Landlord home emergency cover pays for an approved contractor to come out and deal with a sudden problem at your rental property, such as a boiler breakdown in winter, a burst pipe, a blocked toilet when it's the only one, or a failed electrical supply. It's usually an add-on to a landlord policy, or a separate policy, and it typically pays the call-out, labour, and parts up to a set limit per claim.
It's not the same as buildings insurance, which pays for the damage an emergency causes, and it's not the same as rent guarantee insurance, which pays rent when a tenant doesn't. This guide explains what home emergency cover usually includes and excludes, how it sits with your other cover, your repair duties as a landlord in England, what's changing under the Renters' Rights Act and Awaab's Law, and how to decide whether it's worth it for your let.
This is general information, not legal advice. Policies vary, so always check your own wording.
What landlord home emergency cover usually includes
An emergency, for most policies, is a sudden and unexpected event that makes the property unsafe, insecure, or uninhabitable, or that will cause damage if it isn't dealt with quickly. Cover commonly includes:
Main heating failure, including a boiler breakdown that leaves the property without heating or hot water,
Plumbing and drainage, such as a burst or leaking pipe, a leaking water tank, or a blocked drain or toilet,
Electrical supply failure inside the property, where the fault is with the wiring rather than the network,
Gas supply problems inside the property, after the gas emergency service has made it safe,
Security, such as broken external doors, windows or locks after a break-in or damage,
Lost keys, where nobody can get in or the property can't be secured,
Roof damage that lets water in, usually limited to a temporary repair,
Pest infestations, in some policies, such as wasps or rats.
Most policies pay for the contractor's call-out, labour, and parts up to a per-claim limit, and some include a contribution towards overnight accommodation for the tenant if the property can't be lived in. The aim is to make the property safe and stop further damage. Many policies only pay for a temporary repair if a permanent one would be expensive or would need specialist work.
What it usually doesn't cover
The exclusions matter more than the headline list. Common ones are:
Old boilers. Many policies won't cover boilers above a certain age, or only cover them after an inspection.
No annual service. Boiler cover may depend on the boiler having been serviced in the last 12 months. Your annual gas safety check isn't the same as a service, so check what the policy asks for.
Faults you already knew about, or that existed when the cover started.
Wear and tear, and gradual problems, such as a slow leak that's caused damp over months.
Replacing a boiler that can't be repaired. Some policies make a contribution, many don't.
Appliances like ovens, fridges, and washing machines, unless the policy says otherwise.
Shared parts of a building, such as a communal boiler or the roof of a block of flats, which are usually the freeholder's responsibility.
Empty properties. Cover may stop or be limited once the property has been unoccupied for longer than the policy allows.
Problems caused by the tenant, such as blocking a drain with fat or wipes, depending on the wording.
Policies also set a limit on the number of claims a year, a per-claim limit, and sometimes an excess. Check whether parts are capped separately from labour.
Home emergency vs buildings cover vs rent guarantee
Landlords often assume one of these covers the others. They don't. Here's how they usually split:
Situation | Home emergency cover | Landlord buildings insurance | Rent guarantee / legal expenses |
|---|---|---|---|
Boiler breaks down in winter, no damage | Call-out, labour, and parts up to the limit | Usually no, a breakdown isn't insured damage | No |
Pipe bursts and floods the kitchen | Plumber to stop the leak and make safe | Damage to the structure and fixtures, after the excess | No |
Finding a hidden leak | Sometimes, if the policy includes it | Often under a trace and access section, if included | No |
Property can't be lived in after an insured event | Sometimes a short contribution to overnight accommodation | Loss of rent or alternative accommodation, if included and the event is insured | No |
Tenant stops paying rent | No | No | Rent guarantee pays rent up to the limit; legal expenses fund possession |
Tenant damages the property | No | Only if malicious or accidental damage cover is included | No |
If you only have buildings insurance, an emergency that causes damage is usually covered for the damage, but you pay the plumber or engineer who stops it and any breakdown repairs yourself. See our guide to landlord buildings insurance. For rent and possession, see rent guarantee insurance, and for damage by tenants, see tenant damage, deposits and landlord insurance.
Your repair duties as a landlord in England
Home emergency cover is a way of paying for repairs. It doesn't change who's responsible for them. In England, the main duties come from:
Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. For most residential tenancies of less than seven years, you must keep the structure and exterior in repair, and keep the installations for water, gas, electricity, sanitation, space heating, and hot water in repair and proper working order. Your duty to repair generally starts when you know about the problem, and you must then repair it within a reasonable time. What's reasonable depends on how serious it is: no heating in winter or no water is far more urgent than a dripping tap.
Fitness for human habitation. Since the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 changes to the 1985 Act, a rented home must be fit to live in at the start of the tenancy and throughout it. Tenants can take court action if it isn't.
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). Councils use it to assess hazards such as excess cold, damp and mould, and electrical and fire hazards. They can require you to make improvements, and in serious cases can carry out emergency work themselves and recover the cost.
Gas safety. Every gas appliance, fitting, and flue you provide must be checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. See our landlord gas safety certificate guide.
Electrical safety. Installations must be inspected and tested at least every five years. See our EICR guide.
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Since 1 October 2022, you must repair or replace an alarm once you're told it's faulty, alongside the duties to fit them. See our landlord safety certificates checklist.
You can usually enter to inspect the property's condition at reasonable times with at least 24 hours' written notice. In a genuine emergency, such as a serious leak or a gas smell, you or your contractor may need to act faster, but try to contact the tenant first and keep a record.
The rules are different in Wales, under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, and in Scotland, where the repairing standard applies. Check the rules for where your property is.
What's changing: the Renters' Rights Act and Awaab's Law
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. Its first main phase started on 1 May 2026, when section 21 "no-fault" evictions ended and assured tenancies in England became periodic. Councils were given new enforcement and investigatory powers from 27 December 2025. See our guide to the Renters' Rights Act and landlord insurance.
For repairs, two parts of the Act matter most, and neither is in force for private landlords yet:
Awaab's Law. This sets legal deadlines for landlords to investigate and fix serious hazards. It has applied to social housing since October 2025, where emergency hazards must be investigated and made safe as soon as practicable and in any event within 24 hours. The Act lets the government extend it to private rented homes. On 9 October 2026 the government published a consultation on how to do that, which closes on 18 December 2026. It asks whether private landlords should have the same 24-hour limit for emergency hazards, or a different one, and gives a broken boiler in winter as an example of a possible emergency. The consultation says the earliest feasible start date would be 2027. The final rules and dates aren't set yet.
The Decent Homes Standard. The government has said a new Decent Homes Standard will apply to private rented homes from 2035, covering hazards, state of repair, facilities, thermal comfort, and damp and mould.
Once Awaab's Law applies to private lets, being able to get a qualified contractor to an emergency quickly, and to show when you knew about a hazard and what you did, will matter more. Home emergency cover can help with the first part, but it won't keep records for you, and it may not respond to every hazard the law covers. Watch for the final rules and check your policy against them when they're published.
Is landlord home emergency cover worth it?
It depends on the property, how you manage it, and how much risk you're comfortable carrying yourself. It's more likely to be worth considering if:
You live far from the property or don't have a reliable local plumber, heating engineer, and electrician,
You manage the let yourself, without an agent who handles out-of-hours repairs,
The boiler or plumbing is older but still within the policy's age and service conditions,
Your tenants are vulnerable, such as older people or families with young children, where no heat or water is especially serious,
You let an HMO, where one failure affects several households. See our page on HMO landlord insurance,
You'd rather have a known cost than an unexpected emergency call-out bill.
It may be less useful if:
Your agent already has an emergency repairs service you're happy with,
You already have boiler cover or a manufacturer's warranty that covers the same faults,
The boiler is too old for the policy to cover, so the main reason to buy it doesn't apply,
You'd claim rarely and would rather put money aside for repairs.
When comparing, look at what's actually covered rather than the price alone. A cheap policy that excludes your boiler, caps parts at a low figure, or limits you to one claim a year may not do much for you.
Home emergency cover by type of landlord
One buy-to-let. A single boiler breakdown or burst pipe can be a large, unplanned cost, and if you work full time or live elsewhere, arranging a contractor at short notice is the hard part. Home emergency cover gives you one number to call. Check the boiler conditions carefully, because that's the claim you're most likely to make.
Accidental landlords. If you're letting your former home, the boiler and plumbing may be older and you may not have kept service records. Get the boiler serviced before the tenancy starts and keep the record, so the policy can respond if it breaks down.
Leasehold flats. Your home emergency cover usually only responds to problems inside your flat, such as your own boiler or the pipes that serve only your flat. Problems with shared parts, such as the roof, a communal boiler, or a main drain, are usually for the freeholder or managing agent. Check your lease. See our guide to landlord insurance for a leasehold flat.
Portfolio landlords. With several properties, the chance of at least one emergency each winter goes up, but so does your ability to carry the cost yourself. Some portfolio landlords cover every property; others rely on trusted local contractors and a repairs fund. If you use a portfolio policy, check whether home emergency is per property and whether claim limits apply to each property or across the whole policy.
HMOs and shared houses. A heating or water failure affects every tenant at once, and HMO licence conditions often set out standards for heating, water, and fire safety. Check whether the policy treats the HMO as one property or covers each letting room, and whether it covers communal areas.
Questions to ask before you buy
What counts as an emergency under this policy?
Is my boiler covered, given its age and service history? What evidence do you need?
What's the per-claim limit, is there a separate limit for parts, and is there an excess?
How many claims can I make each year?
Does it pay for a permanent repair, or only a temporary one?
Does it include a contribution to overnight accommodation for the tenant?
Can my tenant call the helpline directly, and will I be told when they do?
Is trace and access included, or is that under my buildings cover?
What happens if the property is empty between tenants?
Does it cover each flat or room separately in a converted building or HMO?
How to make a claim go smoothly
Give your tenants the helpline number and a short note of what counts as an emergency, ideally in the welcome pack and by email.
Agree who calls. If the tenant can call directly, ask them to tell you at the same time.
Act on reports quickly. Record when you were told about the problem and what you did, with dates and times.
Keep the boiler serviced and keep the service record, as well as the gas safety record.
Take photos of any damage before and after the repair.
Tell your buildings insurer promptly if the emergency has caused damage. Home emergency and buildings claims are usually separate.
Keep receipts for anything you pay for yourself.
Home emergency cover and empty properties
When a property is empty between tenants, the risk of an unnoticed leak or frozen pipe goes up, and most policies limit cover once a property has been unoccupied for a set period. Keep the heating on a frost setting or drain the system, inspect regularly, and tell your insurer before you hit the limit. See our page on void and unoccupied property insurance.
Home emergency cover and the cost of your landlord insurance
Adding home emergency cover adds to your premium, but it's one of the smaller add-ons. Some landlords save by dropping add-ons they don't need. Others find it better value to buy it with their main landlord policy than separately. See our guide to landlord insurance costs for the main factors that drive price and how to reduce it without leaving a gap.
If you're new to letting
If you're renting out your own home for the first time, your home insurance policy may have included home emergency cover. That usually stops when you let the property, along with the rest of the home policy. Check what you need on a landlord policy instead. See our guide to renting out your home and our broader guide to landlord insurance.
Frequently asked questions
What is landlord home emergency cover?
It's insurance that pays for a contractor to deal with a sudden emergency at your rental property, such as a boiler breakdown, burst pipe, blocked drain, or electrical failure, usually up to a set limit per claim.
Is home emergency cover a legal requirement for landlords?
No. You must keep the property in repair and deal with problems within a reasonable time, but how you pay for repairs is up to you.
Does landlord buildings insurance cover a boiler breakdown?
Usually not. Buildings insurance covers damage from insured events, such as escape of water from a burst pipe. A breakdown on its own isn't usually insured damage.
Can my tenant call the home emergency helpline?
Many policies allow it, but some only accept calls from the landlord or agent. Check your policy and tell your tenants what to do.
Does home emergency cover replace an old boiler?
Usually not. Most policies repair the boiler and may contribute to a replacement if it can't be fixed, but some exclude boilers over a certain age entirely.
How quickly do I have to fix a boiler in a rental property?
There's no fixed deadline for private landlords in England yet. You must repair it within a reasonable time once you know about it, and losing heating or hot water in winter is urgent. Awaab's Law may set deadlines for private landlords in future; the consultation closes on 18 December 2026.
Does Awaab's Law apply to private landlords now?
No. It applies to social housing. The Renters' Rights Act allows it to be extended to private rented homes, and the government is consulting on how and when. The earliest feasible date it gives is 2027.
Is home emergency cover worth it for one buy-to-let?
It can be, especially if you manage the property yourself or live some distance away. Check the boiler conditions, claim limits, and exclusions before you decide.
Check your cover before the next cold snap
Send us your current landlord policy or renewal and we'll review it, including any home emergency, buildings, and rent guarantee cover, and come back with quotes from the insurers on our panel. Start your landlord quote review.
Meshed is a trading name of Mesh'd Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 1033248). We charge a flat 10% broker fee. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Vincent Liu
Co-founder & CTO
