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Welcome to the Hometree Family
Thank you for choosing Hometree to be your home emergency cover provider.
We believe that customers should get better, more affordable home cover plans with no unfair price hikes and the best customer service possible.
We have designed our terms and conditions to be as easy to read and as transparent as possible. This is the legal part of your agreement with us and the insurer, but we have tried to remove any confusing jargon and language from it so that it is easy to understand.
We want you to know exactly what you are paying for so please do spend a bit of time reading this as it will help you understand exactly what is included in the policy.
We have created our products by listening to customers and understanding their needs. This is an ongoing process, and therefore we value hearing from as many of you as possible so we can shape our future products. If there is anything you don’t understand or have any other thoughts, please do reach out as we love hearing from our customers!
All insurance documents and all communication with you about this policy will be in English.
Demands & needs
Based on the questions we asked, you have decided this plan best suits your needs. You have selected a call out fee/excess which best meets your budget. Our product range has been designed to meet the needs of residential homeowners, both owner occupiers and Landlords who want to obtain protection in the event that their boiler, central heating system, plumbing, drains, or their electrical system breaks down or they have a problem with their home’s locks or suffer a pest infestation and require a professional engineer to fix the problem.
What’s included in our plans
The table on this page shows which areas of cover are included within each of our Plans.
| Your Boiler | Your Heating | Your Home | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas Boiler, Flue & Controls | √ | √ | √ |
| Gas Supply Pipe | √ | √ | √ |
| Wider Central Heating | √ | √ | |
| Plumbing | √ | ||
| Drains | √ | ||
| Home Electrics | √ |
Contents
Definitions
A list of important definitions we use in these terms and conditions.
What is included in your policy
Your inclusions will depend on the plan you have. Please refer to the table at the start of this document to see which inclusions apply to you.
What we are not able to cover
This section lists our ‘general exclusions’. They are important to understand because we cannot cover certain things.
Safety and Security
This section explains the procedures we take to look after the safety and security of our customers and engineers.
Legal Information
Details around our underwriter, our fraud policies, the FSCS compensation scheme, how we use personal data, applicable law and other legal information.
1 Definitions
Some phrases that we use in these terms and conditions have specific meanings.
| Agreement | All the documents that give you information about your policy. This includes the welcome letter, and these terms and conditions |
|---|---|
| Boiler and Controls | A single natural gas boiler in your home that's designed for domestic use and has a heat output capacity of up to 70kW. This includes the flue and the controls that make it work, including the programmer, any thermostats, motorised zone valves and central heating pumps. |
| Beyond economic | When, according to the expert judgement of our claims team, the cost of repair is more than the value of the boiler. |
| Emergency | A breakdown that leads to a complete loss of service. |
| Claims limits | The maximum amount the insurer will pay for each claim within your period of insurance is £500 including VAT minus any excess you will need to pay. This is stated on your welcome letter and includes including call out charges, labour, parts, materials. |
| Claims team | The Hometree team responsible for organising claims. |
| Callout fee | The amount you will be required to pay towards each claim you make under this policy. The call out fee is the excess on your policy. |
| Central heating | The heat and hot water system in your home - this includes your radiators, expansion tank, bypass and valves, system filters, cylinders (tanks that store hot water), any immersion heater and its wired-in timer switch, and the pipes that connect them. |
| Complete loss of service | When something that is protected in your agreement completely stops working. |
| Excess | The first amount of £95 for each claim that you will need to pay to the claims team before we will attend to assist with an emergency. You can pay by credit or debit card. |
| Existing faults | Any problems with the boiler that our experts judge to have happened before the start of your contract. | | Home | A building designed for residential use that you own and live in including any attached garage or conservatory. | | Insurer | Novus Underwriting Limited on behalf of Collinson Insurance. | | Gas supply pipe | The pipe that connects your gas meter to your gas boiler and other gas appliances you have in your home. | | Period of insurance | The period for which this insurance is valid as stated in your welcome letter. | | Plumbing and drains | The system of pipes, tanks and fittings for the water supply and sanitation in a building. | | Reinstatement | Work carried out to make good any surface(s) or flooring which has been excavated to provide you with assistance in the event of an emergency. | | Residential use | a building where fewer than half of the rooms are used for any type of commercial purposes, and where the combined total output of all boilers in the building is less than 70kW. | | Start date | The day your contract comes into effect. This date is confirmed on your welcome letter. | | Sludge | The natural build-up of deposits in your boiler or central heating system as it corrodes over time. |
| Stopcock | A valve for turning off and on the cold-water system in your home, also known as stop tap or stop valve. | | System | A particular area of the home that we have agreed to protect, depending on the cover level selected. These are the boiler and controls, central heating, plumbing and drains and home electrics. | | We/Us/Our | Hometree Services Limited. | | Welcome letter | The email or letter which forms part of the policy containing your name, home address, level of cover provided, any addons and any callout fees that may apply as well as the price you will pay. | | You/Your | The person listed as the policy holder. |
2 WHAT IS INCLUDED IN YOUR POLICY
Here, we outline the key items that are covered in your policy as well as important payment information.
OUR POLICIES
Once you have purchased your insurance policy, we will send you a welcome letter confirming when your policy starts. You can see which type of contract you have on your welcome letter. You must be the owner of the home. You will not be able to request a repair in the first 14 days of your start date.
Prices and price change
All of our policies are annual contracts but you can pay for your policy by either monthly or annual Direct Debit.
Your policy is made up of 2 plans:
• Insurance plan – claims for repairs to parts that are shown in the ‘What is covered’ section
• Other non-insurance plan - such as the annual service or Landlords Gas Safety Record (if these are included)
Our price will not change over a 12-month period unless you change your agreement or the Government changes the relevant tax rate.
Renewals
All of our policies are up for renewal every 12 months. We will write to you at least 30 days before your insurance policy is due for renewal and inform you if there are any price changes. We will keep renewing your insurance policy automatically, until you ask us to stop.
What is covered
This policy is an emergency policy to deal with faults where there is a complete loss of service.
For this policy this means:
• A complete loss of all heating, hot water or both
• A water leak from the boiler which cannot be stopped and may cause damage to the property
If there is an emergency, we will repair the following items as part of your insurance policy:
Boiler
Repairs to a single natural gas boiler in your home.
Flue
Repairs to the flue including the flue terminal, up to three metres in length. We will arrange a replacement of the existing flue, including the flue terminal if we are unable to repair it.
What is not covered
Here are the things we do not cover specific to the policy. There are also general exclusions in their own section.
Non-Emergencies
This policy does not include repairs for non-emergencies. If any of the systems have a fault but is not a complete loss of service, we may be able to offer you a fixed price repair, but this will be outside of this insurance policy.
Other types of boilers/ heaters
You are not covered for repairs to the following:
• Warm air units or fan convector heaters. • Electric, LPG, Oil or solid fuel Boilers. • Kickspace heaters and underfloor heating.
Electrict Heating
Repairing or replacing:
- Storage and panel heaters, underfloor heating.
- Solar panels and solar inverter.
What is covered
Controls
Repairs to the controls that make the boiler work, including the programmer, any thermostats, motorised zone valves and central heating pump. We will arrange replacement controls if our engineer advises that we are unable to repair.
What is not covered
Sludge Controls
We won’t be able to repair damage caused by limescale, sludge or other debris if our heating engineer has advised you that you need to carry out repairs or a powerflush.
Gas Supply Pipe
Repairs to the gas supply pipe – the pipe that connects your gas meter to your gas appliances. We will arrange a replacement gas supply pipe if our heating engineer advises that we are unable to repair.
Bathroom and water related items:
Repairs or replacing:
- Sanitary ware – which is ceramic such as sinks, lavatories or toilet bowls.
- Seals and grouting, which generally fill gaps between tiles.
- Spa baths, water softeners, water filters, water meters, waste disposal units and taps.
- Water Pumps that are designed to boost your mains water pressure.
- Sanitary macerators.
- Water pipes between your home and any detached outbuildings on your property and any water supply pipe that does not supply water to your home.
What is covered
Wider Central Heating
Repairs to:
- Expansion tank, radiators, towel rail radiators (both straight and curved), bypass and radiator valves.
- Hot water cylinders and any immersion heater and its wired in timer switch.
- The pipes that connect the central heating system, for example, the pipes that connect to your radiators or cylinders.
We will arrange a replacement of any parts of the system if we are unable to repair it.
Plumbing
Repairs to the plumbing system on your home including:
- Your hot and cold-water pipes between your internal stopcock up to but not including garden taps or the flexible pipes to your kitchen appliances.
- Cold water tanks, toilet siphons, isolation, ball, and radiator valves.
- Your water supply pipe from the boundary of your property to your home.
We will arrange a replacement of the parts if our engineers advise that we are unable to repair.
What is not covered
Shower and taps
Repairing your showers and taps, their parts, and pumps.
What is covered
Drains
Repairing and unblocking internal drains to restore flow, including toilets. Unblocking external drains to restore flow as long as it is within the boundary of your property to your home.
Home Electrics
Repairs to the mains electrical system and wiring on your home including:
- The fuse box, light fittings, switches, sockets, isolation switches and your immersion heater timer switch.
- Extractor fans up to 15cm in diameter.
- Doorbells and smoke alarms that are connected to the main wiring.
- Outside lighting as long as it’s fixed to your home or outbuildings and fitted less than three metres above ground.
What is not covered
Collapsed Drains
Repairing or replacing drains that have:
- collapsed or
- where any excavation is required.
Repairing or replacing shared drains and any drains that are outside the boundary of your property. Cleaning and de-scaling drains.
Non-Wiring Electrics
Repairing or replacing:
- Lightbulbs and light fittings.
- Satellite systems, DVD players, etc.
Electrical Appliances
Electrical appliances including washing machines, dishwashers, cooker extractor hoods, burglar alarms and camera systems.
Claims Limit
This policy has a claims limit of £500 inc VAT. minus the excess you will need to pay. If the total cost of the repair is going to be more than this, you will have to pay the difference (on top of any excesses). We will always let you know before the repair if our engineer thinks it is likely to be more than £500. You can choose to not get it done by us at this point, but we will not be able to refund the callout fee.
3 WHAT WE ARE NOT ABLE TO COVER
This section lists our ‘general exclusions’. They are important to understand because we cannot cover certain things.
GENERAL EXCLUSIONS
Here are the things we do not cover as general exclusions to all our policies.
What is not covered
- Any claim in the first 14 days after you buy the policy.
- Pre-existing faults, which are any problems that our engineers judge to have happened before the start of your insurance policy.
- Showers, their parts, and pumps.
- Repairs or replacing any ceramic sanitary ware such as sinks, lavatories, or toilet bowls.
- Repairs or replacing seals and grouting.
- Repairs or replacing garden items like fountains or irrigation systems.
- General issues with outbuildings or outside electrics and lighting.
GENERAL EXCLUSIONS (cont.)
- Repairs for electrical appliances including washing machines, dishwashers, and so on.
- Issues with electric heating and solar panels.
It is important to read and understand this section to understand because there are some things that we and the insurer have decided not to cover.
4 HOW TO
Here we explain how and when we will organise your service visit, how you can make a claim, make a change, cancel your policy or make a complaint.
How to organise a claim
We aim to handle all claims as quickly and as efficiently as possible and strive to keep you updated along the entire process. To arrange a repair, please use our online booking tool.
Paying callout fees
Some policies include a callout fee or an excess. You will find the callout fee you have selected on your welcome letter.
Arranging a time to visit or make repairs
We will try and arrange a repair or visit at a time that is convenient to you.
Cash payments
We will not offer you cash instead of carrying out a welcome service, an annual service, repairs, or replacements.
If you miss any payments
Before we book your annual service or claim, Hometree will require you to pay for any unpaid/overdue premium payments and our engineer may not visit the home before these are paid.
Freeholder Permission
Where it is a requirement of your lease that you obtain the Freeholders permission for certain works you warrant and indemnify Hometree.
5 SAFETY AND SECURITY
Our engineers will only work on your home if there is someone present who is 18 years or older to give instructions to our engineer. If they are unable to access your home, you will need to rearrange the appointment.
6 LEGAL INFORMATION
This insurance was arranged by Hometree Services Limited who is also the policy administrator and is underwritten by Novus Underwriting Limited on behalf of Collinson Insurance.
Hometree are an Appointed Representative of Xact Risk Solutions Ltd who are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.