Limits and exclusions
Your home emergency insurance policy will likely have exclusions. You should find out what they are before selecting a policy. Some common exclusions are:
Work required after immediate repair
Stand-alone home emergency insurance will only cover immediate fixes and not the repair work needed afterwards. For example, it would cover the cost to repair a burst pipe, but not the cost of water-damaged wood flooring. Your home insurance might cover you for this though.
If any more work is needed after the immediate repairs – for example, to improve a heating system and avoid future problems – you’ll have to cover the cost yourself.
Claim cost cap
Most insurers put a price cap on each claim. So, you’ll want enough for call-out charges, parts and labour costs, plus any VAT.
Claim caps vary a lot between insurers, so it’s worth checking you’ve got enough cover for typical eventualities. Otherwise, you’ll end up paying the rest yourself.
Number of call-outs and claims
Sometimes, there’s a limit to the number of call-outs and claims you can make during the course of your policy.
Some insurers won’t let you claim during the cooling-off period. Check policy docs to see if this is the case.
Unoccupied properties
It varies, but if you leave your home unoccupied for 30 days or more, expect any home emergencies to be excluded – it might void your home insurance too. If you’re planning to leave your home vacant for any long period of time, consider unoccupied property insurance instead.
Poor maintenance and general wear and tear
You’ll need to keep your home in a good state of repair and make sure you carry out routine maintenance – your home emergency policy could refuse to pay out if an issue is caused by your negligence.
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