Gas Connect Home Maintenance Cover 

Terms & Conditions

1. Introduction

1.1  Gas Connect Home Maintenance Cover

Gas Connect Home Maintenance is operated by Gas Connect Ltd, Leigh House, Broadway West, Leigh On Sea, SS9 2DD.

The following paragraphs explain the Terms and Conditions of Gas Connect

Home Maintenance and form the basis of a contract between you and Gas Connect Ltd. It is therefore important that you read this document carefully, as we do not wish you to discover after an incident has occurred that you are not covered. If you have any queries, please call us on Tel: 01702 474792

1.2  Eligibility

Gas Connect Home Maintenance Cover is applicable to privately owned domestic properties with a single boiler only and is not available for commercial properties.

1.3  Commencement of Cover

Once your application has been accepted, we will email or write to you to confirm your contract start date. This confirmation will include a Customer Reference number. Please note that you are not permitted to make any claims or callouts on your maintenance plan until after the first  30 days has expired. Any faults present prior to the 30 days will not be covered.

1.4  Types of Cover

Gas Connect Home Maintenance offers a number of different types of cover which are as follows:

• Full Central Heating Service Cover (see 2.1)
• Boiler and Controls Service Cover (see 2.2)
• Radiator System and Controls Service Cover (see 2.3)

Additional Cover (extra cost)

• Plumbing Cover
• Drains Cover
• Taps, Toilets and Shower Cover
• Electrical Cover

(Please note that the ‘Additional Covers’ are an extra cost and do not form part of the standard cover, if you have requested these extras they will be clearly stated in our opening letter to you.

The type of cover that you have agreed to will be stated by letter or email at the start of your cover.

2  What is Covered on:

2.1  Full Central Heating System Cover

2.1.1 The Gas Connect Home Maintenance, covers breakdown and/or failure of your gas fired domestic central heating boiler, circulating pump, motorised valves, time clock or programmer, external thermostat, radiator and valves, hot water tank, feed and expansion tank, pipes and fittings, primary flue and draught diverter.

2.1.2 If you suffer a breakdown of your central heating system, burst radiator (steel panels only), or failure of external controls, you should call us on Tel: 01702 474792 or 07734 144 530. We will then:

1. advise you how to protect yourself and the property immediately;
2. organise and pay on your behalf the call–out, labour, parts, materials and VAT involved in repairing or remedying the breakdown and/or failure of the gas fired domestic central heating boiler/system.
3. In the event that a part needs to be ordered to rectify the breakdown, best endeavours will be made to source the part in the quickest available time.

2.1.3 In the first three months of cover (inclusive of the 30 day period), repairs to and/or replacement of internal components of the central heating boiler (heat exchanger, expansion vessel, printed circuit board etc) are restricted to £300 arising from any one event. This restriction is in place as a result of some customers claiming for excessively costly boiler repairs in the first few days of cover. All repairs external to the boiler are still covered.

2.1.4  Annual Service

Included in your cover is an ‘Annual Service’. It is recommended that all boilers are serviced and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, which typically involve an annual service and safety check. During the period of cover, we will write to you to remind you that the boiler needs servicing.

Please note boiler services are normally undertaken Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and are normally carried approximately every 12months from your last service. If you ignore the recommended service schedule of your boiler and you suffer a boiler breakdown as a direct result of a lack of servicing and/or maintenance, then the subsequent repairs will not be covered.

2.1.5  Boiler

1. Whether or not we installed your boiler, if we agree that your boiler is less than seven years old, we will provide a suitable new replacement boiler that we have approved, we will only do this if we decide that it would cost more to repair the boiler than to replace.
2. The boiler will not be replaced if previously identified faults, defects or advice on maintenance and repairs given by an engineer has been ignored or not completed within a reasonable time.
3. The boiler will not be replaced if spare parts are not available for that make and model of boiler.
4. The boiler will not be replaced if our engineer determines the boiler is beyond economical repair during the first 6 months of cover. In this instance cover will cease.
5. Outside of these specific circumstances or any other specific circumstances shown in your Agreement, you are not entitled to a replacement boiler.

2.2  Boiler and Controls Service Cover

2.2.1 The Gas Connect Home Maintenance ‘Boiler and Controls Service Cover’ includes the  breakdown and/or failure of your gas fired domestic central heating boiler, circulating pump, motorised valves, time clock or programmer, external thermostat, primary flue and draught diverter.

2.2.2 If you suffer a breakdown of your central heating Boiler or failure of external controls, you should call us on Tel: 01702 474792 or 07734 144 530. We will then:

1. advise you how to protect yourself and the property immediately;
2. organise and pay on your behalf the call–out, labour, parts, materials and VAT involved in repairing or remedying the breakdown and/or failure of the gas fired domestic central heating boiler/system.
3. In the event that a part needs to be ordered to rectify the breakdown, best endeavours will be made to source the part in the quickest available time.

2.2.3 The following sections still apply to this policy (see 2.1.3)(see 2.1.5)

2.2.4  Annual Service

Included in this cover is an ‘Annual Service’. (full description see 2.1.4)

2.3  Radiator System and Controls Cover

2.3.1 The Gas Connect Home Maintenance ‘Radiator System and Controls Cover’ is primarily for customers that have had a new boiler installed and is still under guarantee, therefore only requiring the radiators, system pipework and controls to be covered. This will provide cover for the breakdown and/or failure of your: radiators, radiator valves, circulating pump, motorised valves, time clock or programmer, external thermostat, hot water cylinder, pipes and fittings, Feed and Expansion tank primary flue and draught diverter.

2.3.2 If you suffer a breakdown of your central heating system, burst radiator (steel panels only), or failure of external controls, you should call us on Tel: 01702 474792 or Tel: 07734 144 530.  We will then:

1. advise you how to protect yourself and the property immediately;
2. organise and pay on your behalf the call–out, labour, parts, materials and VAT involved in repairing or remedying the breakdown and/or failure of the gas fired domestic central heating boiler/system.
3. In the event that a part needs to be ordered to rectify the breakdown, best endeavours will be made to source the part in the quickest available time.

2.3.3 The following sections still apply to this policy (see 2.1.3)(see 2.1.5)

2.3.4  Annual Service

Under the ‘Radiator System and Controls Cover’ the boiler would still have a Manufacturers Guarantee. Although we would not be covering the boiler under this cover we would include an ‘Annual Service’ as part of this package. (full description see 2.1.4)

2.4  Plumbing Cover

2.4.1 Gas Connect Home Maintenance covers can cover you for repairs of internal plumbing faults such as tank overflows or leaking plumbing pipes from, but not including the internal Taps, showers, fixtures and fittings and stop cock.

2.4.3 The maximum amount we will pay under this policy, arising from any one event is £1000 (including VAT). ‘Any one event’ is defined as a single leaking pipe, etc.

2.4.4 Plumbing Cover is an additional policy that does not form part of our standard policies, this must be requested by yourselves and will be at an additional monthly cost.

2.5  Electric Cover

2.5.1 Gas Connect Home Maintenance can cover you for breakdown of the 240 volt electrical supply system within the property, beyond (but not including) the electricity company’s meter such as faulty electrical switches and faulty fuse board.

2.5.2 The maximum amount we will pay under this policy, arising from any one event is £1000 (including VAT). ‘Any one event’ is defined as a single socket etc.

2.5.3 All permanent repairs are guaranteed for as long as you choose to remain a Gas Connect Home Maintenance Cover customer.

2.5.4 Electrical Cover is an additional policy that does not form part of our standard policies, this must be requested by yourselves and will be at an additional monthly cost.

2.6  Drains Cover

2.6.1 Gas Connect Home Maintenance covers can cover you for unblocking of your drains internally and externally within the boundary of your premises. We do not cover shared drains.

We will cover the leaking or unblocking of internal waste pipes from your sink, bath, shower tray and toilets.

We do not cover Rainwater guttering and down pipes, manholes and their covers, soakaways, septic tanks, cesspits, drainage pumps, macerators, treatment plants and their outflow pipes, full cleaning. We don’t cover any existing design faults with your drains that cause a reoccurring problem.

2.6.2 The maximum amount we will pay under this policy, arising from any one event is £1000 (including VAT). ‘Any one event’ is defined as a single blockage or leak etc.

2.6.3 Drains Cover is an additional policy that does not form part of our standard policies, this must be requested by yourselves and will be at an additional monthly cost.

2.7  Taps & Toilet Cover

2.7.1 Gas Connect Home Maintenance covers can cover you for repairs of your Taps, Toilets showers, washing machine hoses, dishwasher hoses.

We only cover the repair of the items and not the replacement of the item, i.e if the tap could not be repaired and a new tap was required, you would pay for the cost of the tap and we would supply the labour at no cost to you under your cover.

We do not cover any appliances or shower pumps.

2.7.2 Taps & Toilet Cover is an additional policy that does not form part of our standard policies, this must be requested by yourselves and will be at an additional monthly cost.

3  What is Not Covered

The following are excluded from cover:

3.1 Heating System

1. Separate gas heaters providing hot water;
2. Electric, LPG or oil fuelled boilers, back boilers and dual–purpose

boilers (e.g. Aga, Rayburn);

1. Gas fires;
2. Unvented hot water tanks either internal or external to the boiler;
3. Indirect mains pressure hot water tanks, eg. Megaflow, BoilerMate or similar;
4. Breakdown and/or failure, when it has previously been identified by an engineer (during a breakdown or service) that remedial/maintenance work is required to prevent a future breakdown and/or failure of your domestic central heating boiler;
5. Normal day–to–day maintenance of the domestic central heating boiler at your property, for which you are responsible. This includes re-pressurising or balancing of the central heating system and adjustments to the timing and temperature controls of the domestic central heating boiler, venting (bleeding) of radiators or the addition of corrosion inhibitors;
6. Any defect or failing which may be attributed to the original design of the gas fired domestic central heating boiler;
7. Any part of the domestic central heating boiler which is too difficult to access safely, for example, safe floor boarding and/or lighting is required within roof or loft spaces, or any part of the domestic central heating boiler which is impossible or impractical to maintain because of its position, for example a boiler situated in a confined space, inaccessible due to the installation of fitted units;
8. Problems relating to sludge, scale and other debris in the central heating system and related pipework; (i.e. Machine powerflushing is not covered).
9. Repair or replacement of non-standard or extended flue systems;
10. Condensate lift pumps;
11. Any problems relating to condensate pipes caused by freezing weather conditions.
12. Only the replacement of standard steel radiators are covered, we do not replace designer radiators.

(i.e column radiators, cast iron school radiators, chrome towel rails).

3.2 Plumbing and Electrics

1. Taps and any related tap fault;
2. Drainage of any kind.
3. Any plumbing or electrics external to the building;
4. Repairs to toilet cisterns;
5. Electrical “Terminal Ends”, ie, light bulbs, electric showers etc;
6. Anything that can plug in, ie, kettles, computers etc;
7. Repairs to the plumbing or power supply between your home and any out buildings
8. Please note: ‘Plumbing and Electrics Cover’ is an additional policy that if you require this must be stated on your confirmation letter / email and will be an additional cost per month. This does not form part of the standard Covers that we provide i.e Boiler and Controls Cover, Central Heating Cover, Radiator and Controls Cover.

3.3  General Exclusions

1. Any event arising from circumstances where a fault is determined to have been present prior to the commencement of cover;
2. Costs incurred where you have been advised of the need to carry out permanent repair work to avoid repetitive situations leading to a breakdown and/or failure. Such work will need to be carried out at your own expense;
3. Any loss in the event of damage occurring where the property has remained unoccupied for 30 or more consecutive days;
4. Loss or damage arising as a result of disconnection from or interruption to the gas, electricity or water mains services to the property;
5. Normal day-to-day maintenance of the elements covered by your policy at your property, for which you are responsible.
6. The restoration of any fixtures or fittings (e.g. fitted units, special floor coverings such as wood block, Laminate, Parquet or ceramic tiles etc.) removed in the process of conducting the repair;
7. Any liability for consequential loss whether as a result of a defect or malfunction of the central heating system, internal plumbing or drainage services, or arising from any goods, services, arrangements or advice provided by us or any agents acting on our behalf, unless through our or their negligence;
8. Any part of the plumbing, electrical or drainage services which is too difficult to access safely, e.g. where asbestos is present;
9. Any fixtures including lead piping where replacement is only necessary as a result of legislation or health and safety guidelines, or to meet current best practice;
10. Systems and/or equipment which has not been installed, serviced or maintained in accordance with established practice, statutory regulations, British Standards or manufacturer’s instructions;
11. Any defect, damage or breakdown caused through malicious or wilful action, negligence, misuse or third party interference including any attempted repair or modification to the domestic central heating boiler, electrics or internal plumbing which was not carried out by a Gas Connect Home Maintenance appointed engineer;
12. Any filter or related device for the purpose of removing sludge, scale or other debris from your central heating or plumbing system unless integral to the boiler;
13. Damage caused to the property and/or its contents whilst completing a repair will not be reinstated to the original condition. The engineer will advise if any damage is likely to occur;
14. Any costs above the limits of cover. You are responsible for agreeing and settling these costs directly with the engineer;
15. Any losses that are indirectly associated with the incident that caused you to claim, unless caused by our negligence or that of our agents. For example, loss of earnings due to time taken off work to deal with the incident will not be covered.
16. The costs of any work carried out by you or contractors not authorised by us in advance.
17. Any investigative work (such as CCTV), where the incident which caused you to claim has been resolved.
18. Any defect, loss or damage occasioned by fire, lightning, explosion, tempest, flood, earthquake, impact or other extraneous causes;
19. Any loss arising from subsidence, heave of the site or landslip caused by: bedding down of new structures; demolition or structural repairs or alterations to the property; faulty workmanship or the use of defective materials; river or coastal erosion;
20. Any loss or damage arising as a consequence of: war, invasion, act of foreign enemies, terrorism, hostilities (whether war is declared or not), civil war, rebellion, revolution, insurrection, coup, riot or civil disturbance; ionising radiation or contamination by radioactivity from any nuclear fuel or from any nuclear waste from combustion of nuclear fuel, the radioactive toxic explosive or other hazardous properties of any explosive nuclear assembly or its nuclear component.

4  General Conditions

4.1 We reserve the right to pre–screen all boilers and may not cover your domestic central heating boiler if it is not in good working order, if parts are not available or your boiler does not meet our eligibility criteria.

4.2 If any recommended remedial or maintenance works notified during a gas boiler service and/or breakdown/failure are not carried out within 28 days, or your domestic central heating boiler does not meet our eligibility criteria (for example if spare parts are no longer available), we may cancel your policy.

4.3 Claims must be made via our Office or Emergency mobile number by you or a person calling on your behalf at the time of the breakdown and/or failure.

We will not cover the costs of work carried out by contractors not authorised by us in advance. Any gas leaks MUST in the first instance be reported to the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.

4.4 In order for us to verify your cover, when calling, please have your policy number, Name, Address and Postcode ready to quote. The approved engineer may also ask you to produce your Policy Summary when they arrive at your property.

4.5 We may change any of the terms upon which we provide the level of cover, or any other term whatsoever. Where this change benefits you, we will make the change immediately and notify you of the change within 28 days. In all other cases we will write to advise you of the change at least 28 days prior to any change taking effect.

4.6 We will not cover the cost of repairs needed because of design faults, or faults which existed before you entered into your agreement or which we could not identify using reasonable care and skill.

4.7 We will not cover the cost of repairs necessary due to accidental damage caused by you or a tenant.

4.8 Where work is undertaken on your system by a third party, whether or not following our advice, which results in damage to that or another part of your system, the repair of any such damage will be excluded from your agreement.

4.9 We will not cover the cost of repairs or replacement for faults or damage of appliances or systems caused by freezing weather conditions, subsidence, structural repairs, accident, fire, lightning, explosion, flood, storm or other similar adverse weather conditions. You should check your household insurance to make sure you have enough cover for these risks.

4.10 Should parts not be readily available, we are not responsible for any delays caused by our suppliers or their agents in obtaining spare parts that are not immediately available;

4.11 Replacement parts for plumbing and electrical systems are not provided on a “like for like” basis but are replaced with the industry standard equivalent e.g. light fittings, switches, radiators etc.

4.12 If a leak from internal pipework is discovered and is not easily accessible, the leak must be exposed prior to our engineers attendance e.g. removal of plasterboard, lifting of floorboards etc. We do not cover pipework buried in concrete floors or walls, however we will repair a leak as part of your agreement if you exposed the pipework. Depending on the situation we could possibly expose the leak within reason, but this will be at an addition charge to you.

4.13 The commencement or continuation of service where there is a health and safety risk. For example, the presence of hazardous materials, infestation or any abuse (physical or verbal) to our staff or appointed representative.

5  Other Important Information

5.1  Appointments and Access to your Property

It is your responsibility to allow us access to your property. If we cannot gain access to your property, we will be unable to carry out the necessary work. If this happens, we will tell you so that you may arrange another appointment. If you do not arrange an appointment or we cannot gain access, your agreement will continue even though we have been unable to carry out the service. If, after several attempts, you have not made an appointment or we still cannot gain access, we may cancel your agreement. We will tell you in writing if this is the case.

5.2  Call Out Service

If you call us before 9am Monday to Friday to report total loss of heating or hot water, you will normally have a qualified engineer with you on the same day. If you contact us at a weekend or bank holiday we will arrange for the next available engineer to visit you as soon as possible.

5.3  Your Cancellation Rights

There is no minimum contract term for the Gas Connect Home Maintenance cover and you can cancel at any time by writing to us at: Gas Connect Home Maintenance Cover, Leigh House, Broadway West, Leigh On Sea, Essex, SS9 2DD. Cancelling your Direct Debit does not mean you have cancelled the agreement with Gas Connect Ltd.

5.3.1  If you pay by Monthly Direct Debit

If you cancel your agreement within the first 12 months of any agreement term and have had any callouts or an Annual Service during that period, we may charge you 50% of the cost of the callouts.

5.3.2  If you pay your annual premium in full

We will refund the balance of your premium pro-rata with the number of months you have been on cover and may charge you 50% of the cost of any callout during that period. If you have had a boiler service at the beginning of your cover period we may deduct £68.00 inc vat from the sum refunded to cover the cost of the service.

When servicing the boiler at the beginning of the cover period, if our engineer finds that the boiler is in poor condition we may invoke our cancellation rights (see below). Should this happen, the premium you have paid will be refunded to you less £68.00 to cover the cost of the service.

5.3.3  Price Changes and Renewals

Your agreement price will not change until your renewal. We will write to tell you about any change in price and Direct Debit monthly instalment amounts.  At renewal we will write to you to tell you about any changes to the Terms and Conditions or prices.  If you pay by Direct Debit, we will automatically renew your agreement(s) annually until you notify us otherwise.

5.4  Our Cancellation Rights

We may cancel your agreement in the following circumstances:

1. If we give you reasonable notice;
2. If you have given false information;
3. If you do not make an agreed payment.;
4. For agreements concerning gas boilers, gas appliances or heating systems, if: we find something wrong when we visit; or we have advised you that permanent repairs or improvements are needed to make sure your appliance or system works properly, and you do not follow our advice within a reasonable period. This advice may include replacing your boiler or system. (What constitutes a reasonable period will vary depending on the nature of the issue and the period could be short in the case of, for example, a safety issue);
5. If we are not reasonably able to find parts to keep your system or appliance working safely;
6. If circumstances arise (including health and safety issues) which make it inappropriate for the contract to continue;

5.5  Third-party rights

Nobody other than you will be able to benefit from this agreement, which cannot be passed to someone else without our agreement.

5.6  Terms of Contract For the avoidance of any doubt, the contract is a contract for the provision of services by us to you and does not constitute a contract of insurance between you and us. This means that the contract is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and also means that if you have any complaint relating to the Product that you have purchased and/or the services that we provide to you under this contract, you will not have the right to refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

This contract and any matters or disputes arising from or in connection with it shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales in the nonexclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.

5.7  Complaints

We will always aim to do our best but unfortunately there may be times when things go wrong. If you have a complaint about any part of our service or your products please telephone us on Tel: 01702 474792 or write

to us at: Gas Connect Home Maintenance Cover, Leigh House, Broadway West, Leigh On Sea, Essex, SS9 2DD. We will try to deal with the matter immediately, but if we can’t then we will keep you regularly informed about the progress of our investigation.