What is covered?

1. Unblocking (including repair or replacement where necessary to leave the drain running clear) of your external underground drain covered up to £2,000 per claim (including VAT).

Cover includes individual drains up to the junction with the main sewer. Shared drains are also covered within the boundary of your own property.

For example:

• high pressure water jetting or rodding to clear blockages
• relining of leaking, cracked drains
• excavation and rebuilding of drains that have collapsed.

2. Emergency repairs to your internal plumbing and drains covered up to £1,000 per claim (including VAT).

For example:

• leaking hot and cold water and heating pipes
• blocked/overflowing toilet
• burst water or drainage pipe under your house
• leaks from the rising main from where your water supply enters your home
• nail through a pipe
• blocked/overflowing sinks
• faulty ball valve causing an internal emergency
• leaking radiator that cannot be isolated.

These are examples only. There are many other instances which would also be covered.

What is not covered?

The policy does not cover day to day maintenance of your plumbing and drains.

The following are not covered:

• breakdown of central heating
• routine plumbing e.g. replacing tap washers
• existing problems
• replacement of tanks, cylinders, sanitary ware and radiators, guttering, downpipes and rainwater drains
• shared drains outside your property boundary
• external underground water supply pipes.

What about my external underground water supply pipe?

Regardless of whether you take out Plumbing and Drainage Cover, your water utility company may contribute towards the cost of a repair to a leak on your underground water supply pipe.

If your water is not supplied by Mid Kent Water, you should contact your local water supply utility for more details.

Do I have to be a customer of Mid Kent Water?

No you don't. Mid Kent Water is happy to recommend Homeserve nationally through this web site.

Who is eligible to apply?

All homeowners are eligible to apply, unless the property is a flat, mobile home, bedsit, in multiple occupancy or is used for commercial purposes, in which case the property can't be covered.

Council and housing association tenants will not need this service and private tenants are advised to check with their landlord before applying.

How many claims can I make?

You can make up to 2 claims for your external drains and 2 claims for your internal plumbing and drainage per year.

When will I be covered?

Your policy starts the day your application is processed and lasts for a year. However, to prevent fraudulent claims on pre-existing problems and therefore help keep premiums low, there is a 14 day waiting period during which you cannot make a claim, providing you with 11 and a half months' of cover in your first year.

When can I request a refund ?

In the event of an uncontrollable internal emergency within your home, the plumber or drainage engineer will aim to be with you within two hours. If this is not achieved you can ask for your money back.

An emergency is defined as sudden and unforseen damage to the plumbing and drainage services or underground external drainage piping which immediately:

A) exposes you to a risk to your health or

B) creates a risk of loss or damage to the propertyu and of your belongings forming part of, or normally contained within, the property or

C) makes the building uninhabitable.

What quality of repair can I expect?

All repairs, except temporary repairs, are guaranteed for the lifetime of your cover. A permanent repair will always be made where it is possible within cover limits and only if it’s as cost effective as an emergency repair.

What if I am not satisfied?

If the insurance policy does not provide the cover you need, you should return your Policy Summary to Freepost RLYC-LXAL-GEEH, Customer Admin Department, Homeserve, Walsall, WS2 7BN,within 28 days of the start of the period of insurance or within 28 days of the day you receive the policy documents, whichever is the later. Any premium paid will be refunded in full, providing no claim has been made.

If you cancel after this 28 day period (which includes the statutory fourteen day cancellation period), your policy will cease and you will not receive a refund of any premium paid.

Who provides Plumbing and Drainage Cover?

The insurance policy is provided and underwritten by Inter Partner Assistance SA, The Quadrangle, 106 – 118 Station Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1PR, United Kingdom office, registered number FC008998. It is arranged and administered for you by Homeserve GB Ltd, Cable Drive, Walsall, WS2 7BN (Registered in England no. 2770612).

You will therefore have a contract with Homeserve GB Ltd to arrange and administer the policy on behalf of the insurer, for which the cost to you is £14, and a separate contract with Inter Partner Assistance SA. The total price you pay of £74.99 is unaffected by these arrangements. References to ‘Plumbing and Drainage Cover or ‘Cover’ in all documents include the services within both contracts.

Terms and Conditions are available on request - please contact Homeserve FREE on 0800 073 2157.

Information correct at April 2007 .