Boiler insurance ‘worthless’ as customers left without heating or hot water as freezing temperatures hit

EMERGENCY boiler insurance isn’t worth it – that’s the startling reality for thousands of people ripped off by policies that aren’t paying out.

Complaints about cover have soared in the last year, with some people left for months without heating and hot water despite taking out emergency repairs insurance costing up to £900 a year.

As freezing temperatures hit, customers take out emergency boiler cover for peace of mind in case their boiler breaks down so they can have it fixed in just a few hours.

But some people have said they had to wait weeks or even months for hot water and heating to be restored, even with an emergency policy, while their insurers argued about how much they should pay out.

The Financial Ombudsman Service, which handles financial grievances, received 1,970 complaints between April and September last year about home emergency cover, up from 1,271 for the same period in 2017.

One of the issues is that most policies only cover emergency repairs rather than replacements of broken boilers.

Just under half of providers – 48 per cent – will not pay towards replacing a failed boiler, according to data analyst Defaqto.

If a boiler is older than six years, insurers will often refuse to pay out, and even if it’s newer, some will only pay out between £250 and £500, Defaqto says.

Getting a new boiler typically costs £2,300, according to the Energy Saving Trust.

It comes after we revealed loyal customers are being charged up to £841 to renew annual boiler breakdown cover when prices for new customers start from £254.

Basic boiler breakdown policies will typically cover central heating, including radiators, the immersion heater and hot water cylinders.

But some policies will just cover the boiler – so it’s worth checking before you take one out.

Is boiler breakdown cover worth it?

Getting your boiler fixed can be an expensive business, and the average cost is £182 each time, according to consumer group Which?.

An annual service typically costs £72,  Which? adds.

But as the average cost of a yearly boiler insurance contract is £242, many people may be better off just paying for a one-off repair.

Brian Brown, head of insight at Defaqto, told The Sun: It’s a personal judgement as to whether it represents good value for money – some people really like the peace of mind.”

But he added: “Some of the policy exclusions might mean that the customer won’t even be covered – things like their boiler being too old, or the policy covers only the boiler and not the whole heating system, such as pumps, radiator valves etc.”

A study by Which? found that boiler cover is only worth it for just 4.5 per cent of people.

Emergency cover – provided within home insurance policies or as a standalone product offered by home insurance providers – should pay out if there’s a fault, and get the problem fixed sharpish.

But that’s not always the case.

A grandmother living with her husband and grandchild with asthma said she was was left without heating or hot water for three months, according to the .

A British Gas engineer broke the bolts on her boiler while inspecting it which meant the whole boiler had to be replaced.

It offered £500 for the “error” and a £900 discount towards a new boiler, but wouldn’t pay more.

The Financial Ombudsman later ruled that British Gas had to pay 75 per cent of the cost of a new boiler plus £400 for the “considerable inconvenience”.

It’s not the only case.

Florence Frey tweeted last month that her boiler broke in the night, leaving her without heating and hot water.

She said she had emergency cover but when she rang British Gas, it told her it didn’t count as an emergency.

She said: “Shocking emergency boiler repair serve from @BritishGas – next available engineer…..Tuesday!!!!”

In another case, a woman waited three months for her boiler to be fixed when it broke in August 2016 following a raft of problems, despite having emergency cover with Aviva.

The woman had to shower at the gym for weeks, according to the .

When The Sun contacted British Gas, a spokesman quoted the Financial Ombudsman’s letter, which said: “British Gas doesn’t accept the investigator’s assessment.

“It also says that it advised Mrs S that she needed a new boiler from the outset and therefore it is not responsible for her choosing not to replace it yet and therefore being without heating and hot water since June 2018.”

It added: “British Gas says the boiler was condemned due to heavy corrosion and rust and this is what caused the screw to break.”

A spokesman for Aviva said: “Complaints are taken very seriously by Aviva and we are committed to providing an excellent service for all our customers.

“Although we aim for no complaints, fewer than 1 per cent of Aviva Home Emergency Cover complaints are referred to FOS and the number is reducing.

“We cannot comment specifically on the two case complaints from 2016.”

The cheapest boiler emergency cover we found was a £55 a year policy with Nova Direct on comparison website  but as with many policies it only covers the replacement of parts – not the entire boiler.

Who should I call if it breaks?

If you don’t have boiler insurance, you’re going to need to fork out for repairs.

One option is ask your energy provider to fix it but this can end up being quite expensive.

Homeowners without insurance can expect to pay upwards of £75 to have an energy provider do boiler repairs.

Here are a few other options to check out before picking up the phone:

• Check the warranty on your boiler as you may be able to get it fixed for free.  has a guide on boiler warranties if you are unsure whether you are covered.
• Check to see if your boiler is covered on your home insurance, it’s usually an add-on for most policies.
• If you live in rented accommodation it is your landlord’s responsibility to pay for any repairs to your boiler.
• Call a local engineer to find out if they will give you a better offer than your energy supplier. Use the  to find a reputable tradesman.

Don’t be tempted to fix issues yourself.

Boiler repairs should not be attempted by anyone who is not a professional heating engineer and Gas Safe registered, according to Which?.

It could be dangerous or invalidate your warranty.

Make sure you know how much you should be paying. You can find the average cost for the most common boiler repairs here.

If you are a pensioner or on low income you can get a helping hand paying off your winter electricity bill. Here’s everything you need to know about warm home discount.

There are other ways to get help paying your energy bills too.

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