Full home emergency cover vs. home insurance add-on

With so many choices out there, it can be tricky to work out which insurance policies you need to ensure your home is adequately protected should the worst happen. We’ve put together this handy guide for you so you can make an informed decision as to which is the best policy for you.

What is home emergency cover?

A home insurance policy will usually cover the damage caused by a home emergency but doesn’t necessarily cover the repair of the emergency itself.

You can either choose to buy home emergency cover as a standalone policy, or as an ‘add-on’ to your existing home insurance. The option you choose will depend largely on the level of emergency cover your current insurer can provide and how much it costs.

It also helps to ask yourself what emergencies you’re most worried about, the likelihood of that event happening and whether you could afford to fix it by yourself should something go wrong.

Cost of cover

Typically, an ‘add-on’ to your existing home insurance is the most cost-effective way of buying home emergency insurance but you generally get less cover for your money than you would with a standalone policy.

Are you already covered?

With most home insurance policies, you’re covered for the potential costs involved with an emergency situation, such as replacing carpets following a burst pipe.

However, your home insurance policy wouldn’t generally cover the call-out of a plumber to fix the emergency itself.

The types of situations a home emergency policy could provide immediate assistance for would be:

• The complete breakdown of your boiler and/or central heating

• Damage to or failure of your plumbing and drainage system

• Sudden and unexpected failure of electricity or gas supply

• Damage to/failure of an external lock, door or window that makes your home insecure

• Pest infestation

• Missing, broken or loose roof tiles causing internal water damage

Peace of mind

Many people like the peace of mind that a home emergency policy brings, knowing that any of the above problems will be fixed within a relatively short-time span of phoning up to claim.

Our home emergency cover makes sure that if you suffer an insured event, we will send an approved engineer to your home within four hours on average, taking away the stress of having to find your own tradesman and pay them for any work completed.

For more information on Home Emergency Cover, why not read our article on how to effectively compare home emergency insurance policies?

Looking to save money on insurance? From boiler and heating protection to plumbing and drainage, and appliance cover, we’ve got a plan to suit every need and budget. Get a free quote online in just minutes and see how much you could save. Or find out more about how protection against unexpected events can help you keep life running smoothly.