Boiler cover when you're moving house
Sort cover for your new home before you get the keys. Build only the cover you need and see the price in the online builder. A service plan, not insurance. Talk it through on 0333 772 6247.
What happens to boiler cover when you move house?
When you move house, boiler cover doesn't automatically follow you, because a plan is built around a specific boiler and property. The usual approach is to arrange cover for your new address, timed for the day you get the keys. The practical jobs: get the boiler's paperwork from the seller, find out the boiler's age, and set up cover for the new home.
Movers rarely inherit a full record of the boiler. HMRC's provisional estimate puts UK residential property transactions at 92,390 in May 2026 alone (HMRC monthly property transactions, non-seasonally adjusted, 2026), and most buyers take the keys without knowing when the boiler was fitted or when it was last serviced. That is what the steps below are for.
Smart Plan is a modular home service plan from UK Boiler Company Ltd, trading since 2014, with over 15,000 customers. You pick only the modules you want, from boiler and central heating to plumbing, drainage and electrical, and see your price in the builder before you join.
Last updated: 9 July 2026.
Can I transfer boiler cover to my new house?
A plan is set up around a specific property and its boiler, so moving home usually means arranging cover for the new address rather than assuming the old plan carries across on its own. The new home's boiler may be a different age, which changes the cover limit, and the plan needs to reflect the address an engineer would actually attend. If you'd like us to look at moving an existing plan across, call 0333 772 6247 and we'll go through it with you.
If you already have a plan and you've used a service, check the agreement terms before you change anything. The plan is monthly rolling until you use a service; once you do, a 12-month minimum agreement period begins, and leaving before the end of that period means paying 75% of the remaining monthly payments. Talk to us first on 0333 772 6247 and we'll go through what applies to you.
What if the new home's boiler is older, or its age is unknown?
The boiler's age sets the cover limit. Boiler and central heating cover includes parts and labour up to £500 per 12-month period for boilers under 7 years old, but up to £200 only for boilers 7 years or older. Many buyers move in without knowing which side of that line the boiler sits on, so it's worth pinning the age down before you rely on the cover.
You can usually date a boiler from its data plate or serial number, normally found on the underside of the casing or behind the drop-down front flap. The manufacturer can confirm the year of manufacture from the serial number, and if the previous owner registered the warranty, the installation date is on record too.
We'd rather say it plainly: an older boiler can still be covered here, the limit is just lower. Knowing the real age means the cover you build matches what the plan will actually pay towards a repair, with no surprises when something goes wrong.
What paperwork should I ask the seller for?
Ask for the boiler's service history, the certificate issued when the boiler was installed, any warranty documents, and the user manual. If the house was previously rented out, ask for the most recent landlord gas safety record, often called a CP12. A boiler serviced every year with a full paper trail is a very different prospect from one with no history at all.
A standard homebuyer survey is not a boiler inspection, and many standard surveys do not test the boiler at all. If you're still before exchange, ask the seller for the boiler's service records and consider commissioning a separate boiler-specific check before you commit; see our guide, linked below.
No paperwork isn't a deal-breaker, but treat it as a prompt: book a service with a Gas Safe registered engineer soon after you move in, so you know what you've inherited.
What should you check on day one?
Before the boxes are even unpacked, spend ten minutes on the heating:
- Find the boiler, the main stopcock, the gas meter and the fuse box, and make sure you can reach them
- Check the boiler's pressure gauge: on most systems the needle should sit around 1 to 1.5 bar when the system is cold
- Run the heating and the hot water once, even in summer, so any fault shows up on your timetable rather than in November
- Find the boiler's data plate or serial number and note the age
- Chase the seller or your solicitor for the service history and any warranty paperwork you didn't get at completion
- If there's no record of a service in the last 12 months, book one with a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Set up your cover so a winter breakdown is covered up to your plan limit
- If you ever smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 straight away
How does boiler age change the cover limit?
| Boiler age | Cover limit per 12-month period | What it means when you're moving |
|---|---|---|
| Under 7 years | Up to £500 | The full limit applies. Check whether the manufacturer's warranty is still running and get it transferred into your name where the maker allows it |
| 7 years or older | Up to £200 | Still covered, with a lower limit. Bigger repairs can cost more than the cap, so weigh the boiler's condition honestly before you rely on it |
| Age unknown | Follows the boiler's real age | Date the boiler from its data plate or serial number before you count on the cover; the limit is set by the age, not by what anyone assumed |
Build the plan that fits your new home
Build the plan around your new home's boiler, module by module, and see your price in the builder before you commit. Call-outs run Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00, a £95 call-out fee applies to any call-out in your first 30 days even when the fault is covered, and a 12-month agreement period begins once you use a service. Talk it through on 0333 772 6247.
Moving house boiler cover questions, answered
Do I need boiler cover when I move into a new house?
It's not a legal requirement, but a new home's boiler often has an unknown service history, so cover means a winter breakdown is handled up to your plan limit rather than a surprise bill. If the boiler is under 7 years old, cover includes parts and labour up to £500 per 12-month period. Build only the modules you want at 0333 772 6247.
Can I set up boiler cover before completion day?
Yes, you can get cover arranged in advance so it's in place from the day you get the keys. Call 0333 772 6247 and we'll time it around your completion date. You also get a 14-day cooling-off period when you join, which is set out in our terms and conditions.
Is there a call-out fee when I've just joined?
Yes, in your first 30 days. A £95 call-out fee applies to any call-out during the first 30 days of a new agreement, even when the fault itself is covered. It can also apply where an exclusion applies or an engineer cannot get access. Our terms and conditions set out the full list of when it applies.
What if I don't know how old the boiler is?
Date it from the data plate or serial number, usually on the underside of the boiler or behind the front flap; the manufacturer can confirm the year from the serial. Age matters because cover includes up to £500 per 12-month period for boilers under 7 years, but up to £200 for boilers 7 years or older.
What boiler paperwork should the seller hand over?
Ask for the service history, the certificate issued when the boiler was installed, warranty documents and the user manual. If the property was previously let, ask for the most recent landlord gas safety record (CP12). No paper trail is a prompt to book a service with a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Do I need boiler cover if I had a homebuyer survey?
A survey and cover do different jobs. Many standard surveys do not test the boiler and only give a visual check on the day, while cover deals with breakdowns after you've moved in. A separate boiler-specific inspection is what shows the detail a standard survey leaves out; see our guide to boiler checks before buying a house, linked below.
What hours do engineers come out under a plan?
Call-outs under your plan run Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00. The plan is monthly rolling until you use a service; once you do, a 12-month minimum agreement period begins, and leaving early within that period means paying 75% of the remaining payments. Our terms and conditions set all of this out in full.
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2nd Floor, Melrose House
42 Dingwall Road
Croydon
CR0 2NE