Not upheld: Home insurance claim disputes complaint against 247 Home Assist Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr A complained that 24/7 Home Assist Limited unfairly deemed his 14-year-old boiler beyond economic repair and refused to contribute towards replacement costs. After the boiler failed to produce hot water, 24/7's engineer and an independent boiler manufacturer's engineer both assessed multiple faults and determined repair costs made the boiler uneconomical to fix. Mr A argued 24/7 should cover replacement under the £1,000 per claim limit, but the policy explicitly excludes BER boilers from coverage. The ombudsman upheld 24/7's decision, finding the BER determination was fair, the policy terms were clear, and 24/7's offer to refund 50% of excess and waive the £268 engineer fee was reasonable and beyond contractual requirements.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman reviewed the policy terms which explicitly exclude coverage for boilers deemed beyond economic repair. Both the 24/7 engineer and the independent boiler manufacturer's engineer provided professional assessments supporting the BER determination. The policy terms clearly state that where a boiler is deemed BER, 24/7 cannot cover replacement costs. The policy only provides a £250 contribution if the customer purchases from approved installers, which Mr A did not do. 24/7's offer to refund 50% of excess and waive the engineer's fees was a goodwill gesture beyond their contractual obligations.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website