Emergency call-out insurance

[richandjo]

What are anyone's views on the above type of insurance on let properties, please? Do most landlords have it? Is there a 'recommended/reputable' insurance product that anyone knows of?

This sort of thing covers boiler failure, electrical problems, plumbing, etc., apparently.

Thanks, in anticipation.

Richard

[Tax Accountant]

What are anyone's views on the above type of insurance on let properties, please? Do most landlords have it? Is there a 'recommended/reputable' insurance product that anyone knows of?

This sort of thing covers boiler failure, electrical problems, plumbing, etc., apparently.

Thanks, in anticipation.

Richard

I have mortgages with Paragon Mortgages who provide this cover at a charge.

This covers emergencies only and therefore there is limit to its practical usefulness but at least it gives you peace of mind.

I doubt that most landlords have it.

Ramnik

[Worldlife]

I've regarded the premium as a tax deductable expense.

The service is a facility that tenant's appreciate and is a selling point on renting the property.

The tenant gets a superb service when things go wrong and you don't have to find a tradesman willing to do the job at short notice and at an unknown cost.

You can go away for a break knowing that it is unlikely the tenant will need to bother your back up person whose number you have left them. The tenant knows you will attend to non-urgent work as soon as possible on your return.

It's a question of mutual trust and good landlord tenant relationships.

The costs are relatively small for this peace of mind and a fraction of the cost of having a managing agent!!!

On our last emergency incident the tenant contacted me to let me know the main switch of the property was tripping. I was in the area and popped in to see what was happening and indeed the main switch was tripping but non of the sub circuit switches had tripped. By turning all the sub circuit switches off one by one we were able to establish which of the sub circuits was causing the problem. The fault on that circuit seemed to be the gas boiler. Advised the tenant to leave the circuit breaker for that circuit off.

Within a few hours an electrician from the emergency service had diagnosed the problem as an internal fault on the boiler pump. He rotated the pump and removed the electrical wiring and made the loose wiring safe and the electrical system was left in good working order.

If we had in place the gas boiler service with that company they would have replaced the pump but that was followed up the next day at our cost. We now have the gas boiler emergency service contract too!!!

Our contracts are with Southern Water Authority - Home Service

[Jonboy]

i usually reccomend British gas home care cover or similar, saves a lot of money if you have an old boiler!

[Gigi]

Anybody got any costings on the basic emergency cover? Karongo/Worldlife

[Worldlife]

Electricity - £10-73 per month (deal with faults in addition to emergencies)

Plumbing and Drainage - £14.99 per month

Central heating boiler - £7.99 per month

All through Southern Water Homeserve.

For me it is worth £34 a month (less deductable tax) to know that the tenant can contact these emergency services directly and I don't have to be involved and the tenant has a prompt response to most urgent requirements.

We don't have a professional agent and so it is important the tenant, in addition to these emergency services has a contact for any other urgent issues that could occur when we are absent from the Country.