Boiler cover plans provide insurance for the cost of a boiler breakdown, and they can include an annual service so you don’t have to spend money to fix the boiler and central heating parts in a breakdown. As some parts inside a boiler cost hundreds of pounds, many customers consider it vital to take out a boiler cover plan.
Paying a monthly fee for the peace of mind boiler cover provides – where an engineer comes out to fix or replace faulty parts with just one phone call, is an insurance against the cost of not having it, where you look for an engineer yourself who may take a couple of days to check the issue and wait some more time for a replacement part, possibly leaving you without hot water and heating for 3 or more days.
But it may not be suitable for everyone to buy boiler cover, and here we shall look at who can benefit the most from it, and those circumstances where you may not see it as value for money.
Who should buy boiler cover?
If you won’t have the money to cover an unexpected big repair bill
Boiler repairs can be expensive so having boiler cover to make sure you don’t have to pay a big bill for an unforeseen breakdown will be beneficial if you can’t afford these big one-off bills.
Do you have vulnerable family members?
If you have any vulnerable family members such as the elderly or very young who will find it difficult or even a risk to health coping without hot water and heating, it is best to get boiler cover as usually the provider can get an engineer out to you quickly, as most have priority service call outs for vulnerable customers. You can check this when looking for the right provider.
How often does your boiler break down?
If your boiler regularly breaks down, due to age or just poor manufacturing, it would be a good idea to get boiler cover, especially one that has a low excess, unlimited callouts and which includes parts and labour. As many policies include an annual service, many customers find their boiler lifespan is increased too by a couple of years because having an older boiler without any cover usually leads to some customers not bothering with an annual service.
Which area of the country do you live in?
If you live in a hard water area, such as Greater London, West Midlands and the North East of England, you are more prone to boiler breakdowns than other parts of the UK. This is because the limescale deposits formed by hard water can clog up parts of a central heating system, so causing more issues.
You shouldn’t buy boiler cover if you are in these categories
If you are a tenant your property
If you are renting your property then you don’t need to buy a separate boiler cover and your landlord should take care of any breakdowns or faults with the central heating system. Also, check your home insurance policy cover as it may cover at least some of the same things a boiler cover does so you may not need to take out the most expensive boiler breakdown policy, but can opt for a cheaper one.
If your boiler has already broken down
If you haven’t already got boiler cover with anyone and your boiler breaks down, you should remember most policies don’t start at the time you take out the insurance but only around one month later and even then, usually after an engineer has come out to check it’s in working order in the first place. Check the small print in the terms and conditions.
If you have bought a new boiler recently
Many newly installed boilers come with up to 10 years parts and labour warranty with only an annual service needed to keep the warranty valid, so you won’t need to get additional cover for this period. With the average cost of an annual boiler service being £70, it is much cheaper than most boiler covers charge in a year.
Summary
Whether you choose to take out boiler cover or not, always check the terms and conditions of the boiler warranty, home insurance policy, and the boiler cover policy as the details in these will help you decide what you need and what you don’t need. At the end of the day, with boiler cover, you are paying for peace of mind and everyone has a different tolerance for how long they can be without hot water and heating.
If you are looking for boiler cover straight away, check out the following link from Your Repair to give you an instant quote:
*The information in this article should be used for general guidance only and not as financial or health advice. Full details are on the link in the footer to our disclaimer page. Always discuss your requirements with a competent and suitably qualified professional before undertaking any work.
Affiliate disclosure
Heatology.co are participants in a variety of affiliate schemes which help fund and run this website, visitors who follow our links and purchase a product may earn Heatology.co a commission. The money we make from affiliate marketing costs you nothing but keeps us online, so thank you for your continued support!
