Unlike some European countries, Great Britain is a nation of homeowners responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of property. To meet the needs of those who require home insurance cover in the event an emergency ranging from a heating breakdown, plumbing disaster, broken roof, loss of keys or breach of door and window security, some insurance companies have produced what can only be described as home emergency insurance policies to assist customers in their hour of need. Rather than frantically try to locate a tradesman during an emergency, this type of insurance will arrange for an approved local contractor to carry out either an emergency or permanent repair depending on the problem up to the sum insured specified. In addition a further amount can be claimed for emergency overnight accommodation if the incident warrants this up to the limit specified on the policy.

The type of insurance cover offered by individual insurers will vary, however, many are designed to insure against unexpected roofing problems such as leaks or loss of tiles caused by bad weather, plumbing problems ranging from leaking pipes, radiators and water tanks, blockages in toilets and blocked drains. Sudden central heating or boiler breakdown is also included along with loss of keys and broken windows and doors caused by intruders.

As with any insurance policy, there are likely to be exclusions, typically, any breakdown which occurs through a lack of appropriate maintenance, wear and tear or neglect maybe excluded. Therefore, always consider reading what you are not covered for before entering into any contract. By law there is 14 day cooling period for those who enter into buying a policy and decide not to continue with cover during this period.