BOXT cover terms and conditions

Version 2.0

Overview

At BOXT we aim to make everything as straightforward as we can.

Our terms and conditions are written in plain English and are as jargon-free as possible. If you would like any help or more information, please get in touch with our customer services team at [email protected].

In these Terms & Conditions BOXT Limited (a company registered in England & Wales with company number 08086606) will be referred to as ‘the Company' and the person ordering the product will be referred to as ‘the customer'. The registered address of ‘the Company’ is 3320 Century Way, Thorpe Park, Colton, Leeds, LS15 8ZB.

This contract forms a maintenance agreement between ‘the Company’ and ‘the customer’. It is at the sole discretion of BOXT to whether any repairs or replacements detailed in this contract are provided outside of the annual service.

Your contract

1. Commencing your cover

Your contract with us begins on the day you purchase home cover with us. 

Failure to notify us of any existing issues with your home, including but not limited to the following, will result in your home not being covered and/or your service not being completed.

1. Boiler, flue, controls
2. Gas central heating system
3. Radiators
4. Pipework

2. Length of contract

Initial contract

Your initial contract for home cover is for 12 months.

What happens at the end of my initial contract?

Your contract is set to auto-renew for an additional 12 months at the end of the initial contract period unless you contact us and ask us to cancel. We aim to contact you by email 28 days before your policy expires to confirm the renewal amount of your policy.

Adjustments may have been made to reflect the cost of providing the contract. We reserve the right to refuse renewal and we will inform you before your policy expires if we choose to do so.

3. Your payments

Payments are made on a monthly basis by direct debit. All prices are inclusive of taxes.

Missed payments

If you miss any payments, you will be required to pay any outstanding balance before we complete your annual service or come to your home to fix issues with your heating system.

Contract price changes

The price of your contract is shown on your Policy Summary document, which will not change during the first 12 months of your contract. We reserve the right to change the price of your contract after the initial 12 month period, and will inform you of any price changes in writing.

4. Cancellation of your contract

Cooling off period

Your cooling off period is the 14 days after you make the purchase of Home Cover. If you wish to cancel within the cooling off period, you will receive a full refund of any payments made in relation to the policy less any costs already incurred to the company. If you have already had a service completed within the 14 day period, you will be required to pay the appropriate charge:

• Boiler Service or Landlord Gas Safety Inspection - £96
• Boiler Service and Landlord Gas Safety Inspection combined - £144

Exclusion period

There is an initial exclusion period of 14 days from the plan start date whereby call-outs or services cannot be raised except for when the customer has had their boiler installed by BOXT. After this period, no call-outs or services can be raised until the requested photos (see the ‘Remote inspection’ section for more details) have been submitted by the plan owner. Should the plan owner refuse to supply these photos they will be entitled to a full refund of all payments made.

Providing you accept the auto renewal of your policy, there will be no exclusion period at renewal.

Cancellation

If you wish to cancel before the end of your 12 month contract, you must inform us by phone. You will be required to pay the remaining balance on your contract if you wish to cancel. For example, if you have 3 months remaining on your contract, you will be required to pay for 3 months before we can cancel your contract.

Cancellation of your direct debit does not mean your contract is cancelled. If you cancel your direct debit, we will contact you to collect payment. If you fail to set up another direct debit, we will cancel your contract 30 days after the first payment failed and collect the remaining balance from you.

We may end your agreement should one or more of the following occur:

• The information provided is either false or incorrect
• Your system is deemed to be unsuitable for our support plans
• We have been unable to collect payment for your plan
• Threatening or abusive behaviour or language has been used
• There are been 3 or more unsuccessful attempts to enter your property

Downgrading and upgrading

The customer cannot downgrade their plan midway through the contract period as this will count as a cancellation request.

Should the customer wish to upgrade their plan midway through their contract period then this is allowed by the company. The customer may be required to cancel their existing plan and sign up to the new plan.

5. Our cover plans

What's included in your plan

For detailed information about what is included in your plan, please refer to your Policy Summary document.

Landlords and homeowners

Our home owner plans are only suitable for home owner occupied properties. If your property is tenanted, you will need to take up one of our Landlord cover plans. It is your responsibility to take up the correct plan, and if you choose the incorrect plan we may not be able to complete your service or home visit.

6. Your personal information

Using your personal information

We will make use of your personal information in accordance with our privacy policy, which can be found on our website.

Keeping us up to date

You will need to inform us if there are any changes to your contact details including telephone number, address, or email. Failure to do so could result in the services offered by this contract being delayed or missed.

If the customer changes or upgrades their boiler or heating system during the contract period, they will need to let the company know as soon as possible so that they can confirm if the customer is still eligible for cover. The company reserves the right to cancel or change your plan based on the information provided.

The price of your plan is based on the information collected about the customer and their property. It is the customers responsibility to inform the company as soon as possible if they move to a new address. Depending on the circumstances, the customer may need to take out a new plan and cancel your existing plan should they wish for their cover to continue.

7. Contacting you

We may need to contact you from time to time about your plan with us. By purchasing your cover with us, you are agreeing to receive email and telephone communications in relation to your policy.

8. Home visits

Remote inspection

Depending on your circumstances, an initial remote inspection may be required. This is a check to see if your system is fit for purpose and will usually take place within 28 days of your plan start date.

If we find your existing boiler, controls or components of your wider heating system are not on the approved list or they have an existing fault, we will cancel your plan or tell you what needs to be done to continue on your plan and provide you a quote for the associated works. In the latter, we can continue to cover you under the plan once the works have completed.

A remote inspection cannot be completed until the requested photos have been submitted by the customer. Failure to supply these photos could result in your plan being cancelled.

An in person inspection will then be scheduled at the same time as your first BOXT boiler service. For customers where they haven’t had their boiler installed by BOXT, this will usually be within 3 months of their plan start date.

Annual service

We will contact you to arrange your annual service at a time that is convenient to you. You do not need to contact us unless you need to update us with information about your boiler, previous services or your heating system.

During peak periods, we may need to prioritise breakdowns. As such, there is a possibility that we will not be able to arrange your service to be within 12 months of your previous service. We will work with you to arrange your service as soon as possible if this happens.

Visiting your home

If we need to remove any fixtures or fittings in your home to complete the repair, we will let you know before starting. We won’t be able to completely make good of any repair by replacing or restoring to the original specification.

The boiler and any other equipment that needs routine servicing (such as filters, valves, pumps and controls) should be kept readily accessible and in particular the clearances around the boiler should be maintained as set out in the manufacturer's instructions. If a service engineer attends and cannot access equipment, or the required clearances have been compromised in a way that prevents the item being serviced or operated safely, then the obstruction will need removing prior to any re-attendance to complete the service or repair work.

If there is any asbestos present at your property, we will be unable to carry out the appointment until you have provided us with a “certificate of reoccupation” to prove that all asbestos has been removed and that it is safe to return to the property.

You are responsible for arranging access to your home, and you will need to re-arrange the appointment if we are unable to enter.

It is your responsibility to ensure there is adequate vehicle parking for the engineer to park their van within 25 meters of the entrance to the property. Any charges for parking are to be paid you. If a permit for parking is required, it is your responsibility to organise the permit or notify the Company of the restriction at least two working days before the engineer and/or delivery is due to arrive (or at the time of ordering, whichever is sooner).

Our Engineers come to work to deliver services in your home. They aim to treat you courteously at all times and expect you to treat them in a similarly respectful way. We take seriously any threatening, abusive or violent behaviour against any of our Engineers. Where an incident of threatening, abusive or violent behaviour towards our Engineers occurs, the Engineer will immediately leave your home and the property made safe and the incident may be reported to the police. BOXT will not send another Engineer to your home until an investigation and risk assessment has been carried out. BOXT reserve the right to terminate the contract should the work environment be deemed unsafe for our Engineers.

Missed services

We will not offer a cash alternative if a service or home visit is missed for any reason.

Third party warranties

It is your responsibility to make sure that your warranty is not affected on any appliance covered by third party warranties. We will not be liable if any work we carry out on your system doesn’t comply with the manufacturer’s warranty.

Cover suitability

BOXT cover is only suitable for domestic dwellings. If your boiler is installed in a commercial property, or if the meter capacity is greater than 6 cubic metres per hour, we won't be able to cover you. In addition, the following property types are not covered: dedicated business premises, council and housing association, mobile homes.

The boiler at your property must not exceed 50 KW power output and gas supply pipes must be 35mm or less in diameter. The boiler must be fuelled by natural gas or LPG. Boilers fuelled by oil, solid fuel or electricity are not covered by this plan.

Properties located within England, Wales and Scotland are covered by your plan. Excluded areas within the United Kingdom include, but are not limited to, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Isle of Wight. Excluded areas are checked prior to commencement of contract and the company reserves the right to exclude previously covered areas upon renewal.

If the customer signs up and we later find out that we cannot provide cover based on the above, we will cancel your policy.

Rental income

BOXT will not take liability for any loss of rental income for any reason. This includes, but is not limited to breakdowns, missed services and delays to the issue of Landlord Gas Safety Certificates.

9. Safety and security

Our priority is your safety and the safety of our engineers visiting your home. We won’t start any work at your home if we deem it unsafe to do so upon arriving for the appointment, and we won’t be able to enter your home unless there is an adult present for the duration of the visit.

10. Repairs and replacements

Replacement parts

Whenever we provide you with replacement parts, we will issue you with a product that has similar functionality to the replaced parts. They may not be the exact part or product that is being replaced. You can provide a replacement part yourself and we will install it providing it is on our approved list of replacement parts.

For older parts that we are no longer able to source, we will do what we can, within reason, to source and fit alternative parts that will allow us to complete the repair.

Repairs and replacements not covered by your policy

On occasion we may inform you that your heating system needs repair that is not covered by the contract to keep it working safely. We will not be able to complete any additional repairs until you have fixed the issues based on the advice that we have provided.

Repair and call-out thresholds

There is no limit to the number of call-outs or repairs that can be made through this contract. There is an upper limit of £1000 per repair except for when the customer's boiler is deemed beyond economical repair.

Our work guarantee

We will repair or replace any faulty parts that we have supplied to you during a repair or replacement. We will fix any faulty work carried out within 12 months of the date that we completed the work.

Sole discretion

We will carry out repairs or replacements at our sole discretion. BOXT cover is a maintenance contract, and not an insurance contract, so we reserve the right to use our own judgement to decide whether the requested repair or replacement is covered by your policy. Given this, we are not registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and these contracts are therefore outside of the remit of the FCA.

We will not carry out repairs or replacements for issues that arose before you took out cover with us, or that have been intentionally damaged or misused beyond reasonable use. We reserve the right to use our judgement in deciding when the damage happened, and whether the way in which the part was damaged is covered under your contract.

Beyond Economic Repair

Beyond Economical Repair (BER) is only applicable to your boiler. If the total cost of the parts required to repair (including VAT) exceed 85% of the manufacturers current retail price (or an average current retail price from UK suppliers if this not be available) for a like-for-like replacement boiler of the same or similar make and model, it shall be deemed BER.

If your boiler is deemed beyond economical repair, the following terms shall apply.

First 6 months - During the first six months of cover your boiler will not be replaced under this plan.

After 6 months - After six months of cover (and each subsequent year that you renew the plan); if your boiler is less than 7 years old the company will source, replace and install a new boiler up to a value of £2500 if there is evidence of maintenance in accordance with manufacturer guidelines e.g. an annual boiler service every year since installation.  If it is 7 years old or older the company will offer a £700 contribution to a replacement subject to it being sourced and installed by us.

The replacement boiler make and model will provide an appropriate level of heating and hot water for the customers property. It will be selected by the company and will match the customers existing boiler type (e.g. a combination boiler will be replaced with a combination boiler). Should a heating system or boiler upgrade be required then the costs incurred will be passed on to the customer. Upon installation of the replacement boiler, the customer agrees to a new 12 month maintenance contract from that date. There is no cash alternative offered instead of the replacement.

11. General exclusions

Your policy document illustrates what is covered and what is not covered in your contract, however some general exclusions apply to all contracts. These include, but are not limited to:

• Cost of repairs required due to design faults or faults which existed prior to the commencement of this contract
• Cost of repairs relating to damage caused by you or any third party
• Any loss or damage to any property caused by the boiler or system breaking down, e.g. for damage to carpets or ceilings due to water leaks (not directly caused by us)
• Cost of any work, which is carried out without our approval, or the cost of repairing the installation or any fault which someone who does not work for us has caused
• Cost of removing sludge, hard-water scale or adding corrosion inhibitor to the system
• Cost of removing asbestos
• Repairing any part of the system which are inaccessible in line with the current Health and Safety standards
• Repairing or replacing designer or curved radiators
• Repairing or replacing damage to other properties that are not the “covered address”
• Making repairs caused by problems to your gas, electricity or water supply
• Turning off the external water supply stopcock to complete repairs
• Repairing or replacing any damage normally covered by household insurance
• Repairing or replacing any issues relating to interference with your internet connection, radio signals or software
• Making improvements to your home
• Repairing or replacing central heating management systems
• Replacement of your hot water cylinder or immersion heater element