HomeCall+ launches competitive boiler breakdown cover

British Gas’ dominance of the boiler breakdown cover market is set to end as major rival HomeCall+ shakes up the market with its new Evergreen cover.

The new service, which costs just £99 a year, gives complete peace of mind and includes a full annual boiler inspection – meaning that policyholders’ boilers will be running at maximum efficiency.

The annual inspection – in itself worth around £50 – is a double guarantee for policyholders. And if their boiler does malfunction, then an engineer will aim to be on site within two hours of the emergency call.

Evergreen covers breakdown of both gas and electric heating systems – and at £99 is around a third cheaper than the most basic level of boiler cover from British Gas, which doesn’t even include radiators, pipes and hot water system.

“The massive hikes in fuel bills are going to hit consumers’ pockets hard this winter, so protection against emergency tradesmen’s call-out charges is more important than ever,” says HomeCall+ MD John Williams.

“Policyholders will be covered for all eventualities, and our annual boiler inspection means that their system is going to be working at maximum efficiency - that means their energy bills are going to be cheaper,” he says.

The policy will pay out for the repair of central heating and hot water system breakdown up to a cost of £500 or, if the boiler is beyond economical repair, £500 towards the cost of a new one.

This policy is also available to landlords at no extra cost - essential for complying with their legal requirement to provide gas safety certificates for their properties. This can cost around £65 alone so the extra benefit of a year’s cover is invaluable.

HomeCall+ is also launching its Rainbow policy, offering full cover for just about anything that might go wrong in the home for one low annual payment of £120.

It provides comprehensive cover for emergency repairs to electrical wiring, plumbing, drains, broken doors and windows causing a security risk, replacement of locks following loss of keys, pest control - plus boiler, heating and hot water system breakdown.

And there’s even an option for those who decide to take the risk of going without boiler breakdown insurance.

“We understand that, when it comes to insurance, there are those who would rather save the money for something else and just hope that nothing goes wrong,” says Williams.

“With this in mind, we have combined the Evergreen and Rainbow polices to create our Lightning policy. This allows consumers to sign up on the spot, get their heating up and running again and buy themselves peace of mind for the whole year.

“No waiting period, no hefty bill, no kicking yourself that you didn’t get insured before!”

Lightning costs £199.99 a year – a premium of just £80 to cover boiler repairs up to a value of £300 plus £120 for the cost of the comprehensive Rainbow cover. Considering the average cost of a one-off boiler repair is £250 this represents incredible value.

All policies allow unlimited claims, carry no excess and a no claims bonus of up to 30% discount.

One call to the HomeCall+ hotline will bring a fully qualified Corgi or NICEIC registered tradesman to the door and our aim is to attend within two hours day or night for emergencies and by the next day for heating breakdown.

“Our tradesmen are all fully vetted, experienced and helpful and all their work is guaranteed. You can’t say that of someone picked out in desperation from the phone book,” says Williams.

“Many of our customers have come to us after going through the nightmare of trying to find a plumber or electrician in an emergency. With no guarantee that anyone will show up and the possibility of having to pay whatever it takes to fix the problem, it’s a no-brainer.”

For more information visit homecallplus.co.uk