Landlord emergency insurance is bought for a specific moment: a tenant rings at an hour when no tradesperson answers, about something that cannot wait until Monday. What it provides is a number that is answered, a contractor who will attend, and a limit against the bill. Whether it is worth its premium depends almost entirely on what your alternative is at that hour.
What actually happens on the call
The tenant or you ring the helpline. An operator establishes whether the situation meets the policy's definition of an emergency. If it does, an approved contractor is dispatched, usually within a stated response time, and the cost of attending and making safe is met up to the limit. If it does not, you are told so and the problem is yours at that hour.
Who the contractor is
A national network, not your own tradesperson. That is the trade: availability at three in the morning in exchange for somebody who has never seen the property before. For a straightforward burst pipe that is fine. For a boiler with a known history, your own engineer would be better and will not be available.
How it interacts with the repairing duty
It does not change it. A landlord's obligation to keep the installations in working order continues, and an emergency attendance that makes a failure safe does not discharge the duty to repair it properly. Tenants know this, and a landlord who uses emergency cover as a substitute for replacing an ageing system will meet the problem repeatedly.
When the tenant should have the number
At the start of the tenancy, in the welcome pack, with a plain explanation of what counts as an emergency and what does not. A tenant who rings the helpline for a dripping tap has used a call out for nothing; one who does not know the number rings you instead, which defeats the point of buying it.
Questions people ask about landlord emergency insurance
Who answers the emergency line?
The insurer's or scheme's helpline, staffed out of hours, which dispatches an approved contractor from a national network rather than your own tradesperson.
How fast will somebody attend?
Most schemes state a target response time for genuine emergencies. It is a target rather than a guarantee and depends on the hour and the area.
Should I give the tenant the number?
Yes, at the start of the tenancy, with a plain explanation of what counts as an emergency. Otherwise they ring you and the cover goes unused.
Does it replace my repairing obligation?
No. Making a failure safe is not repairing it, and the statutory duty continues regardless of what the policy pays for.