Guide to buying boiler breakdown cover
By Jessica BownKeen to protect yourself with boiler breakdown cover? Our guide shows you how to get the best deal
Keen to protect yourself with boiler breakdown cover? Our guide shows you how to get the best deal
Boiler cover is essential, but if you can prevent problems arising in the first place, all the better. Here’s our handy maintenance guide
Questions about boiler breakdown cover? We’ve rounded up all the answers for you
Every winter we rely on our central heating to keep us warm - 2010 brought record lows in temperature across many parts of the country, and as such having a boiler you can rely on is extremely important to many homeowners.
Of course, sometimes the inevitable does happen, and your boiler will break down - potentially leaving you with a hefty repair bill; this is where heating cover comes into play.
If you own your own home, you should have some sort of cover for your heating system - Although you should first check that your boiler is not included in your home insurance, as some policies do offer this.
If you rent your home, you do not need any central heating cover - this is for your landlord to organise. However, you should discuss the terms of their landlord boiler protection policy with them when moving in, just in case you have to use it during your tenancy.
There are two main forms of cover available; boiler breakdown cover and full central heating cover. Boiler cover, as you might expect, only protects the boiler and its controls, whilst central heating breakdown cover also protects everything connected to it, including radiators and plumbing.
The most important thing to do is make sure your cover is adequate for your needs. Some policies will only cover costs up to a certain amount per year or per claim, and often the policy will limit the number of claims you can make per year - bad news if you have a tricky to fix fault.
Other companies will not pay for problems related to a build-up of limescale or boiler servicing and inspection. It is also worth knowing the age and model of your boiler, as some older and more obscure boilers are simply not covered. This may be because older boilers often do not meet efficiency and safety standards requested by many insurers. There is also usually a no claims period attached to policies, this is simply to stop people from taking out cheap boiler cover on the day their heating packs in and claiming on it.
There is no 'wrong' option when purchasing your policy, but before you purchase the cheapest central heating cover policy offered to you, make sure it is suitable for you. Here at MoneySuperMarket, our aim is to help you find the best boiler cover for your needs, that's why we've teamed up with some of the UK's leading companies to make your search quicker and easier.
We want to show you as many boiler insurance companies as possible, so you can choose the best cover for you. We can’t promise to show you every single company, because not all companies want to be included on comparison websites. You can find out more about how we work here.
Please read the following information about our service and print copies for your own records.