source: https://www.confused.com/home-insurance/guides/home-emergency-cover