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Average Cost of Home Emergency Cover 2021
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The cost of Home Emergency cover will vary based on a number of factors. Your premium will mostly be affected by the amount of cover (e.g., £250 per claim, £1,000 per claim, etc.) and the types of events (e.g., boiler breakdown, a burst pipe, home security, pest infestation, etc.) covered by the plan. We've surveyed dozens of Home Emergency plans in the UK market to determine the average cost of Home Emergency cover. Use this information to help understand if you're being offered a good deal or not.
Add-On Home Emergency Plans
According to our survey, the cost of adding Home Emergency cover to your buildings cover is around £47 per year. These add-on plans typically include the major cover areas, such as boiler, heating, plumbing, electrics, home security and pest control, plus most offer some reimbursement for alternative accommodation and travel (from £250 to £1,000) in case your home is temporarily uninhabitable as a result of the emergency. Most add-on home emergency plans do NOT include an annual boiler service, so you'll need to source that elsewhere at a cost of around £80.
| Provider | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Admiral | £25 |
| John Lewis | £33 |
| Halifax | £40 |
| More Than | £40 |
| Tesco | £44 |
| Admiral | £45 |
| Sainsbury's | £45 |
| LV= | £50 |
| First Direct (HomeServe) | £52 |
| M&S (HomeServe) | £56 |
| Churchill | £58 |
| Direct Line | £60 |
| Aviva | £76 |
| Average | £47 |
Standalone Home Emergency Plans
The average cost of a premium standalone Home Emergency plan ranges from around £50 up to £300 per year—a premium plan includes protection across the 6 major categories of boiler, heating, electrics, plumbing, home security and pest control. Buying a Home Emergency plan separately from your building cover is usually a more expensive way to get protection against events like a burst pipe or a broken boiler—but it may be your only option if your existing buildings cover doesn't offer home emergency as an add-on feature, or if you want emergency cover in the middle of your policy year but can only buy it as an add on at renewal time.
Standalone Home Emergency plans under £200 per year don't usually include an annual boiler service or any financial assistance with boiler replacement, whereas the more expensive plans should give you both. When purchased independently a boiler service will cost around £80, give or take. Whether or not it's included in your insurance plan, you should get your boiler serviced each year. This is important not just to help ensure the proper functioning of your boiler, but also because most Home Emergency plans won't cover a boiler that hasn't been serviced in the past 12 months.
Home Emergency Cover: Boiler, Heating, Electrics, Plumbing, Home Security & Pest Control
Provider | Plan Name | Annual Boiler Service | Excess | Boiler Replacement^ | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | Plus | No | £50 | No | £54 |
| Frank Pickles | No | £100 | No | £55 | |
| Surewise | Gold | No | £50 | Depends | £60 |
| Row | Complete Cover | No | £50 | Yes | £150 |
| Home Emergency Assist | Complete Cover | No | £50 | Yes | £171 |
Home Emergency Assist | Complete Cover with Annual Boiler Service | Yes | £50 | Yes | £243 |
| HomeServe | HomeServe Cover 8 | Yes | £50 | Yes | £276 |
| Reactive | Home Emergency Premier | Yes | £0 | Yes | £307 |
| 247 | Boiler Breakdown Deluxe Package | Yes | £75 | No | £312 |
^Boiler replacement is usually subject to terms and conditions, such as "We'll replace your boiler under 7 years old if unrepairable; If your boiler is over 7 years of age and we deem it beyond economical repair then we will give you a cash settlement of £300, that vary from provider to provider."
If you're not interested in Home Security or Pest Control, you may be able to find a slightly cheaper insurance plan. Cover including an annual boiler service start around £160 and go up to £240 or so—including the boiler service which is valued around £70 to £80.
Home Emergency Cover: Boiler, Heating, Electrics & Plumbing
| Provider | Plan Name | Annual Boiler Service? | Excess | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 247 | Home Emergency Standard | No | £75 | £90 |
| YourRepair | Heating, Plumbing & Electrical Cover | Yes | £60 | £168 |
| Corgi HomePlan | Starter | Yes | £60 | £168 |
| British Gas | HomeCare Four | Yes | £60 | £212 |
| HomeServe | Plumbing, Heating & Electrics | Yes | £50 | £240 |
Final Thoughts
Recent data from the FCA showed that the average Home Emergency claim was £163, with a range of £80 to £260 across a variety of insurance providers. Claims frequency hovered around 20%, meaning about 20% of policies submitted a claim each year. With these numbers in mind, Home Emergency cover might not represent good value for most people, especially when purchased as standalone products at an average cost of £150. However, if you can add on Home Emergency cover at a cost around £50 you might find it worth the cost—especially for the peace of mind knowing you'll have 24-hour access to a group of qualified tradesmen to help should the need arise.
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Quickly compare over 3 dozen UK insurance providers. Only one form to fill out.