Why should you get home cover?

Your home is one of the most valuable possessions you’ll ever own, holding both financial and sentimental value. It’s the place that houses all of your belongings, the place where you make memories and the place that keeps your family safe and warm. It is therefore worth going that extra mile to ensure it’s protected.

No matter how careful you are or how many security measures you put in place, you can never be 100% certain that your property isn’t at risk of theft or damage caused by home emergencies and natural disasters. What you can do is take out home insurance, so if the worst does happen, you can get back on your feet as quickly as possible.

Taking out a home cover policy

Home cover comes in many different forms. Some insurance policies cover only the structure of your property i.e. buildings insurance, some cover its contents (contents insurance) and some cover home emergencies, such as a leaking pipe or your boiler breaking down.

There is no legal requirement to take out a home insurance policy, though it’s the sensible thing to do. Taking out buildings insurance may be necessary if you’re looking to obtain a mortgage or remortgage your property. It’s also a good idea to have contents insurance to cover theft and burglary, as well as damage caused to expensive belongings and those with sentimental value.

Home emergency cover is often seen as a little bit more of a luxury purchase than a necessity. Though we’d argue that it’s still very beneficial, particularly if you’re after total peace of mind.

What is home emergency cover?

Although a basic home insurance policy will cover you for things like replacement locks or a leaky pipe, home emergency cover goes a step further. It covers a wide range of potential house emergency issues; from broken down boilers and central heating issues to blocked drains, faulty electrics and plumbing problems.

You may be wondering, is a leaking boiler an emergency? How about a burst pipe? Well, emergency meanings can vary from one policy to the next but essentially, if one of your home installations or supplies fail and it affects your living situation, it will be classed as an emergency.

Home emergency cover can often be bolted onto other home insurance policies, for an additional cost. For example, buildings insurance with home emergency cover added or contents insurance home emergency cover. Some more expensive and comprehensive policies, like those offered by one call home insurance, may offer it for free.

However, it’s worth noting that ‘add-on’ home emergency cover usually comes with restrictions. Always ask your insurance provider to clearly define cover for home emergencies and outline any exemptions so you can see if it will meet your needs. For total peace of mind, you may be better off taking out a separate home emergency cover policy.

Important Information

Some providers offer insured plans to look after your Boiler and Heating and other home services like plumbing, drains and electrics, whereas other providers offer non-insured plans. An insured plan will be underwritten by an insurer and also regulated by the [Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)](https://www.fca.org.uk/). Non-insured plans are not backed by an insurer and are not regulated by the FCA. Often non-insured or maintenance plans include an annual service of the equipment covered, whereas these may or may not be included in insured plans.