Gas Boiler Breakdown Cover

If one thing in life is certain, it’s that in amongst your paperwork and bills, you’ll have details of insurance and breakdown cover. This could be for your car, it could be to protect the contents of your house, or to insure your pet in case he/she gets ill. In this case however, we are talking about your boiler, the item that provides you with hot water and central heating every day.Annual boiler services are always recommended to keep your boiler in tiptop condition, but it’s not just about making sure your boiler is running safely and efficiently. Unfortunately boilers sometimes break down, so it can be useful to protect against the possible costs and inconvenience incurred from any boiler repairs that are needed.

The policies can vary slightly depending on provider, but one common denominator, is that the cover is aimed at homeowners. Exclusions to boiler breakdown cover will normally include council tenants, those renting, or in a housing association property, and retail/commercial businesses. If you are a homeowner, or  have a property (no mobile homes or sub-let properties) that’s supplied with mains gas, and don’t use your home for business purposes, then you should be eligible for cover.

If you buy gas boiler breakdown cover, and need to call for help, you will be seen by approved and registered engineers who will help fix your problem. Your boiler breakdown policy will normally include work on the gas boiler, and its controls, parts and labour, helpline support, and in some cases you may get unlimited call outs in each policy year. With some companies there may be added extras, such as with major energy suppliers, some of which include boiler replacement, if the boiler cannot be repaired and is within a certain age range. There could be other benefits if you have your energy with them too.

As mentioned above, a standard gas boiler breakdown policy doesn’t include annual servicing, and there are other exceptions as well. Common exceptions include any work on your central heating system, any cosmetic damage and electric under floor heating systems. The policy may also exclude repairing or replacing other related parts, such as an extended flue, or clearing away sludge and scaling that’s built up in the boiler.

Exact details of each policy, along with the amount of excess you can add to it, and the added extras you can include are available online or over the phone from your gas boiler breakdown cover provider. You can tailor the quote to your specific needs, and get several quotes from different types of companies energy providers like British Gas, companies like HomeServe, or perhaps even organisations like The AA, who offer emergency boiler cover policies.

When it comes to pricing on these policies, everyone will be different. Standard variations will occur when you start to tailor the policy to your needs, as you’re including or excluding some of the things mentioned above. Other things you may notice are price variations depending on the age of the boiler, whether you have taken out a continuous policy when the boiler is new, or this is new cover, and also where you are located. You may also find differences in price if you are renewing a policy, or taking one out with the same company that supplies gas to your property. All the details will be made available to you when you enquire/ask for a quote, so make sure you read the small print, and choose the right policy for you.

or search for bargains