Home boiler cover

Boiler cover or boiler insurance covers the cost of repairs if your boiler breaks down. Boiler insurance policies can include things like:

• An annual boiler service
• A 24-hour emergency helpline
• The cost of repairs when needed

There are three main types of boiler:

If you own your own home, it's certainly worth considering taking out boiler insurance. However, it's worth checking whether your boiler is already covered by the following:

Your home insurance - Check your home insurance policy for home emergency cover. You might be able to add boiler cover to your policy or your provider may offer it as standard.

Your boiler manufacturer - Warranties on new boilers should cover call outs and repairs if your system breaks down within a certain period.

If you have Bronze, Silver or Gold Home Insurance from John Lewis it’s easy to add on home emergency with boiler service cover. To request a change to your cover without admin fees or hidden charges, simply call us on 0345 608 9011.

John Lewis Specialist Cover includes home emergency assistance up to £1,500 (inclusive of VAT) is included as standard. This extends to include your primary heating system (please refer to the policy wording for full details of what’s covered).

If you have home emergency cover with a Bronze, Silver or Gold policy from John Lewis Home Insurance, boiler breakdown is covered.

When faced with an emergency, all you need to do is call our 24-hour home emergency helpline on 0345 608 9006.

We can cover:

• Parts
• The cost of repairs
• Call-out charges for emergency work - up to the value of £1,500

If you’re with another insurance provider, check your policy as not everyone covers boiler breakdown.

Arranging boiler cover can give landlords and tenants peace of mind that a faulty boiler will be repaired quickly. 

If you’re renting, the boiler is your landlord’s responsibility. Although landlords don’t have to insure a tenant’s boiler by law, they are responsible for repairing a boiler if it goes wrong.

As a tenant, you should help to maintain the boiler and report any problems to your landlord. 

Simple steps for looking after your boiler include:

Turning your heating on regularly (even during the summer) to help clear any grit from pumps

Removing clutter from around your boiler so it’s properly ventilated

Boiler insurance may seem like a needless expense while your system is working properly. However, the cost of repairs if things go wrong could be more expensive than you might expect.

Some surprisingly expensive costs can include: 

When you add our Home Emergency & Boiler Servicing Cover to a Bronze, Silver or Gold policy from John Lewis Home Insurance this is covered because we include a free annual boiler service.

Most boiler insurance providers won’t cover the cost of a replacement boiler but they might offer you a discount on a new system if:

Your boiler has a major fault

The cost of repair would be greater than the cost of a new boiler

With John Lewis Bronze, Silver or Gold cover, we offer £500 if your boiler is less than 7 years old, and £250 if it is over 7 years old.

With so many brands and types of boiler available, prices can vary significantly. A new system could cost anywhere between £500 and £2,500.

Installation costs are a little more complicated:
 

You could make significant savings if you switch to an A-rated boiler. If you’re replacing a particularly inefficient boiler you’ll be able to recoup the costs on your new boiler fairly quickly.

Some boilers may be too old or in too poor a condition for insurance providers to cover. 

At John Lewis, we’re unable to cover boilers if they have an output of more than 60kW.

For our Specialist cover, your boiler will also need to be under 15 years old.

Older boilers are likely to have more problems, and parts needed for repairs might not be available. In many cases, a new energy-efficient boiler makes more financial sense.

Some insurance providers will only cover your boiler if you can prove it’s been recently serviced by a professional.

John Lewis Home Insurance do not ask for proof of a boiler check. But it’s still a good idea to have your boiler serviced regularly and we do require Specialist customers to have boilers serviced in line with the manufacturer’s instructions.

A Gas Safety Record, or Gas Safety Certificate, is the industry standard for recording annual services. Whether you need to keep one depends if you’re a landlord or a tenant:

Landlords are legally required to get the boiler inspected annually and keep a Gas Safety Record as proof.

Tenants should be given a Gas Safety Record within 28 days of the boiler inspection.

Homeowners do not need to keep a Gas Safety Record - but keeping one could reassure future house buyers that you’ve kept your boiler in good condition.

Boiler engineers should be listed on the Gas Safe Register – the official list of qualified gas engineers which replaced CORGI registration in 2009.

First, check if there’s a simple fix. Has the power or thermostat been turned off? Turning your boiler off and then on could help the system work again.

If problems persist, it’s time to enlist the help of a professional. You can arrange for a Gas Safe Registered (GSR) engineer to come to your home by contacting one of the following:

Your boiler insurance provider

Your emergency home cover/home insurance provider

Your boiler manufacturer (if you are within warranty)

A GSR engineer directly

If you are a John Lewis Home Insurance customer, we will choose a Gas Safe Registered tradesperson and arrange this visit once you let us know.

Bronze, Silver or Gold customers can call 0345 608 9006 (24 hours, 7 days a week).

John Lewis Specialist Home Insurance customers can call 0330 134 8166 (24 hours, 7 days a week).

If your boiler isn’t burning fuel properly it could be leaking carbon monoxide. The gas is colourless, odourless and tasteless but you might notice other tell-tale signs. 

If your boiler struggles to stay alight or you notice dark stains around your gas appliances you may have a leak. You might also notice more condensation on your windows. If so, you should turn your boiler off at the mains and leave your house immediately.

The easiest way to detect a leak before it becomes dangerous is to install a carbon monoxide detector in the same room as your boiler.

With our Bronze, Silver or Gold Home Insurance policies, you can change your add-ons to suit your new circumstances at any time, without admin fees or hidden charges.