Is It Covered by Home Insurance? Boilers, Drains, Pipes, Gas Leaks, Electrics and Pests

Key takeaways

• Home insurance covers damage. Home emergency cover pays for the repair that stops the emergency.
• Boiler breakdowns, blocked drains and pest control are almost never covered by standard home insurance.
• Leaking pipes are partly covered: the water damage usually is, but fixing the pipe often isn't.
• If you smell gas, call 0800 111 999. The emergency service is free, but repairs on your side of the meter are yours to arrange.
• Always check your own policy wording. Cover varies a lot between insurers.

At a Glance: What Standard Home Insurance Usually Covers

Here's how a typical UK buildings and contents policy treats the problems homeowners ask about most. Your own policy may be more or less generous.

Are Boilers Covered by Home Insurance?

Short answer: not for breakdowns. Your buildings insurance treats the boiler as part of the house, so it may be covered if it's damaged by something like a fire or flood. It almost never pays to fix a boiler that just stops working.

This is the question we're asked most, and it's where people get caught out in winter. Home insurance is built around insured events: sudden things that happen to your home. A boiler failing because a part has worn out, the PCB has packed in or the pressure keeps dropping is classed as mechanical breakdown, and that's excluded from almost every standard policy.

 Usually covered

• Boiler damaged by fire, flood or storm
• Water damage if the boiler leaks suddenly (escape of water)
• Accidental damage, if you have that add-on

Usually not covered

• Breakdown or fault
• Wear and tear, sludge, corrosion
• The engineer's call-out, parts and labour
• Annual servicing

What fills the gap: boiler cover or home emergency cover, which sends a Gas Safe registered engineer and pays for the repair up to your policy limit. Smart Cover's plans cover gas boilers only, and your boiler must have been serviced in the 12 months before a breakdown claim.

Are Blocked Drains Covered by Home Insurance?

Short answer: usually not. Many buildings policies cover accidental damage to the underground drains and pipes you're responsible for, such as a cracked or collapsed pipe, but clearing an ordinary blockage is normally excluded.

Most blockages build up gradually from fat, wipes, hair and tree roots, so insurers treat them as maintenance. The exception is when something sudden damages the pipe itself. Even then you'll usually pay your excess, and some policies only cover underground pipes if you've added accidental damage.

Whose drain is it? In England and Wales, drains and sewers shared with neighbours, or running outside your property boundary, are generally the water company's responsibility. Pipes serving only your home and sitting within your boundary are usually yours. If a blockage is in a shared sewer, contact your water company first. It shouldn't cost you anything.

What fills the gap: plumbing and drainage cover or home emergency cover that includes drains, which sends an engineer to deal with a sudden blockage within your property boundary. Blockages caused by freezing weather or a lack of maintenance, and problems that start outside your boundary, aren't covered.

Are Leaking Pipes Covered by Home Insurance?

Short answer: partly. The damage a sudden leak causes, known as escape of water, is one of the most common home insurance claims and is usually covered. Repairing the pipe itself often isn't.

Usually covered

• Damage to ceilings, walls, floors and belongings from a sudden leak
• "Trace and access": finding a hidden leak and making good, often up to a limit

Usually not covered

• Fixing the pipe, joint or tap that leaked
• Slow leaks and wear and tear
• Failed sealant or grout around baths and showers
• Underground pipes, unless your policy says so

Escape of water claims often carry a higher excess than other claims, so a small leak might cost less to fix yourself than to claim for. If your home is left empty for long periods, such as more than 30 or 60 days, many policies restrict this cover, so check your terms before you go away.

What fills the gap: home emergency or plumbing cover can pay for a plumber to deal with a sudden leak, up to the policy's claim limit, while your home insurance deals with the damage. Leaks that don't cause damage, dripping taps, worn seals and replacing old lead or iron pipes usually aren't covered.

Are Gas Leaks Covered by Home Insurance?

 Short answer: partly. Home insurance may cover damage caused by a fire or explosion, but it won't usually pay to repair a leaking gas pipe or a faulty appliance.

The emergency service will make your home safe for free, which may mean capping off the supply. After that, repairs to the gas pipework and appliances on your side of the meter are the property owner's responsibility, and the work must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. That's often the moment people discover they have no heating, no hot water and a repair bill to arrange.

What fills the gap: home emergency cover that includes internal gas supply pipes can send a Gas Safe engineer to repair the leak once the supply has been made safe.

Are Electrics Covered by Home Insurance?

Short answer: partly. Damage to wiring from fire, flood or another insured event is usually covered. A sudden failure of your electrics through a fault or wear and tear normally isn't.

If you damage a cable yourself, for example by drilling into a wall, accidental damage cover may help. But if your consumer unit keeps tripping, half the sockets go dead or a circuit fails, that's classed as a breakdown and you'll be paying the electrician.

Power cut on your street? That's not your problem to fix. Call 105, the free national power cut line, and your network operator will deal with it. Faults inside your home are yours to arrange.

What fills the gap: electrical breakdown cover or home emergency cover that includes electrics can send an electrician if your home's internal electrical supply fails. Faults affecting only part of your wiring, such as a single circuit, may not be covered, so check the policy wording.

Does Home Insurance Cover Pest Control?

Short answer: almost never. Most home insurance policies exclude damage caused by vermin and insects, and they don't pay for treatment.

Insurers see infestations as preventable, so they exclude them. That means the cost of getting rid of a wasps' nest in the loft, or mice in the wall cavity, usually falls on you. Damage the pests cause, like chewed wiring or insulation, is often excluded too.

What fills the gap: some home emergency policies include pest infestation cover for named pests such as rats, mice, wasps and hornets. Prevention and pests that aren't named are usually still excluded, so check the list.

What Is Emergency Cover on Home Insurance?

Short answer: home emergency cover pays for an engineer to fix a sudden problem that makes your home unsafe, insecure or leaves you without heating, water or power. It covers the call-out, labour and parts up to a set limit.

You can buy it as an add-on to your home insurance or as a standalone policy. The key difference from your main home insurance:

Buildings insurance covers the structure and permanent fixtures, and contents insurance covers your belongings. Neither normally includes emergency repairs unless you've added home emergency cover, so check your policy schedule to see whether it's listed. For more detail, read home insurance vs home emergency cover. 

Do I Need Home Emergency Cover If I Already Have Home Insurance?

Short answer: it isn't a legal requirement, but it fills the gaps above. It's most useful if a surprise repair bill would be hard to pay, or you'd rather have one number to call than search for a tradesperson at 2am.

It's likely to be worth it if:

• your boiler is out of warranty and you rely on it for heating and hot water
• an unexpected repair bill would stretch your budget
• you're new to the area, or don't have a trusted local plumber or electrician
• you're a landlord with a duty to deal with repairs quickly (see landlord cover)

It may be less worth it if: your home insurance already includes it, you have enough savings to cover a repair comfortably, or you rent. Tenants are usually not responsible for boiler, plumbing or electrical repairs, which fall to the landlord.

Before you buy, compare: the claim limit per call-out, the excess, which systems are included (boiler only or the whole heating system), any waiting period at the start, and exclusions like boiler age or pre-existing faults.

Close the Gaps Your Home Insurance Leaves

Smart Cover's home emergency plans send an approved engineer for boiler breakdowns and, depending on the plan you choose, plumbing and drainage problems, electrical faults and more. Report an emergency any time on our 24/7 Emergency Helpline and an approved engineer will be arranged.

Cover is subject to a claim limit of £500 (Essential) or £1,000 (Premium) per claim, a 14-day waiting period from the start of the policy, and exclusions. See the IPID for each plan.

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Important Information

This guide is general information about how standard UK home insurance policies usually work. It isn't advice about your own policy. Cover, limits, excesses and exclusions vary between insurers, so always read your policy wording and schedule, or ask your insurer. Smart Cover plan benefits, limits and exclusions are set out in the policy documents and Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) for each plan.

Smart Cover is a trading name of Smart-Cover Direct Limited (FRN 600428), an Appointed Representative of City and Commercial Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 314346).