What does home emergency insurance cover?
The goal of home emergency cover is to prevent further damage from occurring, not to provide a long-term fix. It covers the cost of repairs needed to make your home secure again, up to your policy’s limit. Damage that does not leave your home insecure is not covered.
What’s covered and what’s not covered
What’s covered?
- Central heating repairs
- Electrical failure
- External glass
- Lost or stolen keys
- Water or oil leaks
- Roof damage that makes your home unsafe
What’s not covered?
- Damage caused by wear and tear or deterioration
- Light fixtures
- Internal doors, automatic garage doors
- Alarms and phone systems
- Appliances
- Roof damage that doesn’t make your home unsafe
| What’s covered? | What’s not covered? |
|---|---|
| Central heating repairs | Damage caused by wear and tear or deterioration |
| Electrical failure | Light fixtures |
| External glass | Internal doors, automatic garage doors |
| Lost or stolen keys | Alarms and phone systems |
| Water or oil leaks | Appliances |
| Roof damage that makes your home unsafe | Roof damage that doesn’t make your home unsafe |
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Limits to home emergency insurance
Every insurer has different limits on the amount they will pay per call-out, and the number of call-outs that are allowed per year.
If your repairs exceed the built-in limit, or if you require more than the allowed number of emergency assists in a year, then you will be responsible for paying the difference.
- Insurer
- Allianz
- Claim limit
- Up to €300 per incident
- Call-out limit
- 4
- Insurer
- AXA
- Claim limit
- Up to €250 per incident
€500 for emergency roof repairs - Call-out limit
- 4
- Insurer
- FBD
- Claim limit
- Up to €300 per incident
- Call-out limit
- 4
- Insurer
- RedClick
- Claim limit
- Up to €260 per incident
- Call-out limit
- 4
- Insurer
- Zurich
- Claim limit
- Up to €300 per incident
- Call-out limit
- 4
- Insurer
- 123.ie
- Claim limit
- Up to €200 per incident
- Call-out limit
- 3
| Insurer | Claim limit | Call-out limit |
|---|---|---|
| Allianz | Up to €300 per incident | 4 |
| AXA | Up to €250 per incident €500 for emergency roof repairs | 4 |
| FBD | Up to €300 per incident | 4 |
| RedClick | Up to €260 per incident | 4 |
| Zurich | Up to €300 per incident | 4 |
| 123.ie | Up to €200 per incident | 3 |
Additional work
Insurers are strict about what falls outside emergency cover. The goal is to make your home safe and secure in the short-term, not to tackle large-scale repair work.
Permanent repairs: Emergency cover usually pays for a temporary fix to make your home safe, not a full repair. Some insurers will pay for just one hour of labour per incident, so depending on the scale of the issue, you may need to pay for follow-up work separately, or make a claim under a different part of your policy.
Non-emergency work: Repairs that don’t affect your home’s immediate safety or security usually fall outside the cover.
Exclusion period
Insurers often enforce a waiting period before home emergency cover applies in order to prevent claims for pre-existing issues. You should be covered for any sudden, genuine emergencies from the time your policy begins, but the exact waiting period, if any, will be set out in your policy schedule or booklet, and can vary by insurer.
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Does using emergency cover affect your no claims bonus?
No, using emergency cover is not the same as making a claim, so it does not affect your no claims discount, nor will it raise your premium when it’s time for renewal.
Who offers home emergency cover in Ireland?
Several Irish insurers include home emergency cover as standard with a home insurance policy, including:
Allianz Ireland
Aviva
AXA
FBD
RedClick
Zurich
123.ie
Other types of insurance cover
Home emergency cover provides immediate relief against damage or loss in the home, but it’s designed to be a short-term fix. There are other types of cover you can add to your home insurance policy that offer more comprehensive protection.
Accidental damage cover protects your home and and belongings against unexpected mishaps, such as staining a carpet or knocking over your TV. Unlike home emergency cover, this resolves non-urgent damage.
This is a form of insurance that protects the belongings in your home, including furniture, electronics, and clothing. Damage to the contents of your home is not included as part of home emergency cover.
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FAQs
Yes, if you can no longer live in your home, most insurers will contribute to overnight accommodation costs, up to a certain price limit. Depending on your policy, this might be capped at around €50 per person with an overall limit of €200 per incident, while others offer a flat €100 per incident.
Standard home insurance covers your building and contents against risks like fire, storm and theft. Home emergency cover is a separate benefit that deals with urgent, immediate problems that require a tradesperson to make the property safe, rather than a full insurance claim.
Home emergency cover gives you access to a network of tradespeople, 24 hours a day, including weekends and bank holidays. Once you report an emergency, your insurer will typically aim to dispatch someone as quickly as possible, though exact response times will vary. Some insurers endeavour to have a tradesperson with you within 90 minutes, while others commit to providing a tradesperson within 24 hours.
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