If a pipe bursts or your boiler breaks down, it can be a huge relief knowing you’ve got Home Emergency cover in place to rectify the emergency quickly and cover any repair costs.

Depending on the level of cover your choose, if your central heating stops working, you have an electrical fault in your home or you discover pests have made a nest in your house, your Home Emergency insurance provider will send out an approved tradesperson to fix the problem.

While home insurance will usually cover any damage caused by an emergency – for example, if a pipe bursts and the water ruins your carpets – it won’t usually cover the costs for call-out fees or emergency repairs of your boiler and central heating or your plumbing and drainage system.

It’s important therefore, to have Home Emergency Cover in place before a problem develops, to make sure you’re covered in the event of an emergency.

What does Home Emergency Cover with Home Emergency Assist include?

If you buy Enhanced Complete Cover, you’ll benefit from the following:

• Boiler & Central Heating: this will cover you in the event your boiler stops working and you’re left without heating and/or hot water. We can cover gas, oil and LPG boilers under 15 years old. It’s important you get your boiler serviced once a year to keep it well-maintained.
• Plumbing & Drainage: this covers you for damage to or failure of your plumbing and drainage system where you’re likely to suffer internal flooding or water damage. This includes loss of access to your only or all toilets within your home.
• Electrics: covers you for the electrical failure of at least one complete circuit.
• Security: this covers you if your windows, doors or locks are broken and your home is not secure. We’ll also cover you for the loss of your only available key to the home which can’t be replaced (and normal access can’t be obtained).
• Pests: we’ll cover you in the event you suffer from an infestation of mice and/or rats, as well as wasp and hornet nests.
• Roof: covers you for missing, broken or loose tiles which is causing internal water damage.
• Boiler Replacement Contribution: we’ll give you a contribution towards the cost of a replacement boiler if yours is deemed to be beyond economical repair.
• Overnight Accommodation: where it’s not been possible to resolve your emergency following an accepted claim for emergency repairs, we’ll arrange overnight accommodation for you.

What’s classed as an emergency?

We class an emergency as a sudden or unforeseen event which, if not dealt with quickly would:

• Render your home unsafe or insecure
• Damage or cause further damage to the home
• Cause personal risk to you
• Cause a health and safety risk to others

Can you get cover for non-emergencies?

If you upgrade to Premium Complete Home Emergency Cover, you will be covered should any of the above scenarios occur as well as being covered for non-emergency situations.

A non-emergency (or breakdown) is a sudden and unforeseen malfunction with results in the unit or system no longer working or operating as expected.

This would include repairing dripping taps, replacement of leaking pipes and thermostats/temperature timings.

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plans, boiler and central heating insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as plumbing and drainage insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can even request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a quote online.

As with all your kitchen appliances, keeping them well-maintained and clean is the best way to ensure they last as long as possible, whilst working at their best.

Getting cover in place before your appliance develops a mechanical or electrical fault ensures that you’re covered should the worst happen. Home Appliance Cover with Home Emergency Assist covers up to 10 of your most important appliances all on one plan.

We’ve put together a handy guide for keeping your oven running as efficiently as possible.

The best way to clean your oven

• Organic oven cleaner: you can use a mixture of water, baking soda and white vinegar to clean the dirt from inside your oven, however, you may need to work a lot harder at scrubbing than with a chemical cleaner. The benefit is that there are no harmful fumes or residue
• Chemical oven cleaner: these are designed to attack dirt which is hard to shift so you’ll need to follow safety guidelines while using these, such as using gloves and eye protection. Once used, it’s best to leave the oven at a high heat for around 20 minutes before use, but follow manufacturer’s instructions

If you have a self-cleaning oven, the internal temperature will be set extremely high to burn any dirt away, reducing it to ash and making it easy for you to clean out with a cloth. A self-cleaning cycle will take a few hours; longer than manual cleaning.

Cleaning oven glass

As above, you can use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to clean your oven door glass.

Alternatively, if you’d rather use a chemical oven cleaner, check the bottle to make sure it’s suitable for use on glass. Some cleaners are too strong and may lead to cracks.

Everyday maintenance

• Clean up after every use, whether it’s the hob or main oven. Removing grease before it becomes embedded will save you time later on
• If possible, bulk cook. Using the oven once to cook multiple meals and freezing them will save on the wear and tear of your appliance as well as money on energy bills
• Open and close the oven door gently and don’t hang anything heavy on the door
• Replace any filters in the cooker hood regularly

Getting cover in place for any of your vital kitchen appliances before a problem occurs is vital. You can cover up to 10 appliances on one plan with our Appliance Cover, now with 25% off until 31 May 2021. Appliance Insurance with Home Emergency Assist covers you against mechanical and electrical breakdown, as well as providing you with accidental damage cover.

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plans, boiler and central heating insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as plumbing and drainage insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can even request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a quote online.

Being able to do basic home maintenance yourself is an important life skill which can save you money in the long term. Outsourcing jobs that you can do yourself can be a big expense.

We’ve put together a list of basic DIY skills you can learn to save yourself time and the inconvenience of having to find a tradesperson.

Basic Plumbing

We’ll all have to deal with plumbing problems at some point. Whether it’s a blocked drain, a leaking tap or a toilet with a faulty flush, these are all common problems and usually easy to fix.

• If your plumbing freezes or springs a leak, you’ll need to be able to shut your water supply off in order to make repairs. Make sure you know how to locate your stopcock in the event of an emergency.
• If your sink has stopped draining (or has become slow to drain), you’re likely to have a blockage somewhere in your waste pipe. Read our step-by-step guide to unblocking your sink.
• Dripping taps aren’t just annoying – they’re bad for the environment (and your wallet) too. It can waste as much as 5,300 litres of water a year. Luckily, we’ve got a handy guide to fixing a leaking tap.
• If your toilet won’t flush, there are things you can try before having to resort to a plumber. Find out more about fixing a faulty flush.

If you don’t have the right tools, you don’t feel confident attempting repairs yourself or the problem hasn’t resolved with a simple fix, you’ll need to call in a plumber. Having Plumbing & Drainage Cover in place before problems develop is important in the event of an emergency and with our Premium Plumbing & Drainage Cover, we’ll also fix non-emergency problems such as dripping taps.

Boiler and Central Heating

It’s important that you don’t attempt to fix your boiler yourself, as this will need to be done by a fully qualified Gas Safety registered engineer, however there are steps you can take yourself to resolve common problems:

• If you find yourself without heating or hot water, there may be a problem with your boiler’s pressure. Follow our step-by-step guide to top up your boiler pressure.
• If boiler pressure isn’t the problem, your boiler’s pilot light may be out. Read our handy guide to reigniting the pilot light. (You may need to get a Gas Safe registered engineer to look at your oiler depending on the issue)
• If your radiators are cold at the top but the bottom is warm, you may have trapped air that needs releasing. In this case, you’ll need to bleed your radiators to improve flow.

If none of the simple fixes above help and you’re without heating and/or hot water, you’ll need to call an engineer. Making sure you have Boiler & Central Heating Cover in place before an emergency occurs is important and with Premium Boiler & Central Heating Cover from Home Emergency Assist, we’ll take care of non-emergency problems too.

Simple DIY

If you’ve just moved into your first home, there are some other basic maintenance tasks you can do yourself. Find out more with our easy-to-follow step-by-step guides below:

• Fit or change a lightbulb
• Install and test your smoke detectors
• Protect your home against pests

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plans, boiler and central heating insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as plumbing and drainage insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can even request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a quote online.

You never know when a home emergency such as a broken-down boiler or burst pipes might happen, leaving you with the stress of sourcing engineer and with potentially costly repair leaving you out of pocket.

Even if you have Home Emergency Cover in place, there are still steps you can take yourself to prevent a home emergency striking in the first place. We’ve put together a list of things you can do to avoid this happening and to keep your property safe.

Service your boiler

If you’ve ever had a broken boiler, especially during the colder months, you’ll know just how stressful and potentially costly it can be. Having your boiler serviced annually can help spot small issues before they become bigger – and more expensive – problems.

You can add a boiler service to any of our Home Emergency insurance plans from just £6 a month. Find out what a boiler service involves.

Protect your pipes

Burst water pipes are especially common in cold weather due to water freezing and expanding inside your pipes. As the water expands, it can substantial pressure on the pipe, meaning weaker pipes may burst.

If you can, check that none of your pipes are missing insulation before the weather gets colder. Condensate pipes are especially prone to freezing as they often run outside your property. Find out how to thaw a frozen condensate pipe with our handy guide and make sure you know where your stopcock is in the event of a bust pipe, so you can stop the flow of water quickly.

Complete Home Emergency Cover can help protect your plumbing and, if you upgrade to our Premium package, also take care of non-emergency problems like dripping taps too.

Maintain your drains

The best way to look after your drains is to be conscious about the things you’re putting down your bath, shower and sink plug holes or flushing down the toilet. Even things like food down your kitchen sink or hair down your bath/shower plug hole can build up over time and cause blockages. You can read our blog post ‘Top Tips For Looking After Your Drains and Pipes‘ for information on looking after your plumbing system.

Blocked drains are inconvenient and unpleasant to deal with and could result in you having to call out a plumber to deal with the problem.

Our Complete Home Emergency package ensures that in the event of the failure of your plumbing system, that you have help to cover the cost of repairs.

Check outside

You may forget to check the outside of your property, but this is especially important to check before the cold weather sets in.

Make sure you don’t have any missing, broken, or loose roof tiles that could cause internal water damage when the weather turns bad.

It’s also important to check that you don’t have any holes or cracks that could let in water or even pests in search of a warm place to shelter.

Check too that your external locks, doors and windows remain secure and inaccessible to intruders.

By purchasing Complete Home Emergency Insurance, you’ll be covered in the event of any of the above home emergencies (from a list of specified pests if you discover an infestation in your home/building attached to your home).

Take care of your electrics

Overloading your electrical circuits or using faulty electrical devices can be very dangerous and result in a power cut, or in the worst-case scenario, an electrical fire. You should never attempt repairs on faulty electrics yourself, meaning you’ll need to get them checked out by a qualified electrician as soon as possible.

A Complete Home Emergency Cover package can protect you against the failure of at least one complete circuit (that can’t be resolved by resetting your fuse box), meaning you’re not left having to source your own electrician in the event of an emergency/

Home Emergency Assist is an appointed representative of Insure Group Limited, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) giving you additional peace of mind.

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plans, boiler and central heating insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as plumbing and drainage insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can even request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a quote online.

The weather’s warming up, it’s getting lighter and you’re not using your boiler and central heating so often. It’s the perfect time to do some home maintenance to stop problems before they develop.

We’ve put together a handy guide with 5 tips for maintaining some essential parts of your home.

1. Check your boiler

Your boiler has been working hard over winter keeping you and your home warm and even if it seems to have been running smoothly, it’s a good time to make sure there aren’t any problems developing to help avoid potentially costly repair bills later in the year.

• Look for leaks: over the winter months, the cold weather can cause pipes to freeze and expand which can cause them to split over time. Check the seals around the boiler are still in place and that the fittings are still tightly connected.
• Listen for hissing: if your system is making strange noises, it may be caused by boiler kettling. This happens as a result of the build-up of limescale and hard water inside your boiler’s heat exchange.
• Low boiler pressure: always keep an eye on your boiler’s water pressure to ensure everything’s operating smoothly. When the pressure is below 1, your central heating system won’t operate as it should.

Making sure you have Boiler & Central Heating Cover in place before your system develops these problems is crucial, so you know you’ll be covered in the event of an emergency.

2. Bleed your radiators

If the top of your radiator is cold but the bottom is warm, this indicates that trapped air needs releasing to improve flow. Bleeding your radiators ensures that they can reach maximum heat when you next need them.

Follow our handy step-by-step ‘How Do I Bleed My Radiators‘ guide.

3. Test your alarms

The change of season is the ideal time to test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. It’s really important to make sure they’re regularly maintained to ensure they work as effectively as possible. You should test your smoke detector at least once a month, making sure that the batteries are still working.

4. Protect your plumbing

Look after your plumbing and drainage system by ensuring you’re not pouring oil and fats from cooking down your kitchen sink or flushing items that shouldn’t be.

If you suspect a blockage, clean your drains and pipes regularly. You can do this with half a cup of baking soda, followed by a cup of white vinegar and very hot (but not boiling) water; this will help remove blockages quickly without corroding your pipes like some drain chemicals can.

You can also take out Plumbing & Drainage Cover before any problems develop to ensure you’re covered in the event of an emergency.

5. Clean your kitchen appliances

Cleaning your appliances is important to prolonging their lifespan and keeping them working at their best.

For added peace of mind, you can cover up to 10 of your most important kitchen appliances, including your oven, fridge and freezer, washing machine and dishwasher, on one plan to ensure you’re fully protected if your appliance breaks down.

You can read our handy guides for cleaning your dishwasher and cleaning your washing machine for more tips.

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plans, boiler and central heating insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as plumbing and drainage insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can even request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a quote online.

If you’ve ever had your external locks, doors or windows fail or lost your only available key, you know how stressful it can be knowing your home is insecure. You’ll also have to spend time and money finding a locksmith to change your locks and replace your keys.

A recent survey by Moneysupermarket found that nearly 37% of UK homeowners have lost at least one set of keys within their lifetime. This can impact your home’s security and even invalidate your home insurance in some cases. Most home insurers won’t pay out unless there’s forced entry to your property.

Benefits of Home Security insurance

Making sure you have cover in place to protect you against losing your keys and securing your locks can give you the peace of mind that if the worst were to happen, you’ll be able to get back into or protect your property quickly. It also prevents expensive call-out charges, especially if you were to call for a locksmith in the middle of the night or at the weekend.

What does Home Security insurance cover you for?

When you buy Complete Home Emergency Cover with us, you’ll get the benefit of Home Security insurance. There are two parts to the cover:

• You’ll be covered in the event that you experience damage to or failure of any of your external locks, doors or windows that means your main living areas are unsafe and easily accessible to intruders
• If you lose the only available key to your home, one of our trusted, approved engineers will gain access to your property and ensure it’s left secure for you. This means you’re not left waiting for a locksmith to rescue you

Tips to keep your keys safe

On average, we spend 10 minutes a day searching for items we’ve misplaced, keys being the second most common thing we lose. We’ve put together some tips for keeping your keys safe:

• Avoid leaving spare keys in hidden places (such as under your doormat). It’s not as safe as you think
• Separate your keys out rather than having them all on one bunch
• Leave a spare with a family member or a trusted neighbour
• Keep your keys out of sight when you’re at home and don’t leave them near doors/windows

Home Emergency Assist is an appointed representative of Insure Group Limited, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), giving you additional peace of mind.

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plans, boiler and central heating insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as plumbing and drainage insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301. You can even request a call back to discuss your requirements or get a quote online.