Home emergency cover

Frequently asked questions

• QWhat home emergency does not cover?

  Home Emergency doesn't apply to commercial properties. Full terms and conditions can be found in the policy document, but the following key circumstances aren't covered:

  • Incidents that happen in your home when it's been unoccupied for 60 days or more.
  • Incidents relating to mains electricity, gas, and water supply.
  • Properties with boilers larger than 70kW.
  • Incidents relating to shared roofs, communal areas or property not owned by you.
  • The costs of normal day-to-day property maintenance.
  • Any costs incurred prior to the claim being accepted.
  • Events that started before your policy did.
  • Damage caused when getting access to do the repairs.

  Home emergency cover covers call out charges, labour costs and any essential materials. Any damage to your home buildings, home or business contents will fall under your main business policy.

  We're not the emergency services

  The most important thing is to make sure you and anyone in your home is safe. If the incident is dangerous, call the fire, ambulance or police services.

  If you have a gas leak, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.

  If you have an emergency relating to a service such as your mains water or electricity supply, contact the supplier.

• QHow to make a home emergency claim?

  If the emergency is insured, it's important that you, or an authorised person, call our home emergency cover provider DAS, as soon as possible, on:

  • Small Business policy - 08081 754 331 or;
  • B&B, hotel and guest houses - 08081 754 330.

  They'll ask you to confirm:

  • the name of the policyholder and the address of the insured property, including the postcode.
  • the nature of the problem.

  Don't arrange a contractor yourself, because this won't be covered by the policy. And don't start any work that hasn't been agreed with DAS in advance.

  Someone aged 18 or over must be at the property when our approved contractor arrives.

  Once the claim is accepted, DAS will arrange for a contractor to get to your property, with the aim of resolving the emergency. This could mean any number of actions, including:

  • Carrying out a temporary repair (or a permanent repair if this is no more expensive).
  • Isolating a leaking component.
  • Getting access to the property if the keys are lost.

  We'll get to the property as soon as possible. However, it may take longer during bad weather conditions. Or if the weather could put the contractor in danger, it might not be possible to get to your property at all until conditions improve. For instance, high winds may restrict a roofer carrying out repairs, and damp electrics may pose a risk to an electrician.

  Where necessary, we'll attempt to provide replacements parts but can't be held responsible if these are delayed or unavailable.

  Once the emergency is dealt with, your main business policy will take over to deal with any damage to your home buildings, contents or business contents.

• QHow to get home emergency cover?

  You can't get it on its own. If you run your business from home in the UK, have home buildings insurance, home contents insurance or business contents insurance on your Direct Line business policy, and have no more than 15 bedrooms, you can add home emergency cover to your new business policy, or to your policy when you renew. It can't be added part way through your policy year.

  If you buy home emergency cover with your new or renewed business insurance policy, you are no longer eligible for Guarantee to Beat.