All You Need to Know About Home Emergency Cover
Many homeowners know the importance of home insurance cover, but home emergency cover is overlooked by many. The latter is basically a policy that helps you handle emergencies in your home. You can get emergency coverage as an add-on to your standard home insurance policy, or you can buy it as a standalone product.
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At times, the standard home insurance policy may cover some emergencies. This article answers some of the frequently asked questions on home emergency cover.
How Does Home Emergency Cover Work?
Once you buy a cover, the provider will give you a number you can use to contact them when you have an emergency. Most providers are usually available 24/7, since they are dealing with emergencies. The provider will cover for the call out costs, parts and labour.
Also, note that most providers will send their own approved experts for the repairs. If you use someone else for the repairs, the cover provider will not pay for the costs.
What’s Catered for by Home Emergency Covers?
From a company like Certi, for example, you can get coverage for plumbing problems, lost keys, pest infestation, boiler breakdown, burst pipes, electrical issues, roof damage, appliances and drainage issues among others if you opt for a premium plan.
Each cover is different and thus it is important to read through any accompanying documents before committing yourself.
How Do You Avoid Paying for the Same Emergency Twice?
Before getting additional coverage, go through your home insurance policy to see whether your insurer covers any emergencies. Next, check your warranties and free services by manufacturers or service providers. Don’t pay for extra coverage for all the areas where you are already covered.
What are the Benefits of Emergency Coverage?
Emergency coverage, just like homeowners’ insurance, will give you peace of mind knowing that you will have help when things go wrong. Emergencies will be fixed fast and you won’t have to pay the repair expert out of pocket. Also, the emergency cover provider will send their approved expert for repairs and this ensures that repairs are done well. It will also save you time as a homeowner.
Finding a qualified and reputable repair expert can be tough and time consuming. In the midst of an emergency, one can be tempted to settle on the first person they find through an internet search. This is risky, because if the repairs are done by the wrong person, you only end up with more costly repairs.
A good emergency cover will eliminate such issues because it comes with well vetted experts. Finally, some providers will pay for alternative accommodation in situations where the emergency makes your home uninhabitable.
What Factors Do I Consider When Choosing a Home Emergency Plan?
There are a number of factors you should consider to ensure you buy the right coverage. To do so, take the following steps:
First, start by evaluating your needs. As stated above, start by checking what’s already covered by your existing insurance and warranties. Then make a list of everything else.
Make a list of home emergency coverage providers; once you have listed your needs, make a list of providers who have packages that cover these needs. Check what your home insurance has to offer as well as other providers.
When doing your evaluations, there are five key factors you should check:
As a homeowner, you should consider both standard home insurance and home emergency coverage. For the sake of anything else that is not covered under the two, set up an emergency savings fund.
