Boiler cover comparison: how to compare like for like
Monthly price is the number every provider shows you and the one that tells you least. Here are the six questions that decide what a plan is worth, answered for Smart Plan.
How do you compare boiler cover?
Put every plan through the same six questions: what is the yearly cover limit, do you pay an excess or a call-out fee, what is excluded, how old a boiler will it take, what does it pay if the boiler cannot be repaired, and what does leaving early cost. Price alone tells you almost nothing.
Those answers sit in the terms, not on the sales page. Two plans at the same monthly price can differ in the yearly ceiling, the age rule and whether you pay per visit, so read those three lines in every set of terms.
Below are the six questions, with Smart Plan's answers and the clause references.
The six questions, in short
Worth saving before you ring anyone.
- Cover limit: the most a plan pays in 12 months. Smart Plan pays up to £500 under 7 years old, £200 over 7.
- Call-out fee: £95 on boiler and central heating in the defined cases below, and before every attendance on drainage, plumbing, electrical, pest control and home security.
- Exclusions: ask for the general exclusions, not the inclusions.
- Boiler age: Smart Plan sets the boiler cover limit by age. Ask every provider whether they also set an age cut-off.
- Beyond economical repair: Smart Plan pays a contribution, not a new boiler.
- Exit cost: a 12-month agreement period begins once you request a service.
The comparison grid
| What to ask | Why it decides the value | Smart Plan's answer |
|---|---|---|
| What is the cover limit per 12-month period, and does it include labour? | A ceiling on the whole year, not per repair. | £500 while the boiler is under 7 years old, £200 once it is over 7, parts and labour included (cover plan terms, section 2, cover definitions (d)). The other modules have their own limits, set out below. |
| Is there an excess or a call-out fee, and exactly when? | A charge on every visit can outweigh a cheaper monthly price. | On boiler and central heating, a £95 call-out fee applies in three defined cases: a call-out inside the first 30 days, paid in advance (general terms 1); an issue that falls under an exclusion (general terms 2); and an annual service requested inside the first 30 days (section 2, cover definitions (b)). Failing to give access to the equipment may also bring a call-out fee (general terms 12). On drainage, plumbing, electrical, pest control and home security, the terms require a call-out fee before every attendance (sections 3.1(c), 4.1(d), 5.1(c), 6.1(d) and 7.1(c)). |
| What is on the general exclusions list? | They apply to every module and cause most declined jobs. | They include repressurising and resetting, flues and ventilation, sludge, scale and corrosion damage, freezing, perishable parts such as seals and filters, manufacturer defects, and outbuildings. |
| Will you take my boiler at its age? | Some providers set an age cut-off, so ask before you compare prices. | Smart Plan's boiler and central heating terms set the cover limit by the boiler's age: £500 under 7 years old, £200 over 7 (cover plan terms, section 2, cover definitions (d)). |
| What happens if the boiler is beyond economical repair? | The biggest sum involved. | A contribution payment: the lower of the retail value of the equipment including installation, or your cover limit less work already done (general terms 5). Heat exchanger or PCB failure means the boiler is declared beyond economical repair (section 2, cover definitions (c)). |
| What does leaving cost, and when does that start? | Monthly rolling does not always mean free to leave. | Monthly rolling, with a 14-day cooling-off period from inception that is void once any service is carried out at your request (definitions 11, cancellation terms 2). Request a service and a 12-month agreement period starts, and leaving inside it costs the remaining monthly payments or 75% of the outstanding balance as a one-off (cancellation terms 4). |
Cover limit, excess and call-out fee are three different things
These are three different charges, so pin down which you are being quoted. The cover limit is the ceiling on what comes back to you over 12 months. An excess is a fixed amount you pay towards a repair, usually every visit. A call-out fee is a charge for the visit itself.
Compare the same shape: a year of payments, plus whatever you pay per visit, against the ceiling on what the plan pays towards repairs. Price a per-visit charge the way you would price an excess.
A separate £95 no-access fee applies if our engineer cannot get in (general terms 13). The first 30 days is a call-out fee window, not a period without cover: your cover is running, and a call-out inside it carries the fee.
Read the exclusions before the inclusions
Exclusion lists are written by the people who decide what gets declined. Ask for the general exclusions, which apply to the whole plan. Three catch people out.
Water quality damage
Smart Plan's general exclusions rule out works caused by sludge, scale deposits, increased pressure and contamination from rust or corrosion. Ask each provider whether theirs do the same, especially if your system has never been flushed.
Manufacturer defects
A defect in the appliance itself belongs to the manufacturer's guarantee, and Smart Plan's general exclusions list manufacturer defects. Our warranty versus cover page, linked below, sets out which product answers which fault.
The jobs treated as yours
Repressurising, resetting and battery changes sit in the general exclusions, as does damage caused by freezing. Ask each provider where they draw the line on small user tasks.
The question most comparisons skip: what if it cannot be repaired?
Boilers reach a point where repair makes no sense, and this is the largest sum a plan can involve. Ask every provider what happens then, in writing.
Smart Plan pays a contribution rather than fitting a new boiler, and the terms treat heat exchanger or PCB failure as beyond economical repair. On a boiler over 7 years old that contribution is measured against the £200 limit.
No repair-based plan is a replacement fund. If your boiler is near the end of its life, compare repair against replacement, not one plan against another.
Where modular cover changes the comparison
Smart Plan is modular: seven modules, and you take only the ones you want. Where a provider sells fixed tiers, check what each tier includes that you would never use. The flexibility is about what you buy, not about walking away: once you request a service, the 12-month agreement period applies.
If you are a landlord, compare something different
A landlord has a legal duty a homeowner does not, so check whether a plan helps you meet it. The Health and Safety Executive states that a landlord is responsible for ensuring "an annual gas safety check is carried out within 12 months of the installation of a new appliance or flue which you provide and annually thereafter by a Gas Safe Registered engineer". So compare whether the gas safety record, the CP12, is included and issued. Our landlord boiler cover page, linked below, sets this out in full.
Smart Plan limits and fees in one place
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Boiler and central heating, boiler under 7 years old | Up to £500 |
| Boiler and central heating, boiler over 7 years old | Up to £200 |
| Plumbing, drainage, electrical, pest control or home security | Up to £500 each |
| Appliances | Up to £225 per appliance |
| Call-out fee, boiler and central heating | £95, in the defined cases above |
| Call-out fee, drainage, plumbing, electrical, pest control and home security | £95, before every attendance |
| No-access fee if the engineer cannot get in | £95 |
| Missed payment fee | £20 |
| Cooling-off period from inception | 14 days, void once any service is carried out at your request |
| Early exit inside the 12-month agreement period | Remaining monthly payments, or 75% of the outstanding balance as a one-off |
| Annual service on boiler and central heating, paying monthly | After 6 months of payments |
| Call-out hours, unless an emergency breakdown | Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00. We aim to get an engineer out to you within two working days. |
Who does the work, and staying safe while you compare
Work on your boiler is gas work. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 state that "No person shall carry out any work in relation to a gas fitting or gas storage vessel unless he is competent to do so", which in practice means a Gas Safe registered engineer. Check whoever attends on the Gas Safe Register. Smart Plan repairs are carried out by a national network of thousands of Gas Safe registered engineers.
If you smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 straight away. Never attempt gas repairs yourself.
Boiler cover comparison: your questions
What should I compare when choosing boiler cover?
Six things: the cover limit per 12-month period, whether you pay an excess or a call-out fee and when, the general exclusions list, any boiler age rule, what the plan pays if the boiler is beyond economical repair, and the cost of leaving early.
What is a cover limit and why does it matter?
It is the most a plan puts towards covered repairs in a 12-month period, covering the whole year rather than each job. With Smart Plan it is £500 while the boiler is under 7 years old and £200 once it is over 7, parts and labour included. Anything above the limit is yours to pay.
Does Smart Plan charge a call-out fee?
Yes, £95. On boiler and central heating it applies in three defined cases: a call-out in the first 30 days, paid in advance; an issue that falls under an exclusion; and an annual service requested in the first 30 days. A separate £95 no-access fee applies if the engineer attends and cannot get in. On drainage, plumbing, electrical, pest control and home security, the terms require a call-out fee before every attendance.
Will boiler cover take an older boiler?
Some providers set an age cut-off, so ask before you compare prices. Smart Plan's boiler and central heating terms set the cover limit by the boiler's age: £500 under 7 years old and £200 once it is over 7. Near the end of a boiler's life, weigh cover against replacement.
Is boiler cover the same as boiler insurance?
No. Smart Plan is a service plan, and its terms state it is not a contract of insurance. It is a repair and maintenance membership: you choose modules, and we arrange the engineer and cover a covered repair up to your cover limit.
What happens if my boiler cannot be repaired?
With Smart Plan you receive a contribution payment rather than a new boiler: the lower of the retail value of the equipment including installation, or your cover limit less work already carried out. The terms treat heat exchanger or PCB failure as beyond economical repair.
Comparing us against someone else?
Every figure here comes from our own terms, so you can drop it straight into your comparison. If a question is still open, send it to us, or call 0333 772 6247.
Call us today
Customer service
0333 772 6247New customers
0333 772 6247Write to us
By email
hello@smart-plan.comBy post
2nd Floor, Melrose House
42 Dingwall Road
Croydon
CR0 2NE