What is the Landlord Home Emergency Cover?
A landlord home emergency cover removes the landlord from the chain. It directly links a tenant to a landlord home emergency cover provider. Your tenants will have immediate and effective assistance whenever a domestic emergency occurs.
A landlord will no longer have to be on the receiving end of calls from the tenant. The cover provider will send an engineer to carry out emergency maintenance whenever the tenant claims.
Why is it Important to Have One?
You can save hundreds of pounds each year changing the way you insure against home emergencies. A home insurance plan covers basics such as leaky pipes or replacement locks. However, if you buy landlord home emergency cover, it will cover a wide range of problems. As a landlord, it is your responsibility to cover the cost because your tenants cannot take out a home emergency cover themselves. They will have to reach out to you to arrange an engineer for emergency repairs. If you have a landlord home emergency cover, it will eliminate the need of calling you. Instead, your tenants can directly call the provider to arrange an engineer for the repairs.
What Does Landlord Home Emergency Cover Include?
The landlord home emergency cover provides assistance for sudden or unexpected emergencies a tenant might face with the property. The cover is designed to keep the home running in the event of an unexpected breakdown. Broadly, it covers the cost of call-outs for problems with your plumbing, boiler electrics, central heating, and infestations. However, it is always wise to check with a company about the services they cover.
Here is a detailed picture of what are the things that many companies in the UK cover in the landlord home emergency plans:
- Primary heating system cover: The unexpected damage and repairs to your central heating system and the boiler will be covered.
- Home security: The plan will make your home secure in case of an unexpected failure or damage to doors, locks, and windows. You will be covered as long as the damage is rendering the safety of the ones living in the house.
- Plumbing and drainage: The plan will assist you in case of unexpected damage or failure to the plumbing or drainage system resulting in water damage, flooding or internal water leakage.
- Water supply: The plan will assist you in restoring the water supply in the event of unexpected leakage, blockage or collapse of the pipes connecting the mains water supply.
- Pest infestation: Damage caused by some pest infestation will be covered.
Each provider may cover different repairs. Some plans also cover the failure of gas or electric supply. The landlord home emergency cover can save you from spending thousands of pounds each year on repairs. It can remove inconvenience for the landlord as well as the tenant.
Choosing the Best Landlord Home Emergency Cover
A landlord has to ensure his property is safe and secure for his tenants all the time. Choosing the best landlord home emergency cover hence is vital. These tips will help you choose the best plan:
Check the Cover Policy: The policy is in place to make sure help is available on hand whenever an emergency emerges. This emergency could be anything – boiler breakdown, lockout problem, internal plumbing, and drainage, or more. The plan you are choosing must provide comprehensive coverage.
Watch Out for Call Out Charges: Some landlord home emergency covers have call-out charges. You end up paying an additional amount whenever you make a claim. The best landlord home emergency cover is the one that has no call-out charges. Even if there are any, they are not hidden.
Look for Approved Contractors and Engineers: The plan must provide your tenants access to a network of approved engineers, plumbers, electricians, and locksmiths whenever they need them in the event of an emergency. This saves time and effort required to arrange for the right person to fix the problem.
24-Hour Emergency Help Line: You need a provider that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You never know when a problem occurs and when your tenants need a claim. In any case, the provider must be able to send an engineer as and when their services are needed.
Number of Claims: Some providers limit the claims you can make per year. If you need a claim on the add-on, it can affect the premium of your policy. Watch out for this when shopping for a landlord home emergency cover.
Is there any excess: Excess is the amount you must pay whenever an engineer visits your property. Some cover packages include an excess in their monthly price. Others may charge you up to £50 every time you call an engineer. Go with such a provider that has no excess in their cover.
What’s Not Covered by the Landlord Home Emergency Cover?
Some things don’t fall under the landlord’s home emergency cover. Such as:
- If you have a boiler older than 15 years, it may not be covered.
- Any damage that happens within 48 hours of taking out a policy is usually not covered. Policies take at least 14 days to become active.
- The claims which arise because of neglect or lack of maintenance are not covered.
- Some plans only cover the cost of fixing the emergency instead of fixing the damage. For instance, if it is a water leak, the home emergency policy will stop the leak but it will not fix the water damage caused by the leak.
- The landlord home emergency plan does not cover any events which are not emergencies. If the situation is not causing damage to the property or causing discomfort to your tenants, it is not an emergency and hence it may not be covered.
- General maintenance like power flushing is not covered.
Benefits of Landlord Home Emergency Cover
You will enjoy the following benefits with a landlord home emergency cover:
All-in-one cover: Landlord home emergency cover is an all-in-one policy that covers leaks, burst pipes, failure of the boiler, central heating, water supply and pest infestations and more. Whenever an unexpected situation emerges, your tenants will have access to someone who can fix the problem right away.
Quality-approved engineers: It is hard to find a qualified engineer who can attend your property in an event of an emergency. However, if you have the landlord home emergency cover, approved engineers who know what they are doing. With their experience, they will fix the problem in less time.
A direct link between tenant and provider: If you trust your tenants, the policy can create a direct link between the tenant and provider. You won’t have to worry about taking calls at 3 A.M for a complaint about a broken boiler. As per the nature of the emergency, a certified engineer or tradesmen will come to perform emergency repairs.
Peace of mind: The best thing about landlord home emergency cover is that you get of peace of mind. Being a landlord is a huge responsibility. Without a cover, you could end up spending hundreds of pounds on repairs each year. On the other hand, if you have a landlord home emergency cover, you won’t have to spend money out of pocket. The policy will take care of everything.
Check-List before Choosing Landlord Home Emergency Cover
No landlord wants to take calls from their tenant in the middle of the night and hear about a breakdown or damage. If you don’t want to be the one to be involved in sorting out emergencies, then landlord home emergency cover will save you from the trouble.
It’s wise to shop around before buying a landlord home emergency cover. To choose the best cover, consider these:
Check the provider’s background: Check the quality and strength of the provider. You have to be certain that the company you have chosen can protect your property. Check their background by doing online research. Evaluate them by checking their star rating, reviews, and response time.
Learn about their cover plans: Ask the provider to show you any documents stating the details of the cover policies and restrictions. These restrictions could be anything – the age of the pipe system, or the material on the roof. Be sure you choose the right cover for your property.
Ask about the level of cover and excess: To get the most out of the cover, make sure it provides at least £500 of cover on each claim. The policy restrictions should be as limited as possible. A policy that has lower excess and a higher number of callouts are considered the best.
A policy with a higher level of cover and claims will naturally have a higher premium. Therefore, look for such that has realistic claims.
Check boiler and heating restrictions: Before you purchase the cover, check restrictions on the age of the boiler and type. Some providers only cover boilers if they are below a certain age. The same goes for the type of boiler.
Proper restrictions: Some landlord home emergency plans cover properties with a certain build or type. When it comes to finding a cover, the roof of the property may not be covered. If it is flat or thatched, you might not be eligible, to begin with as such properties present a higher risk of emergencies. Similarly, less common building materials are not covered by some providers. Therefore, always check the material of the property covered by the policy.
Check the price: Price is also a determining factor when it comes to choosing a landlord home emergency cover. You don’t want to overspend or underspend.
Take note of the excess you will have to pay per claim. Look at the level of coverage as well. A plan that offers quality coverage may cost slightly extra, but it will give you peace of mind.
Why Is It Required in Addition to Home Insurance?
Many landlords think they don’t need landlord home emergency cover because they already have home insurance.
Home insurance helps cover the cost of permanent failure or damage to your home. However, it cannot provide an immediate fix in the event of an emergency. If you have landlord emergency cover, it will help your tenants address the emergency so that the home remains habitable.
How to Claim?
When an emergency occurs, all you have to do is call the provider and claim. Depending on the circumstance and the scale of damage, your provider will send a certified tradesperson within the next 24 hours. Sometimes, they send a representative from the insurance company to access the damage formally before taking an action. This process does not take much time.
Once they are sure it is emergency damage, they will come in for a temporary repair. Although this policy is to keep the tenants safe that does not mean they can make as many claims as they want. To minimize the number of claims, it is important to carry out on-going maintenance on your property and service the systems properly.
Summing Up
A landlord home emergency cover can save you time and ensure the safety of your tenants. The best landlord home emergency cover is the one that includes all necessary repairs to the central heating, boiler, electricity, drainage, plumbing, roof, pest infestation, etc. Such plans have no limits on claims or hidden call-out charges. You get an approved engineer or tradesman in the case of an emergency.