Our new boiler insurance guide Part 1!

Do I need boiler insurance?

You should consider the age of your boiler. Have you just had your boiler installed? If this is the case, then the boiler will probably be covered by a manufacturer warranty, so insurance wouldn’t be necessary. It is worth remembering that the warranty would only cover the boiler and not your central heating, you might still want to consider central heating insurance that excludes boiler cover.

However, it’s worth noting that new statistics show that 1 in 6 boilers break down within the first 6 years of installation. We generally say that if your boiler is over 3 years old, or the manufacturer warranty has expired, then it’s worth having boiler insurance.

An average boiler repair call-out costs around £220, and a new boiler can cost anything from £700 to over £2500 depending on the property, so having insurance at under £6 per month starts to make sense.

Your boiler might also be covered by your house insurance so check this too, no point in having your boiler insured twice!

If you want peace of mind and the assurance that you can have any boiler problems fixed by making one phone call, then boiler insurance would work well for you.

It is worth noting that if you’re renting a property then it is not your responsibility to insure your boiler, get in touch with your landlord or estate agent and make sure they look after and service your boiler (they must do this by law).

The new complete guide to boiler insurance is ready! Take a look...

New taps? Or Iraqi security? East Europeans answer the call (cheaply)

First came the Polish plumbers, overturning the natural order by tackling U-bends in a more reliable and affordable way than their established British rivals. Now there is another field in which east Europeans are driving well-paid Brits out of work - on the frontline in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The market in which ex-military can earn six-figure sums as private security guards overseas is drying up, with salaries in sharp decline and contracts increasingly being offered to cheaper foreign soldiers, the Guardian has learned. Read more...

Cancelled boiler insurance policies a false economy

With so much belt-tightening in the current uncertain climate, boiler insurance may seem like a rather expensive luxury, but if you've ever had the misfortune to try to call someone out on a cold winter's night when you're stuck without heating or hot water, you might see it as a price worth paying.

New figures from online price comparison service uswitch.com show that as many as 1.3 million households have cancelled the boiler insurance they had in place because of shrinking household budgets.

This looks like a false economy when you consider that one in three boilers breaks down within six years of being installed; an average boiler repair can set you back £220, while a replacement boiler could cost up to £2,500, according to the emergency call-out service and insurer Homecall Plus.

The vast majority of people who take out cover do it largely for peace of mind - but that is something that can be worth paying for.

'boiler insurance on the whole is a good product, but if you decide to go down this route you need to tread carefully, as cover can vary considerably,' says Darren Black from online price comparison service Confused.com. Read more...

For great Homeserve boiler insurance products, check out Boiler Insurance and Repairs.co.uk.

Boilers We Love Boilers First Post!

Well it's very exciting to start a new blog, we'll be looking at everything boiler-related, from boiler news to boiler insurance advice, it's all there! Stay tuned!