Does Landlord Insurance Cover a Boiler Breakdown?
Why most buildings policies exclude boiler faults, and how to read your own policy wording before assuming either way.
Usually Not — And Here's Why
For most landlords the honest answer is no. Standard buildings insurance treats a boiler simply stopping working as wear and tear, not as the sudden, external event the policy is built to cover.
Insurers draw a hard line between damage a boiler causes and the boiler failing on its own. A burst pipe soaking a ceiling is covered; the worn-out valve that caused it usually isn't.
A minority of insurers add an "equipment breakdown" extension to buildings cover, but even that still excludes ordinary wear and tear — it widens what counts as a sudden fault, not the exclusion itself. The only way to know where your own policy sits is to check the wording, not assume.
The Condition Most Landlords Miss
Even on the rare policy that does include boiler cover, the single most common reason a claim gets rejected is a missed annual service by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
That service is a landlord's legal obligation regardless, alongside the annual CP12 gas safety certificate — so keeping it current isn't extra admin, just admin that has to happen on schedule.
Insurers can also decline cover on boilers over roughly seven years old without a fresh inspection, and most add-on policies set a hard age limit somewhere between 10 and 15 years.
What a Boiler Failure Actually Costs
The figures below reflect what UK landlords typically pay when a boiler fails without dedicated cover in place.
| Situation | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Average emergency boiler repair | £300–£410 |
| Full boiler replacement | £2,300–£4,000 |
| Gold plan, includes boiler cover | £115/yr |
| Platinum plan, includes boiler cover | £125/yr |
One repair can already cost close to a year of cover. See what our boiler and heating cover includes →
Why a Declined Claim Doesn't End the Problem
Landlords must keep heating and hot water working under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, whatever an insurer decides about a claim.
Since October 2025, Awaab's Law adds a 24-hour deadline to start investigating a reported heating failure. That clock runs whether or not a buildings insurance claim has even been assessed yet.
In practice, a declined or slow-moving insurance claim can eat most of that 24 hours before a repair has even started — which is the real argument for having a separate route to an engineer already in place.
A Boiler That Simply Stops
A tenant reports no heating or hot water on a Tuesday evening in November. There's no leak, no visible damage — the boiler has just stopped firing.
Buildings insurer route: the landlord calls the insurer first, who asks for evidence of an external cause. With none, the claim is declined, and the search for an engineer only starts after that conversation.
That's the practical gap this guide is about: a plain breakdown rarely fits what a buildings policy is designed to pay for, regardless of which insurer holds the policy.
What Buildings Insurance Is Actually Built For
| Aspect | Buildings Insurance |
|---|---|
| Fire, flood or storm damage | Covered |
| Plain boiler breakdown, no external cause | Usually excluded |
| Typical claim process | Assessment first, can be declined |
| Boiler age limit on any add-on | Insurer-dependent, often 7–15yr |
| Missed annual Gas Safe service | Can void the claim outright |
Common Questions
Look for an "equipment breakdown" or "boiler breakdown" extension by name. If it isn't listed as a specific add-on, assume a plain breakdown isn't covered.
That part is usually covered. Buildings insurance pays for the damage the leak causes; it's the boiler itself, and the cost of fixing it, that's typically excluded.
Yes. A missed annual Gas Safe service is the single most common reason insurers reject a boiler claim, and arranging it is a landlord's legal obligation regardless.
Often, yes. Many insurers won't cover a boiler over about seven years without an inspection, and some add-ons set a hard cut-off around 10 to 15 years old.
Yes — it's sold separately from buildings insurance for exactly this reason. See how our boiler and heating cover works.
Compare Gold and Platinum Cover
Gold from £115/yr, Platinum from £125/yr. Cover the gap buildings insurance leaves open.