HomeMinder Policy Terms & Conditions

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

Insured/You/Your: The policyholder and/or any member of the policyholder’s family normally living in the property.
Inter Partner Assistance SA/We/Us/Our: Inter Partner Assistance SA, The Quadrangle, 106 – 118 Station Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1PR.
Homeserve: Homeserve Membership Ltd, Cable Drive, Walsall, WS2 7BN.
Period of Insurance: From the commencement date (the date your application is accepted by us) for the period for which the payment has been paid (see Policy Summary for the number of days of cover).
Home: Your principal permanent place of residence (comprising garden, private dwelling, garage and outbuildings, built of brick, stone or concrete and roofed with slate, metal, concrete, asbestos or asphalt, used for domestic purposes, all situated at the address on your Policy Summary), but excluding mobile homes, bed-sits, properties in multiple occupancy and commercial premises. Flats, apartments and maisonettes are not eligible for cover.
Emergency: The result of a sudden and unforeseen incident at the property which immediately:
1. exposes the insured or a third party to a risk to their health or;
2. creates a risk of loss of or damage to the property and/or any of your belongings or;
3. renders the property uninhabitable.
This definition shall include damage to or breakdown of the Essential Services to your home. The following are examples of emergencies, which are covered under this policy:
1. Sudden and unexpected roofing problems, such as leaks or tiles blown off during a storm or bad weather
2. Blockages in toilet waste pipes
3. Plumbing problems related to leaking pipes, blocked drains or water tanks
4. Failure of the central heating system or boiler (excludes May-August)
5. Failure of the gas or electricity within the property
6. Failure of the hot-water system
7. Broken glazing leaving your home vulnerable to intruders
8. Locks on your door breaking leaving the home unable to be secured.
Essential Services:
1. Mains drainage to the boundary of the property,
2. Water, electricity and gas within the property, and
3. The main source of heating where no alternative exists, and
4. The service of the above is immediately necessary to prevent an emergency.
Emergency Repairs: A temporary repair which is necessary to resolve the immediate emergency, carried out by an approved contractor. This repair will be guaranteed for 3 months.
Temporary repair: A repair which will resolve an emergency but will need to be replaced by a permanent repair. This repair will be guaranteed for 3 months.
Permanent repair: Repairs and/or work required to put right the damage caused to the property by the emergency. This repair will be guaranteed for 12 months.
Approved contractor: A tradesperson authorised in advance by Inter Partner Assistance SA to carry out repairs.
Geographical Limits: United Kingdom (Mainland only), the Isle of Wight and Northern Ireland.
Holiday: a trip requiring you to be away from your home for at least 24 hours for leisure purposes, excluding business trips.
Holiday period: Information provided by you confirming when the holiday trip will commence and finish, so that cover under the policy can be provided during these specified dates.
Nominated Keyholder: The person or persons (if more than one they must reside at the same address as each other), whom you have nominated to look after your home whilst you are on holiday.
Premium: The price of the policy to be paid by you.
Unoccupied: Your home not lived in by you or any other person who has your permission, 24 hours prior to your holiday period.

COST OF COVER

The cost of cover is the total amount you pay as detailed in your policy documentation, which consists of the Arrangement and Administration Fee of < > and the premium. 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 ‘Cover’ in all documents include services within both contracts.

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.

Homeserve will arrange and administer 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 Administration Terms and Conditions number 6) within 14 days of the policy start date. If you cancel your policy within 14 days you will be entitled to a full refund of the premium paid. You will also have a 14 day cancellation period on subsequent renewal of your policy. The cancellation right will not apply following a change to your policy. If after 14 days from the date you receive your policy documentation you tell us either by telephone or in writing that you wish to cancel your policy you will not be entitled to a refund.
The minimum period of this policy is one year. We will arrange for collection of policy premiums in accordance with your instructions. If you fail to make a payment on the due date, your policy will be suspended immediately and during this period you will not be covered unless you are already on holiday and have registered the holiday period. We will notify you in writing within 5 working days if you fail to make a payment. If you do not pay in full within 30 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.
To take out a Homeminder policy you must be permanently resident in mainland UK, Isle of Wight or Northern Ireland, both own and occupy your home as your private residence, and plan to go away on holiday for up to 14 or 42 days in a year. You may take several holiday(s) up to your overall limit of 14 or 42 days in a year.
Homeserve reserves the right to cancel this policy by giving you at least 7 days notice at your last known address (but the cover will not be cancelled while you are on holiday). You will be entitled to a refund for the unused portion of your policy.
Homeserve will contact you in writing at least 21 days before your policy expires to arrange renewal of your policy and will provide details of the cost of cover. Homeserve also reserve the right to refuse renewal of any individual Homeserve policy.
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: Freepost RLYC-LXAL-GEEH, Customer Services Department, Walsall, WS2 7BN.
You must contact us at least 24 hours in advance of each holiday to register your holiday period, and to register the details of the nominated keyholder(s), who will be given the key to your home whilst you are on holiday. If you fail to register the keyholder(s) of your home, we will not be able to visit your home due to security risks. If you fail to register your holiday period, we will repair the emergency in your home if requested by your nominated keyholder. In such circumstances we shall be entitled to assume that the nominated keyholder has your authority to make a claim under this policy. In such circumstances proof of your holiday may be required upon your return. (e.g. credit card statements, receipts of purchases, holiday tickets – flights, train, hotel). We will accept a maximum of one claim per policy year where you have failed to register your holiday period in advance. When this happens, if you are unable to provide any proof, the cost of the repair work may be invoiced to you for payment within 30 days of your holiday end when the emergency repairs were undertaken.
The nominated keyholder(s) of your home whilst you are on holiday, and you, upon your return from your holiday, will be responsible for telling us of the emergency situation in your home. To ensure that they have the correct contact details for us, the nominated keyholder should be given the key fob which has the emergency telephone number on it, along with the keys for your home.
If there is an emergency at your home, your nominated keyholder must advise us within 24hours of discovering the emergency on the 24 hour Claims Number provided, or you must contact us within 24 hours of your return from your holiday on the same telephone number.
You are responsible for the cost of any parts or services which have not been authorised by us.
We will only provide Homeminder Cover to your nominated keyholder(s) during the time of your registered holiday period, or to you or any members of your family normally living in the home, during the 24 hours following your return to your home after each holiday, when an emergency situation may be discovered.
There may be times when replacement parts are delayed because of circumstances beyond our control. In these cases we will not be able to avoid delays in repairs.
If the parts needed to carry out either an emergency or permanent repair are no longer available we will ensure that your home is safe. We will advise you of the parts that are unavailable and, if required, our approved contractor will provide you with a quotation for a suitable replacement.
If any loss, damage or expense covered under this insurance policy is also covered by any other insurance or maintenance contract, we will not pay more than our proportionate share of any claim.

INSURANCE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The insurance is provided by Inter Partner Assistance SA, 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 CBFA in Belgium (their regulatory arm).

How to make a claim?

The nominated keyholder or you (within 24 hours of returning from your holiday) must tell us about the emergency as soon as possible on 0800 408 1400. This is a 24 hour, 365 day service. The nominated keyholder or you;
1. Will need your address to hand and the nominated keyholder(s) name and address.
2. Should, wherever possible, provide your Homeserve Homeminder policy number
3. Must act upon the advice given by the claims handler so to prevent further loss or damage to your home before the approved contractor is sent to repair the problem.
4. Must give us all of the necessary information and assistance that we require.
5. Must give us access to the home where there has been loss or damage caused by the emergency and allow us to deal with the problem.
6. Must remain present in the home during the course of the repair.
Please note that if you or your nominated keyholder(s) do not follow the procedures above this may affect our ability to deal with your claim or this may make your claim invalid.

What is covered?

If there is an emergency at your home your nominated keyholder must advise us within 24 hours of discovering the emergency on the 24 hour Homeminder Cover telephone number provided, or you must contact us within 24 hours of your return home from your holiday on the same telephone number.
When your nominated keyholder calls us within your registered holiday period, or you call us within 24 hours of your return, to advise us of an emergency we will tell them or you how to protect your home, as long as 24 hours have passed since your holiday period was registered. If necessary we will arrange for an approved contractor to carry out an emergency repair or if at a similar expense a permanent repair, up to a maximum of £500 per claim including VAT. This price will include:
1. Call out charges
2. Labour
3. Parts and materials.
There is no limit to the number of claims that can be made within your registered holiday periods.
You are covered for 14 days or 42 days of holiday as shown in your Policy Summary during the 12 months following the start of your policy, plus the 24 hours following the return to your home after each holiday, when an emergency situation may be discovered.
You are covered for the following emergencies which happen at any time from 8 days after the start of your Insurance, and within the geographical limits, provided that you register your holiday period and your nominated keyholder(s) before you depart. Your holiday periods must be registered at least 24 hours before you depart for your holiday. We will waive the 8 day period noted above if when you purchase your Homeserve Homeminder cover, you register your holiday period and depart for your holiday within this 8 day period. You do not have to take your holidays all at one time, but may take a number of holidays up to the total number of days shown in your Policy Summary. Your home must be occupied before each holiday being taken. The following emergencies are included under this policy:
1. Sudden and unexpected roofing problems such as leaks or tiles blown off during a storm or bad weather.
2. Blockages in the toilet waste pipes.
3. Plumbing problems related to leaking pipes, blocked drains, water tanks or leaking radiators within your home and its boundary
4. Failure of the central heating system
5. Failure of gas or electricity within your home. If you suffer a leak to your internal gas supply pipes, you should immediately call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Once they have attended and isolated the leak, you should call us on the emergency telephone number. We will then organise and pay up to £500 (including VAT) for an approved CORGI registered installer to repair or replace the damaged section of internal gas supply pipe, including the temporary reinstatement of flooring surfaces. We guarantee the CORGI registered installer’s arrival by the next day (except on bank holidays).
6. Failure of the hot water system.
7. Loss of all keys needed to get into your home, excluding garages or outbuildings.
8. Broken or damaged windows and doors resulting in a security risk to your home.
9. In the event of your home becoming uninhabitable and remaining so overnight, we will, subject to prior agreement with ourselves within the 24 hours upon your return from your registered holiday, pay up to £100 including VAT in total for:
  1. your overnight accommodation and/or;
  2. transport to such accommodation.

What is not covered?

Inter Partner Assistance SA 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. We do not wish you to discover after an incident has occurred that it is not insured.
To prevent claims on pre-existing problems (and therefore reduce premiums) an 8 day exclusion period when new customers cannot make a claim; This applies in the first year of your policy. The date from which you are able to make a claim is shown on your Policy Summary under ‘Period of Insurance’. Providing you renew before the expiry of your policy no exclusion period applies after your first year’s cover.
We reserve the right to pre-screen all boilers and we will not cover your domestic central heating boiler if it is 15 years old or over at the start of cover, if it is not in good working order, if parts are not available or your boiler does not meet our eligibility criteria. We may undertake outbound telephone questionnaires, in a number of cases, to pre-screen against our eligibility criteria.

Exclusions

The following events are excluded from the insurance:
1. Any Emergency which happens before the start of your Homeminder Cover, or outside the holiday period which you have registered for. The holiday period must be registered at least 24 hours in advance of you departing for your holiday;
2. Any emergency which happens within 8 days of the start of your Homeminder Cover, unless you have registered your holiday period within this 8 day period. This clause does not apply when you renew your policy;
3. Any loss or damage arising from circumstances that you were aware of at the start of your Homeminder Cover;
4. Any loss or damage caused by a boiler or heating system which has not been serviced within the last 12 months or which is over 15 years old; LPG fuelled, oil fired, warm air, solar and un-vented heating systems, or commercial boilers (over 60kw/hr);
5. Any items that need repairing as a result of normal use such as replacement light bulbs and fuses in plugs;
6. The cost of replacing parts due to natural wear and tear;
7. Any leaking or dripping tap that needs a new washer or needs to be replaced, outside overflows, replacement cylinders, tanks, radiators and sanitary ware (baths, sinks or toilets);
8. Any damage to septic tanks;
9. Any descaling and any work arising from hard water scale deposits or from damage caused by aggressive water or sludge resulting from corrosion. Signs that work is needed may include a noisy boiler, sludged up pipes or poor circulation;
10. Burst or leaking flexible hoses which can be isolated, or leaking washing appliances;
11. External water supply pipes;
12. Breakdown of or loss or damage to any domestic appliances, saniflow toilets or any mechanical equipment;
13. Damage to boundary walls, hedges, fences or gates;
14. Loss or damage arising from the utility company deliberately disconnecting or interrupting the main services or any equipment they are responsible for;
15. Any damage or failure caused by malicious or willful action, negligence, misuse, interference or faulty workmanship, including any attempted repair which does not meet industry standards;
16. Any loss arising from subsidence caused by new structures, demolition, structural repairs or alterations to the property, faulty workmanship or using faulty material, or river or coastal erosion;
17. Any consequence whatsoever resulting directly or indirectly from or in connection with any of the following regardless of any other contributing cause or event: war, invasion, act of foreign enemy, hostilities or a warlike operation or operations (whether war be declared or not), civil war, rebellion, revolution, insurrection, civil commotion assuming the proportions of or amounting to an uprising, military or usurped power, 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;
18. Any emergency in your home when it has been unoccupied prior to the holiday period;
19. Any loss or damage arising from the loss of electricity supply to, or the failure of, fire alarm systems, CCTV surveillance, swimming pools and their plumbing or filtration systems;
20. Loss or damage caused to personal items, like paintings, electrical goods, jewellery and clothing;
21. Costs for repairs unless we have been notified by you or by the nominated keyholder calling on your behalf through the 24 hour Claims telephone number provided and we have authorised an approved contractor in advance;
22. Any cost relating to the attempted repair by you or your own contractor;
23. Failure of the boiler or central heating system occurring in the months May to August inclusive;
24. Any claims made by a person other than you or your nominated keyholder will not be covered. This is to mimimise security risks.

Complaints procedure

We wish to provide you with a high standard of service. Very occasionally we receive complaints which we investigate at once, and every effort is made to resolve them to your satisfaction. If you have a complaint relating to an administrative error or claim, please write to Freepost RLYC-LXAL-GEEH, Customer Relations Department, Homeserve, Walsall, WS2 7BR. Alternatively, you can call 0800 408 5076. If your complaint relates to the service you experienced as a result of a claim and you feel 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 your response, you can write to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) at: South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, Docklands, London, E14 9SR. Your legal rights are not affected. We are also covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). You may be entitled to compensation should we not meet our obligations. Further information is available on www.fscs.org.uk or you can contact them on 0207 892 7300.

General Conditions

If any loss, damage or expense covered under this insurance policy is also covered by any other insurance or maintenance contract, we will not pay more than our fair share (rateable proportion) of any claim.
This insurance does not cover normal day to day maintenance at your property, which you should do. Nor does it pay for replacing items, which wear out over a period of time.
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 whom you have a legal right of action.