Landlords boiler cover is sold in three shapes and they are easily confused. One is an annual service and gas safety check. One is breakdown cover that pays for repairs. One is an emergency call out with a limit. A landlord can buy all three, and many buy one believing it is another, which is discovered at the point the boiler fails.
The annual gas safety check is a legal duty, not cover
A landlord must have gas appliances and flues checked annually by a registered engineer and give the tenant a record. That is an obligation with a fixed cost, not an insurance product. Many boiler cover contracts include the service and the check in the price, which is convenient and is the main reason to buy one rather than paying for each separately.
Breakdown cover pays for repairs
A service contract with breakdown cover repairs the boiler when it fails, subject to exclusions for age, pre existing faults and lack of previous servicing. Some include parts and some cap them. Some exclude boilers over a stated age entirely, which is worth checking before paying for a year of cover on an older system.
Emergency cover only makes it safe
The home emergency section of a landlord policy attends and makes a failure safe or temporarily working up to a modest limit. It is not a repair contract and it will not replace the boiler. Landlords who buy emergency cover expecting a breakdown contract are the commonest confusion in this area.
Which to buy
For a modern boiler, the annual service and gas safety check plus the landlord policy's emergency section is usually enough. For an older boiler still worth keeping, a service contract with breakdown cover can be worth it if the age exclusions do not bite. For a boiler near the end of its life, neither is a substitute for replacing it.
Questions people ask about landlords boiler cover
Is the annual gas safety check included in boiler cover?
Often, and that convenience is a common reason to buy a contract. It is a legal duty in its own right whether or not you buy cover.
Does boiler cover repair an old boiler?
Subject to age and servicing exclusions, which frequently bite on older systems. Some contracts exclude boilers above a stated age altogether.
Is emergency cover the same as breakdown cover?
No. Emergency cover makes a failure safe up to a limit. Breakdown cover repairs it. They are frequently confused.
What does a landlord actually have to do by law?
Have gas appliances and flues checked annually by a registered engineer and give the tenant the record. Cover is optional; the check is not.