COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions

Yes of course. We are currently prioritising emergencies and putting our most vulnerable customers first, so it could take us longer to get to non priority appointments but we’re working hard to get to you as soon as we can. If you need to make a claim please call us on 0330 0247 999*.

*Lines are open 8am to 8pm weekdays, 8am to 4pm Saturday and 10am to 4pm Sunday. For claims and emergencies lines are open 24/7. Calls to 03 numbers will cost you no more than 01 or 02 numbers, charges may vary depending on your network provider. Calls to 03 numbers will be part of inclusive minute plans for landlines and mobiles.

The safety of our customers and our engineers is our highest priority. If someone in your house is self-isolating and it is not an emergency then we will rearrange for an engineer to attend after the recommended self-isolation period is over.

As per Government guidelines, and to help prevent the spread of the virus to other households and our engineers, we are unable to attend until it is safe to do so. However, we still have some options where we may be able to help and our agents will talk you through what's available. Every situation is different so please talk to our agents who will be able to advise you.

• Engineers have an increased supply of anti-bacterial gel and wipes on their vans as well as in-built washing facilities and will wash their hands before entering your home.
• Engineers will no longer ask you to sign their tablet, instead they will ask for confirmation from you that the job is done and then with your permission, sign on your behalf.
• If you need to sign a disclaimer then our engineer will provide you with a paper version for you to sign which will be photographed and added to your digital job notes.
• Our engineers will ask you to remain 7ft or 2 metres away from their work area to minimise contact.
• We have increased hygiene measures in place in all our call centres and offices.
• We are ready to deploy technology that will enable us to operate our contact centres even if our staff can’t come to work.

Yes, you can. Please be aware that we're currently prioritising emergency jobs and putting our vulnerable customers first. To book your job, please call 0330 0247 041.

Calls may be recorded for quality control and training purposes. Calls to 03 numbers will cost you no more than 01 or 02 numbers, charges may vary depending on your network provider. Calls to 03 numbers will be part of inclusive minute plans for landlines and mobiles.

Your safety and the safety of our engineers is the most important thing to us and we are monitoring the Coronavirus situation daily. Before visiting, we will ask you if you are confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 or are self-isolating or shielding as per UK Government guidelines. We are currently performing new boiler surveys by video, click here to get a new boiler quote.

Yes, unless you have been notified otherwise, we’ll be with you as planned.
If your appointment has been cancelled or needs to be rearranged, we’ll let you know either by:

Text

Telephone call

Letter

Are you self-isolating? We need to know.
As always, our top priority is the safety of our customers and engineers, so if someone in your house is self-isolating and it is not an emergency, then we’ll rearrange for an engineer to attend after the recommended self-isolation period is over.

The safety of both our customers and engineers is our top priority - no matter what.

Before you book your appointment

When you book an engineer appointment we’ll ask you if:

You or anyone in your home has been diagnosed with Coronavirus (COVID-19)

You or anyone in your home has been advised to self-isolate

Anyone in your home is at higher risk – i.e. over 70, diabetic, etc

If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions, we’ll work with you to assess your need for an engineer visit before deciding what to do next. We’ll prioritise emergencies and we may need to postpone non-urgent visits, like annual services, to a later date.

Before your engineer visit

On the day of your appointment, our engineer will also call you and ask the same set of questions - this is important just in case anything has changed since you booked.

While the engineer is with you

When an engineer visits your home, they will take additional precautions:

Handwashing will take place before, during and after their visit

Wearing medical-grade gloves (using a fresh set for every appointment)

Specially fitted masks (an FFP3 respirator) may be worn - especially if you’ve told us someone in your home is self-isolating

You won’t be asked to sign anything, instead the engineer will ask for verbal confirmation and will sign on your behalf

Our engineers will be social-distancing so please keep a 2 metre (7ft) radius of their work area at all times

We want to be as clear as we can on what is classed as an “emergency” with HomeServe, so here are a few examples below.

An "emergency" is the sudden and unforeseen damage to something in your property covered by your policy, which immediately:

1. Exposes you to a risk to your health; or
2. Creates a risk of loss of or damage to your property; or
3. Makes the buildings uninhabitable;

And where you are unable to temporarily stop the incident from causing further immediate damage within the main house of the property (e.g. you are unable to turn the water off, contain a leak or have no alternative facilities available) or, in the case of electrical emergencies, being totally without electricity.


An "emergency repair" is generally defined as: Repair work undertaken by an engineer to resolve the immediate emergency and to prevent any further immediate:

1. Exposure to a risk to your health; or
2. Risk of loss of or damage to the property; or
3. Risk that the building will be uninhabitable, in each case arising from the relevant incident.

If you’re unsure whether your claim is an emergency, please check the terms and conditions of your policy, or get in touch with us.

So we can ensure help is prioritised to those who need it most, here's a few guidelines to help identify someone as vulnerable:

1. There is a health issue that requires the problem to be fixed quickly
2. Over 70s in the winter with no heating or hot water
3. Families with disabled children
4. Disabled customers
5. Families with children under 2 years of age

If you’re unsure whether you’re categorised as “vulnerable”, please get in touch with us.

Your safety and the safety of our engineers is the most important thing to us. Right now we need to prioritise emergencies and put our most vulnerable customers first, so it could take longer for us to get to non-urgent appointments - but we’re working hard to get to you as soon as we can.

If you still feel you really need a question answered, you can get in touch with us.

As the situation evolves we will continue to follow the latest Government advice and will update this page with further information.