A boiler repair is enough to strike fear into the heart of any landlord. The boiler -- the veritable heart of any home -- is what keeps tenants comfortable and cosy.
Breakdowns can be costly, but they can also sour relations between landlords and tenants if they are not quickly resolved. In the long run, that’s damaging to your relationship with the tenant and can lead to other issues.
Typical Boiler Repair Costs
Boilers, like most household appliances, have multiple points of failure. But they tend to be much costlier to fix than white goods, partly because of the need for gas safety compliance.
For landlords, boiler repairs are complex because you don’t have full oversight of what’s been happening. It can be difficult to work out of there are unrelated water or gas problems that have been building up for some time.
If your tenant’s boiler is bust, you’ll need to fork out quickly. Expect to pay around £200-£500 for the replacement of a small part inside a boiler. If you need to replace the whole unit, you’d be looking at a bill closer to four figures once you factor in the cost of a Gas Safe engineer.
And for bigger problems with your central heating, the sky really is the limit.
Protection Against Boiler Breakdown
What happens if your tenant phones with a boiler breakdown while you’re at work, or overseas? Managing the issue can quickly become stressful. But you can’t leave tenants without heat and hot water, particularly if they are elderly.
Landlords are constantly at risk. In an emergency, you could find yourself with a huge bill for call-outs literally overnight. Old boilers are more likely to have problems, but that doesn’t mean your brand new unit is immune. Which? reports that as many as one in five UK households experienced boiler breakdowns in 2016.
For the sake of your tenant, and your own reputation as a responsible landlord, you need to have a strategy in place so that you aren’t facing cash flow problems or delays in restoring heat and hot water to your property.
Boiler cover is really the best option if you need to protect your finances and ensure that your tenant’s needs are quickly taken care of. When you balance the cost of monthly premiums against a sudden repair -- particularly the cost of labour -- it’s very clear that boiler insurance is a sensible investment.
Rapid Repairs With Row.co.uk
Row.co.uk are specialists when it comes to boiler insurance. Our superb policy covers routine repairs, as well as emergencies when you can’t wait for a plumber.
Your monthly payment covers the cost of unlimited repairs, and you also get a 24-hour claims line if the worst happens.
It really does offer peace of mind for everyone, and at a very reasonable price.
There’s no age limit on the boilers that we insure, and all of the repairs we undertake are guaranteed for 14 days -- ample time for your tenant to check that everything’s working.
For more information, talk to our friendly team about landlord boiler cover today.
*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.