Dealing with boiler breakdowns at your cottage
As temperatures drop, central heating systems are put under increased pressure and boilers often breakdown. We occasionally get calls from customers when this happens who have holidaymakers staying in their holiday let – “can we claim for the boiler repair and hotel expenses” they often ask.
Boiler breakdowns and heating failures are not covered under a holiday let insurance policy. It is the holiday home owners responsibility to maintain heating systems.
For peace of mind one solution is to take out separate ‘home emergency’ insurance policy, which covers boiler breakdowns. The type of policy that utility companies offer.
The other alternative is to have the boiler serviced annually and have someone on hand for emergency breakdowns.
What should you do if the heating fails at your holiday rental?
When holiday letting it’s important to prepare for the unexpected. What would happen if your heating failed during winter during a rental?
A contingency plan should include having someone available 24/7 for emergency repairs, have a backup heating system – such as electric radiators. Even a supply of hot water bottles can come in handy during subzero temperatures.
If you are unable to fix the problem and the holiday home is uninhabitable, then you should consider refunding any rental paid by guests or paying for equivalent accommodation.
Hopefully you won’t be put in this situation, but these are just some solutions if your boiler breaks down at your holiday home.