Annual Boiler Service - Insurance Bolts Ons or Home Cover?

How often do you think about your boiler? For most people, the answer is ‘not that often.’ In fact, you probably think about your annual boiler service even less. For most people, the idea never crosses their mind, much less whether they should think about standalone or home cover. But that should change.

Should I have an annual boiler service?

The short answer is yes you should. If your boiler is working as it should everything else we take for granted like hot water and heating should take care of itself.

Why an annual boiler service is important

An annual boiler service should be an important consideration. It can be a complicated idea, with many potential avenues to pursue, so let's explain the options as simply as we can.

So, here’s the big question: when it comes to your annual boiler service, should you be thinking about insurance bolt-ons or home cover?

Let’s discuss.

We should start by reiterating how important it is to have your boiler serviced annually. Many people let this slip and are surprised when they encounter problems. Think about how much you use your boiler every day. From doing the washing up to a nice hot shower to the central heating: it’s an integral part of your domestic life.

If you keep your boiler in good order, you can prevent long-term, expensive problems. Most boiler issues can be noticed, addressed, and repaired while they’re still relatively minor. It’s why an annual check-up is so important. It’s why there are so many different ways you can insure your boiler and pay for regular services - it’s that important.

Home plans or bolt-ons?

With this in mind, you have two different options for insuring your boiler. On one hand, there’s standalone boiler/home cover. On the other, you can use so-called ‘bolt-ons’ from your home insurance to expand your cover to include the boiler. The first is a dedicated insurance for your boiler, the second is part of a wider home insurance policy. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

Let’s begin with the bolt-ons. If you have home insurance already, you may be a bit confused as to what exactly is covered. Policies differ from insurer to insurer but there are a couple of common themes. One of the most common is that – unless explicitly stated – many policies don’t cover your boiler.

However, most policies do offer the option of insuring the boiler using what’s known as a bolt-on. Basically, you pay a bit extra each month and tie your boiler insurance into the larger home insurance. Sounds simple, right? It is. What’s more, it can be cheaper as well. But there’s a reason for this.

Often, those who opt for bolt-ons will discover that their boiler insurance is lacking in a few key areas. Most importantly, these policies often do not include the annual boiler service that is so important to keeping everything running and free of problems. That’s a big issue. If you opt to bring in your own annual service, you’ll be paying out of pocket. Pretty soon, those savings start to evaporate.

It’s why the second option – dedicated, standalone boiler cover – can often be the best option. In many cases, having dedicated insurance means that you get the cost of the annual service included in your plan. The monthly payment might look slightly bigger, but the long-term savings balance this out.

The benefits of boiler cover plans

Of course, having to sign up for standalone policies can be time-consuming. You might find that it’s quicker to simply opt for the bolt-on and never think twice about the matter. This is true, in some respects. However, those who value their boiler, and those who can appreciate the value of long-term savings, might find that putting the few extra minutes into finding a dedicated plan is well worth it in the long run. Spend a few minutes on YourRepair, for instance, and you can set up everything.

There are more benefits to a standalone plan, too. Should the worst happen and your boiler breaks down, the repairs or the cost of buying a new boiler can be huge. For those with dedicated insurance, this isn’t a problem. For those with bolt-ons, however, there can be limits on the amount you can claim. Immediately, those extra savings turn out to be costs.

What’s more, the time you saved by grouping together all your insurance with your home cover is then spent having to find your own engineer when it comes time for your annual boiler service. You see, dedicated boiler experts know and trust certain engineers. They know who to put you in contact with and can save you a huge amount of time when it comes to booking a service. Again, those few minutes spent on the web can be recovered in situations like this.

Even your no claims bonus can be affected. If you have standalone boiler cover, you can rest easy knowing that – should anything go wrong – the no claims bonus for your entire home insurance is not affected. This can be huge, depending on the size of your home and the type of plan you have. Those short-term savings with the bolt-ons could prove costly in the worst-case scenario.

Invest in boiler cover and worry no more about your annual boiler service

Luckily, there are many options for those who want to take care of their boiler. For anyone still thinking about the bolt-on option, we advise that you take a brief look at the YourRepair website. We’ve laid out the value of a standalone plan in simple terms. It really is as easy to set up as a few clicks. It saves time, money, and provides tremendous peace of mind to anyone with a boiler in their home.

Not many of us think about our boiler too often. But with the right cover in place, which includes an annual boiler service, you’ll soon discover that you hardly need to worry about your boiler at all. If you’d like to save money and not have to worry about your boiler, get in touch with YourRepair today and find out why our boiler cover plans could be ideal for you and your home.