Landlord gas boiler cover and the annual gas safety check are different things that are frequently sold together, and confusing them is how landlords end up either paying twice or missing a legal duty. The check is compulsory and fixed in scope. The cover is optional and varies enormously.
The duty, which is not insurance
A landlord must have gas appliances, fittings and flues checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer and give the tenant a copy of the record within the statutory period, with a copy to a new tenant at the start of a tenancy. That is a legal obligation with a fixed cost, independent of any cover you buy.
What a service contract adds
A service, which is not the same as a safety check although engineers often do both in one visit, plus breakdown repair subject to exclusions. Most contracts bundle the safety check and the record, which is the main reason landlords buy one: one appointment, one invoice, one certificate, renewed automatically.
The exclusions that decide the value
Age limits on the boiler, exclusions for pre existing faults, exclusions where previous servicing cannot be evidenced, and caps on parts. On a boiler over a certain age these frequently combine to make the contract poor value, which is precisely when landlords are most tempted to buy one.
How it interacts with the policy
Breakdown is not damage and is not a buildings claim. A landlord policy's home emergency section will attend and make a failure safe but will not repair or replace the boiler. Between the safety duty, the service contract and the emergency section, only the first is compulsory and only the second actually repairs anything.
Questions people ask about landlord gas boiler cover
Is a gas safety check the same as boiler cover?
No. The check is a compulsory annual duty with a fixed scope. Cover is an optional contract that services and repairs, and it usually includes the check.
How often must a landlord have gas checked?
Annually, by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with the record given to the tenant within the statutory period and to any new tenant at the start of a tenancy.
Is boiler cover worth it on an old boiler?
Frequently not, because age limits and exclusions for wear and previous servicing combine against exactly that case.
Does my landlord policy repair the boiler?
No. Home emergency attends and makes a failure safe up to a limit. Repair and replacement are maintenance costs.