Terms & Conditions

Plumbing, Drains & Wires - Terms and Conditions of Cover

You have entered into a contract of insurance with Inter Partner Assistance SA and a separate contract with Homeserve to arrange and administer the policy. This document represents the entire agreements of the parties on the matters in question, which will be subject to English Law, and the parties submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.

Please read this document carefully, we do not wish you to discover after an incident has occurred that you are not insured. If you have any queries, please call Homeserve on 0800 783 0951.

DEFINITIONS RELATING TO THE INSURANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Certain words within your terms and conditions or your policy summary have a particular meaning, shown below. Each time we use one of these words it will have the same meaning:

1. You/Your: The permanent occupier of the property as recorded on the reply card and your domestic partner, children and other relatives who permanently reside with you at your property.
2. Inter Partner Assistance/We/Us/Our: Inter Partner Assistance S.A., The Quadrangle, 106-118 Station Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1PR.
3. Homeserve: Homeserve Membership Ltd, Cable Drive, Walsall, WS2 7BN.
4. Property: Your principal place of residence, (comprising private dwelling, garage and outbuildings, built of brick, stone or concrete and roofed with slate, metal, thatch, concrete, asbestos or asphalt), used for domestic purposes, all situated at the covered address but excluding private flats, mobile homes, bedsits/properties in multiple occupation and commercial premises. Flats are not eligible for cover.
5. Temporary reinstatement: For drainage claims - the back-filling of any necessary excavation to leave the ground level. We will not reinstate or arrange for the reinstatement of hard or soft landscaping, such as drives, pathways, walls, flower beds or lawns.
   For internal claims - any carpets, linoleum or floorboards, removed by our engineer in order to gain access to the affected pipes covered under this policy, will be put back such that the floor is sufficiently safe to walk on. However, we are not responsible for reinstating floor coverings or fixtures and fittings to their original standards.
6. Domestic electrical wiring: The permanent 240 volt electrical supply system in the property supplying electrical power including wall sockets, switches, bulb sockets and fuseboxes, all beyond the electricity company's supply meter.
7. Breakdown and/or failure: Sudden and unforeseen electrical malfunction of the domestic electrical wiring.
8. Emergency: Sudden and unforeseen damage to the internal plumbing and drainage services or underground drains which immediately:
   1. exposes you to a risk to your health; or
   2. creates a risk of loss of or damage to the property and any of your belongings forming part of or normally contained within the property; or
   3. makes the building uninhabitable.
9. Internal plumbing and/or drainage services: the domestic sanitary fittings, water supply, storage and/or drainage systems for which you have responsibility within the limits of the buildings of your property.
10. Underground drains: the drainage pipes and sewers within the property boundary and drainage pipes outside the property, but only as far as the junction with the mains services where you have responsibility.
11. Emergency repairs: repair work by a plumbing, drainage or electrical engineer authorised by Inter Partner Assistance to identify and/or eliminate the emergency.
12. Uncontrollable internal emergency: an internal emergency where you are unable to temporarily stop the incident from causing further immediate damage within the home (i.e. by turning the water off, total power failure, containing the leak or not using the affected facilities).
13. Approved contractor: A tradesperson authorised in advance by us to carry out repairs.

COST OF COVER

1. The cost of cover is the total amount you pay as detailed in your policy documentation, which consists of the Arrangement and Administration Fee as detailed in you Policy Schedule and the Premium and Insurance Premium Tax. The Arrangement and Administration Fee is the amount you pay for arranging and administering the cover, and the Premium is the amount you pay for the insurance contract. These arrangements do not affect the amount that you pay for your cover or the service that you receive. References to 'Plumbing, Drains and Wires Cover' and 'Cover' in all documents include services within both contracts.
2. Your policy premium will be reviewed upon renewal. Any claims made will also be considered within the review. Any amendments to the policy premium will be confirmed on your policy summary approximately 28 days before the expiry of your cover.

ADMINISTRATION TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This cover is arranged and administered for you by Homeserve Membership Ltd, Cable Drive, Walsall, WS2 7BN, registered in England no. 2770612.

1. Homeserve will arrange your insurance cover and agree service standards for the delivery of the cover provided by the insurance. If the insurance does not provide the cover you need, you should return your policy summary to Homeserve at the FREEPOST address shown below (see number 6) within 28 days of the policy start date and your premium will be refunded in full, provided no claim has been made. Please note that your statutory cancellation rights, which begin at the end of the waiting period and run for fourteen days, are included within this 28 day period. (See 'What is not covered?' section 2).
2. The minimum period for which you may hold this policy is twelve months, or the period of cover detailed in the policy schedule, if this is less than twelve months. Homeserve will arrange for collection of policy premiums in accordance with your instructions. If you fail to pay any premium on the due date for payment, Homeserve will notify you in writing within five working days, your policy will be suspended immediately and you will not be covered during this period. If you do not pay in full within thirty days of the due date, your policy will be cancelled. Any outstanding payments will be requested and upon receipt of cleared funds your cover will restart.
3. Homeserve reserves the right to cancel this policy by giving you at least seven days notice at your last known address. If Homeserve cancel the policy, Homeserve will refund your premium for the remainder of the current policy period shown on your policy summary, unless a claim has been made.
4. Homeserve will contact you in writing before your policy expires to arrange renewal of your policy. Homeserve reserve the right to refuse renewal of any individual policy.
5. You are responsible for informing Homeserve of a change of your address, so that cover can be transferred to your new property. Please send this information to Homeserve at the FREEPOST address (see number 6).
6. If you have a complaint relating to an administrative matter, please write to FREEPOST RLYC-LXAL-GEEH, Customer Relations Department, Homeserve, Walsall, WS2 7BN. In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with the response from Homeserve. We will provide you with details of how to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

INSURANCE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The insurance is underwritten by Inter Partner Assistance SA who are a wholly owned subsidiary of AXA Assistance SA and part of the worldwide AXA Group. Their address is: Inter Partner Assistance, The Quadrangle, 106 - 118 Station Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1PR. United Kingdom office, registered no. FC008998.

Inter Partner Assistance SA is regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) here in the UK and authorised by the Commission Bancaire, Financière et des Assurances (CBFA) in Belgium (their regulatory arm).

WHAT IS COVERED?

1. The date from which you are able to make a claim is shown on your Policy Schedule under 'Period of Insurance'.
2. Claims must be made via our 24 hour Emergency Hotline by you or a person calling on your behalf at the time of the emergency.
3. We regret that no costs for repairs are payable unless we have been notified through the 24 hour emergency telephone number provided and have authorised an approved contractor in advance.
4. In order for us to verify your cover, please have your policy number ready to quote when calling to make a claim. This is shown on your Policy Schedule. The approved contractor or nominated agent may ask you to produce your Policy Schedule when they arrive at your property.
5. In the event that any loss, damage or expense covered under this policy is found to be covered by any other insurance or maintenance contract we will not pay more than our fair share (rateable proportion) of any claim.

Section 1: Plumbing Cover

Internal plumbing and drainage emergency

1. If you suffer an emergency relating to your internal plumbing and drainage services at the address on your terms and conditions, you should call us on the Emergency Hotline number on your Policy Summary. We will then:
   1. advise you of how to protect yourself and the property immediately while awaiting assistance;
   2. organise and pay up to £1,000 (including VAT) on your behalf for an approved plumbing and drainage engineer to carry out the emergency repairs that are immediately necessary to:
      1. protect you against risk to health;
      2. make the buildings of the property safe and habitable and, if necessary, secure the property and belongings against further resulting damage.
2. The cover limit does not include payment for the restoration of any fixtures or fittings (e.g. fitted units, special floor coverings such as wood block or ceramic tiles etc.) removed in the process of conducting the emergency repair.
3. The total amount we will pay under section 1 (Plumbing Cover), arising from any one event is £1,000 including VAT.
   In the event of an uncontrollable emergency within your home Homeserve guarantee the arrival of a plumber within two hours.

Section 2: Drainage Cover

Underground drains

5. If you suffer a leakage or blockage in your underground drains, you should call us on the Emergency Hotline number on your Terms and Conditions. We will then organise and pay up to £2,000 (including VAT) for an approved drainage engineer to unblock or repair or replace the damaged section of drain in order for us to resolve the immediate emergency including temporary reinstatement to leave the drain running clear.
6. Our liability to pay for such repairs applies: (a) to drains and sewers between the property boundary and the pipes under your home; (b) to drains on private land (to which you have the legal right of access) between the property boundary and the public highway, and (c) to drains in the public highway, if you have this sole extra responsibility.
7. Drains/sewers and water supply pipes within and under your home and soil stacks on your property are not covered under Section 2, they are only covered if they are an emergency under Section 1.
8. The total amount we will pay under section 2 (Drainage Cover), arising from any one event is £2,000 including VAT.

Section 3: Electrical Emergency and Breakdown Cover

Breakdown and/or failure of the Domestic Electrical Wiring

9. If you suffer a breakdown and/or failure of your domestic electrical wiring, you should call us on the emergency hotline. We will then:
   1. advise you how to protect yourself and the property immediately
   2. offer to organise and pay up to £1,000 (including VAT) on your behalf for the call-out, labour, parts and materials involved in repairing or remedying the breakdown and/or failure of the domestic electrical wiring.
10. Your liability to pay for such repairs shall apply to the permanent electricity supply system beyond the electricity company's supply meter, which has failed or broken down for reasons other than a failure of external public services to the property.
11. The total amount we will pay under section 5 (Electrical Emergency and Breakdown Cover), arising from any one event is £1000 including VAT.
12. In the event of total failure of the Domestic Electrical Wiring within your home caused by an electrical Emergency other than a failure of external public services, a Homeserve approved engineer will aim to be with you within two hours of notification.

Section 4: Hotel Accommodation

If your property becomes uninhabitable for a period of time in excess of 48 hours as a result of an event covered by Section 1 (Internal Plumbing and Drainage Emergency Cover), Section 2 (Drainage Cover) or Section 3 (Electrical Emergency and Breakdown Cover) and no alternative accommodation is available, we will pay hotel costs up to £200 (including VAT).

APPLIES TO ALL COVER

All permanent repairs are guaranteed for as long as you choose to remain a Plumbing, Drains and Wires customer. A permanent repair is only carried out if it's as cost effective as an emergency repair.

13. Claims must be made via our 24 hour Emergency Hotline by you or a person calling on your behalf at the time of the emergency. We regret that we will not cover the costs of work carried out by contractors not authorised by us in advance.
14. In order for us to verify your cover you must quote your policy number when calling to make a claim and produce your Policy Summary if requested.
15. We operate a 'fair play' policy, which limits the number of claims you can make in any one policy year. There can be a maximum of 2 claims in total under Section 1 (Internal Plumbing and Drainage) and a maximum of 2 claims in total under Section 2( Drainage Cover) within the period of insurance stated on your Policy Summary. You can make unlimited claims under Section 3 (Electrical Emergency or breakdown)

WHAT IS NOT COVERED?

1. Inter Partner Assistance provides the services and benefits described in these terms and conditions for the period of insurance shown on the enclosed Policy Summary. But there are conditions and exclusions which limit your cover. Please read them carefully to ensure this policy meets your needs.
2. To prevent claims on pre-existing problems (and therefore reduce premiums) an initial 14 day waiting period when new customers cannot make a claim, applies in the first year of your policy for the new elements of your cover. The date from which you are able to make a claim is shown on your Policy Schedule under 'Period of Insurance'. Providing you renew before the expiry of your policy no waiting period applies after your first year's cover.

EXCLUSIONS

Section 1: Plumbing Cover

1. These events are excluded from the insurance:
   1. a leaking central heating radiator, where you are able to turn off the radiator and stop the leak;
   2. any hot or cold water tap which requires re-washering;
   3. incidents related to water flowing externally out of any overflow pipes;
   4. any problems associated with shower units, controls, outlet or shower head.
2. We are not liable for:
   1. any costs relating to replacement of water tanks, radiators, cylinders, sanitary ware (e.g. basins and toilet bowls);

Section 2: Drainage Cover

1. We are not liable for:
   1. shared drainage facilities (sewers) except within the boundary of the property of which the underground drains serve. For maisonettes, our liability is limited to your share (rateable proportion) of the costs;
   2. any item not forming part of the underground drains;
   3. swimming pools or decorative features including ponds, fountains and any associated pipes, valves or pumps;
   4. any costs relating to repair or replacement of pumps including any associated electrics or valves, water softeners, waste disposal units, macerators or any central heating component (e.g. motorised valves, boiler parts etc.)
   5. drain clearance where you have previously been advised of the need to install access points (e.g. rodding eye, manhole etc.) at your cost;

Section 3: Electrical Emergency and Breakdown Cover

4. These events are excluded from the insurance.
   1. the replacement of light bulbs, decorative and fluorescent tube light fittings, fuses in plugs or any other routine electrical maintenance tasks;
   2. the resetting of circuit breakers, where it is not associated with permanent repair work and where it can be reset by you;
   3. electrics which are connected to a pump to a swimming pool, pond, water feature or fish tank, whether inside or outside the property;
   4. any adjustment required to the timing and temperature controls of heaters or Economy 7 timer switches;
   5. the replacement of transformers controlling the voltage to a single low voltage light fitting;
   6. control wiring of burglar and fire alarm systems & CCTV, telephone wiring, smoke detectors, doorbells and fire alarm systems;
   7. any fixtures including wiring and earthing where its replacement is only necessary as a result of changes in legislation or health and safety guidelines;
   8. equipment which has not been installed, serviced or maintained in accordance with statutory regulations, British Standards or manufacturer's instructions.
5. We are not liable for;
   1. any item not forming part of the domestic electrical wiring;
   2. any fixtures including wiring and earthing where its replacement is only necessary as a result of changes in legislation or health and safety guidelines;
   3. wiring or anything connected to satellite dishes, radio and television aerials, their fittings and masts;
   4. any electrics which are not permanent and/or are situated outside the private dwelling, such as fairy lights. Except wiring to security lighting or permanent garden lighting attached to the property;
   5. control wiring of burglar alarms, telephone wiring, smoke detectors, doorbells and electrical garage door systems;
   6. domestic electrical appliances, portable and fixed heating or energy efficiency management systems;
   7. immersion heaters, with the exception of the permanent fixed wiring to the immersion heater, which is covered.
   8. repair or replacement costs if our contractor is unable to repair the domestic electrical wiring due to its age or poor condition;
   9. the like for like replacement of wall sockets, switches or fittings necessary in repairing or remedying a breakdown and/or failure of the domestic electrical wiring, unless an alternative is supplied by you at the time of our engineers visit;
   10. replacement costs of domestic electrical wiring which needs to be replaced as a consequence of natural wear and tear or gradual deterioration;
   11. 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.

APPLIES TO ALL SECTIONS OF COVER

ALL EMERGENCIES AND BREAKDOWNS

6. These events are excluded from the insurance:
   1. any event arising from circumstances known to you before the insurance began;
   2. temporarily frozen pipes which have not resulted in confirmed damage;
   3. incidents related to external guttering, rainwater downpipes, rainwater drains and soakaways;
   4. 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;
   5. systems which have not been installed, serviced or maintained in accordance with established practice or manufacturer's instructions;
   6. swimming pools or decorative features including ponds, fountains and any associated pipes, valves or pumps;
   7. cesspits, septic tanks and any outflow pipes;
   8. domestic appliances
   9. vacuum drainage systems;
   10. any costs relating to repair or replacement of pumps including any associated electrics or valves, water softeners, waste disposal units, macerators or any central heating component (e.g. motorised valves, boiler parts etc.);
   11. any defect, damage or breakdown caused by malicious or willful action, negligence, misuse, or third party interference including any attempted repair or modification to the covered sections, which does not comply with recognised industry standards;
   12. any liability for consequential loss whether as a result of a defect or malfunction of the covered sections, 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;
   13. any part of the covered sections which are too difficult to access safely, e.g. where asbestos is present.
7. We are not liable for:
   1. any loss in the event of damage occurring where the property has remained unoccupied for 60 or more consecutive days;
   2. costs incurred where you have been informed of the need to do permanent repairs to avoid emergencies;
   3. any costs above the cover limit. You are responsible for agreeing and settling these costs directly with the engineer;
   4. any loss arising from subsidence, heave of the site or landslip caused by:
      1. bedding down of new structures;
      2. demolition or structural repairs or alterations to the property.
   5. faulty workmanship or the use of defective materials by a non-approved engineer
   6. river or coastal erosion;
   7. any loss or damage arising as a consequence of:
      1. war, invasion, act of foreign enemies, terrorism, hostilities (whether war is declared or not), civil war, rebellion, revolution, insurrection, coup, riot or civil disturbance;
      2. 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.
   8. this insurance does not cover you for any loss, injury, damage or legal liability arising directly or indirectly from the failure or inability of any equipment to correctly recognise or interpret data representing any date, in such a way that it does not work properly at all.

INTER PARTNER ASSISTANCE - A PROMISE OF SERVICE

1. We wish to provide you with a very high standard of service. Very occasionally we receive complaints which we investigate at once. Every effort is made to resolve them to your satisfaction.
2. If you have a complaint please write to the Freepost RLYC-LXAL-GEEH, Customer Relations Department, Homeserve, Walsall, WS2 7BN. If your complaint relates to the service you experienced as a result of a claim, and you feel that the matter has not been resolved satisfactorily, you may escalate your complaint to the General Manager of Inter Partner Assistance, The Quadrangle, 106-118 Station Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1PR. In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with the response from Inter Partner Assistance. We will provide you with details of how to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

1. If any loss, damage or expense covered under this policy is also covered by any other insurance or maintenance contract, you must provide us with full details of the other contract. We will not pay more than our fair share (rateable proportion) of any claim.
2. This policy is for homeowners only. Council tenants will not require this service. Retail, commercial and other premises used for business are not eligible for this cover.
3. This insurance does not cover normal day-to-day maintenance of the internal plumbing and drainage services, external drains, or domestic electrical wiring at your property, for which you are responsible. Nor does it pay for replacing items that wear out over a period of time.
4. You must co-operate with us in obtaining reimbursement of any costs we incur under the terms of this cover, which may have been caused by the action of a third party, against whom you have a right of action.