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Terms and Conditions

What the agreement provides

What the agreement provides

Our promise to you

We aim to provide a safe, high-quality service to repair and maintain the equipment included in this agreement. If you have any questions or complaints about your agreement, please contact us on 0845 7 365 100.

Summary of your agreement

What the agreement provides

  • labour and parts for repairs, depending on the level of service you have chosen.
  • one safety and maintenance inspection in every year of your agreement for Three Star Central Heating Care, Boiler and Controls Care, Gas Appliance Care and Gas Appliance Check. Please read the section called 'Safety and maintenance inspection' for full details.
  • one safety and maintenance inspection in every continuous two-year period of your agreement for Home Electrical Care, Kitchen Appliance Care, and Plumbing and Drains Care.
  • no limit to the number of call-outs to carry out work included in your agreement.
  • priority service (365 days a year.
  • getting to your system (where shown).
  • a priority customer helpline (open 24 hours a day).
  • advice about your system from our engineers.
British Gas HomeCare options

We base your agreement on the British Gas HomeCare options you choose (listed and described below). The diagram in this leaflet will give you guidance on what you can expect from each service option. You should also read the General exclusions section in this leaflet.

There are four levels of HomeCare:

HomeCare 400 - central heating, plumbing, drains and electrics
Includes Central Heating Care, Plumbing and Drains Care and Home Electrical Care.
HomeCare 300 - central heating, plumbing and drains
Includes Central Heating Care and Plumbing and Drains Care.
HomeCare 200 - central heating
Includes Central Heating Care.
HomeCare 100 - boiler and controls
Includes Boiler and Controls Care.

Gas options you may choose

A. What is included

1. Three Star Central Heating Care

This service is for maintaining and repairing a single wet (using water) or warm-air gas central-heating system (or an electric system if installed by us) in your home and includes:

  • a safety and maintenance inspection of your boiler and system (except for parts of the system that aren't readily accessible and electric boilers). Please read the section called 'Safety and maintenance inspection' for full details.
  • labour and parts if your system breaks down (shown in red on the diagram).
  • where we agree that your boiler is less than seven years old, a replacement boiler if we decide that it would cost more to repair the boiler than to replace it with a suitable new boiler we have approved.
  • if your boiler is seven years old or older, and it is not possible to repair it because, for example, spare parts are no longer available to carry out the repair or you choose to replace it at any time (however old it is) you are entitled to a 5% discount off the full installation cost of a replacement boiler if you choose us to replace your boiler (on top of any other offer which is available at that time).
  • all necessary PowerFlush work after your initial PowerFlush (which we charge you for). See the PowerFlush section in this leaflet.If you have fewer than two call-outs in the previous agreement year, and you have had an agreement for more than two years, you may qualify for discounts. This does not apply if you have a specific agreement of two to five years on a new British Gas boiler. There is no age limit on your boiler and it does not matter who installed it, as long as all the essential working parts are available and it is approved by us.
2. Boiler and Controls Care

This is the same as Three Star Central Heating Care, except that the labour and parts are for the boiler and controls only (please see the purple shading on the diagram for guidance), and the 5% discount does not apply.

3. Gas Appliance Care

This service is for maintaining and repairing fires, water heaters, wall heaters and cookers in your home (shown in blue on the diagram).The service includes:

  • one safety and maintenance inspection of your appliance in every year of your agreement.
  • labour and parts, if your appliance breaks down.
4. Gas Appliance Check

This service is for maintaining boilers, fires, water heaters, wall heaters and cookers in your home.The service includes one safety and maintenance inspection of your appliance in every year of your agreement, but does not include labour and parts for breakdowns. You can choose to have extra work done, but you will have to pay for it.

5. Internal gas supply

We will repair all gas-supply pipework within your home, between your meter and any appliances, as long as you have Three Star Central Heating Care and Plumbing and Drains Care and Home Electrical Care. (You cannot buy the internal gas supply service on its own.) This is shown as red dots on the diagram

B. What is not included

  • removing sludge or hard-water scale from the boiler or system (see the PowerFlush section under Customer information).
  • replacing your boiler if it is seven years old or older.
  • repairing or replacing appliance flues that aren't part of your boiler.
  • repairing or replacing parts of your central-heating system and controls that are specifically designed for piped or electric underfloor heating (other than warm air systems).
Please also see 'General exclusions'.

Electrical options you may choose

A. What is included

1. Home Electrical Care

This service is for maintaining and repairing electrical wiring and electrical fixtures and fittings inside your home (shown in yellow on the diagram). It is for:

  • the fixed electrical wiring system (inside your home and inside outbuildings as long as it has been correctly installed).
  • fuse boxes, light switches, wall sockets, light fittings, circuit breakers and transformers.
This service includes:

  • labour and parts for repairs.
  • one safety and maintenance inspection in every continuous two-year period in which you hold this agreement with us.
  • fitting standard replacement parts, for example, we will replace a brass light switch with a standard equivalent such as a white plastic switch.
B. What is not included under Home Electrical Care

  • repairing controls, pumps, detectors, timers and programmers.
  • repairing or replacing the mains supply.
  • repairing the power supply between your home and outbuildings on your property.Please also see 'General exclusions'.
2. Kitchen Appliance Care

This service is for maintaining and repairing gas and electrical appliances inside your home (shown in pink on the diagram). It is for:

  • automatic and tub washing machines.
  • automatic washer-dryers, tumble dryers, spin dryers and dishwashers.
  • fridges, freezers, fridge-freezers.
  • cookers, ovens, hobs, and microwave ovens (but not cooker hoods and extractors).
 
We can only include your appliance if:

  • it was bought in the United Kingdom.
  • it is in good working order at the time your agreement is processed.
The service includes:

  • labour and parts if your appliance breaks down.
  • one Safety and Maintenance Inspection once in every continuous two-year period in which you hold this agreement with us.
  • If it is not possible to repair your appliance, for example, because spare parts are no longer available to carry out the repair, we will give you a refund as follows.
  • where your agreement relates to a single appliance, the actual amount you have paid to us under this agreement for the appliance we are not able to repair, up to 12 months' payments.
  • where your agreement relates to more than one appliance, the amount you have paid to us under this agreement for the appliance which we are not able to repair, up to 12 months' payments. For details of the refund value for each type of appliance, please call 08457 365100. If you have paid us in advance for 12 months' but the affected appliance has been part of the contract for less than 12 months', we will refund you your 12 months' payments relating to that particular appliance as set out above.
Plumbing options you may choose

A. What is included

1. Plumbing and Drains Care

Part A. Plumbing

Under this service, inside your home we will provide materials and labour to repair or replace:

  • hot and cold-water pipes from the mains stopcock leading to your taps (including garden taps).
  • your cold-water storage tank.
  • leaking overflow pipes.
  • standard ball valve and toilet siphon.
  • pipes that burst as a result of cold weather.
  • central-heating water pipes if there is a water leak.
  • radiator valves.
  • washing machine and dishwasher hot and cold flexible pipes (as long as they are installed to the manufacturer's instructions). These are all shown in blue on the diagram. This service includes one Safety and Maintenance Inspection in every continuous two-year period in which you hold this agreement with us.
Part B Drains

Includes our cost of materials, labour and repair (up to £1000 including VAT for each job) for:

  • unblocking, repairing and getting to waste drainage pipes, or rainwater drains, inside your home (for example, unblocking sinks) and within the boundary of your property (up to where it is connected to the public or shared drains connection, if you are responsible for this) to restore flow (all shown in grey on the diagram).
2. Plumbing Care

See part A above.

B. What is not included

  • repairing or replacing taps and washers in taps.
  • repairing or replacing the mains cold-water stopcock, water softeners, shower pumps and mixer valves, mechanical pumps, water filters, radiators, cylinders, swimming pools, decorative garden features, rainwater pipes and guttering, and macerators such as Saniflo electrical units for toilets.
  • repairing or replacing soakaways, septic tanks, cesspits, treatment plants and their outflow pipes.
  • regularly cleaning your drains.
  • repairing or unblocking drains shared with another property or properties.
  • repairing or unblocking drains which are just used for commercial purposes.
  • repairing or replacing lead or steel pipes in taps. Please also see 'General exclusions'.
General exclusions

Your British Gas HomeCare agreement does not include the following.

Design or existing faults

The cost of repairs needed because of design faults (unless we are responsible), or faults which existed before you entered into the agreement and which could not be identified on initial inspection using reasonable care and skill.

Third-party or accidental damage

The cost of repairs relating to damage caused by you or someone else.

Consequential loss

Unless we are responsible for it, loss or damage to property caused by the appliance, boiler or system breaking down (for example, damage to furniture caused by water leaks). If we have to dig on your property, we will fill in any holes and leave the surface level but we will not necessarily replace the original surface or construction. Any redecoration that may be needed following our work is your responsibility unless we have been negligent.

Normal insured risks

The cost of repairing faults or damage caused by freezing weather conditions (except certain repairs included in Plumbing and Drains Care), subsidence, structural repairs, accident, fire, lightning, explosion, flood or storm. The cost of repairing damage caused by changes to, or problems with, the gas, electricity or water services. You should check your household insurance to make sure you have enough cover for these risks.

Under all British Gas HomeCare options

  • replacing appliances, bathroom fixtures, showers and sanitaryware (apart from boilers as described earlier).
  • improvements including work that is needed to bring your system up to current standards. Examples of improvements include system upgrades, such as adding thermostatic radiator valves, replacing parts such as flues which do not meet current standards, and replacing working radiators with improved models. (These are examples only, not a complete list).
  • replacing or repairing decorative or other parts which do not affect how the system or appliance works.
  • resetting controls (for example, thermostats and programmers following wintertime or summertime changes).
  • repairing faults or clearing physical blockages (blockages such as rubble, sludge and scale, but not air locks) if we have told you permanent repairs or improvements are needed to make sure your appliance or system works properly. We will only tell you this if, in our expert opinion, it is necessary.
  • removing asbestos associated with repairing the appliance or system.
  • cash alternatives for repair or maintenance.
  • repairing any damage caused by our work or redecorating, unless we or our agents have been negligent or broken this agreement.
  • replacing (where a repair is not possible) lead or steel pipes (other than for internal-gas supply customers where the gas-supply pipe from your meter to the appliance is included), including lead or steel pipes in taps.
About your agreement

Domestic use

British Gas HomeCare agreements are only available for appliances in domestic use inside your home. If you own a domestic property which you let out, we will offer you a PropertyCare agreement only - please see the PropertyCare section below.

Service coverage

There are a few areas of Great Britain where British Gas HomeCare agreements are not provided. If this affects you we will tell you when you apply.

Period of agreement

Your agreement runs until you tell us that you would like to cancel, or if we cancel the agreement (see 'Cancellation'). You may cancel the agreement at any time. We will write to you to tell you about any changes to the terms and conditions or prices. We may also cancel the agreement at any time, as long as we give you reasonable notice of this.
If you pay each year in advance (by cash, cheque, credit or debit card) instead of by monthly direct debit and cancel the agreement during that year, we will give you a refund based on how long is left of any 12-month advance payment. There will be a minimum payment for the year of £63 if we have done work or an inspection.

Start date

Your agreement begins when we process your application.

Initial safety inspection

If you choose Central Heating Care, or Boiler and Controls Care, we will inspect your system or appliance (or both) to make sure they are safe and in good working order. Your British Gas Service Engineer will fill in an Initial Safety Inspection Check List to show you what he or she has checked. We will normally do this inspection within 28 days of the beginning of your agreement where possible but, as we give priority to breakdowns, it can be later if we are busy. If the inspection reveals a problem, we may:

  • tell you what work is needed and what it will cost you for that work to be done.
  • offer you an agreement from the section 'Gas options you may choose' which will not include the parts causing the problem.
  • cancel the agreement and refund your money.
Safety and Maintenance Inspection

We will normally carry out the safety and maintenance inspection for gas options at the same time as the initial inspection. After that, for gas options, we will carry out a safety and maintenance inspection once in every year of your agreement. We will aim to carry out the Safety and Maintenance Inspection around the same time each year where possible, depending on our workload and your appointment preferences. As long as we can get into your home, we will always make sure that we check that your system is safe. You can also call us at any time to arrange or rearrange your Safety and Maintenance Inspection.
For electrical and plumbing options we will aim to carry out the safety and maintenance inspection once in every continuous two-year period of your agreement, depending on our workload and your appointment preferences.

Cancellation

We will cancel your agreement if:

  • you have given false information.
  • you do not make an agreed payment.
  • for gas options, we find something wrong at the initial safety inspection.
  • we are not reasonably able to find parts to keep your system or appliance working safely.
  • circumstances arise (including health and safety issues) which make it inappropriate for the contract to continue.
If we cancel your agreement, we will:

  • for gas options, give you a full refund if we find something wrong at the initial safety inspection.
  • give you a refund based on how long is left of any 12-month advance cash, cheque, credit or debit card payment. There will be a minimum payment of £63 a year if we have done work or an inspection.
You may cancel your agreement within seven working days starting from the day after you receive written confirmation of your agreement with us and you will receive a full refund of any money paid (as long as we have not done any work).

You may also cancel your agreement immediately, either after us letting you know about changes in prices or terms and conditions, or if we fail to do something which we should have done. In this case, you will receive a refund based on how much time is left of the relevant 12-month period or, if you agree, we will put things right and continue the contract.

You may cancel your agreement at any time. If you do so after we have done an inspection or other work, and you have paid less than £63 in the last 12 months at the time you cancel, we may charge you an extra amount which brings your total payments under the agreement to £63 when we have done an inspection or other work.

Spare parts

If we do not carry the spare parts your repair needs on the day, we use a central stock of 25,000 parts, which means we can get hold of most items the following working day. Otherwise, we will do all we reasonably can to find parts from our suppliers. We may use an approved alternative or parts that have been reconditioned by the original manufacturer.

Labour

One of our engineers will usually carry out the work. In some cases we may authorise a suitably qualified contractor to carry out the work.

Approved equipment

We provide service options for appliances, energy management systems and plastic pipes which are on our approved list.

Getting to your system - all British Gas HomeCare Options and internal gas supply.

Our cost of getting to your system (materials and labour) is included up to £1000 (including VAT) for each job, for example, pipes or wiring buried in walls or 'built-in' appliances (except work on drains where this also includes any inspection or repair costs).

PropertyCare

Landlord's safety records

This service is available to landlords who let out properties for domestic purposes.

Legal requirements

By law, landlords must have gas appliances in properties they let checked for safety every 12 months. They should also hold a Gas Safety Record as proof.

Our service

We can carry out the inspections that are needed at the same time as the safety and maintenance inspection. We will only check and issue a Gas Safety Record for the appliances that are included on either your Central Heating Care, Gas Appliance Care, or Gas Appliance Check (whichever applies) agreement. Any other gas appliances in the rented property can be individually serviced or safety-inspected for an extra cost. After the necessary inspections on the selected gas appliances, we will then give you, in writing (for a small extra fee unless you have PropertyCare which includes this cost), a Gas Safety Record, showing that we have done a safety inspection, which will include details of any faults we have found and any repairs that are needed.

Gaining access to your property

It is your responsibility to let us into your property. If we cannot gain access to your property to carry out the necessary work, we will tell you and arrange another appointment. If, after several attempts, we still cannot gain access, we may cancel your agreement. We will tell you in writing if this is the case.
To receive advice about the gas safety requirements for property letting, call us on 0845 300 0303.

Using personal information

Information you provide or we hold about you (whether or not under our contract (or contracts) with you) may be used by us or our agents to:

  • identify you when you contact us.
  • help identify accounts, services and products which you could have from us from time to time (we may do this using an automatic scoring system, which uses the information you have provided, any information we hold about you and information from other agencies, including credit-reference agencies).
  • help run, and contact you about the improved running of, any accounts, services and products we have provided before, or provide now or in the future.
  • carry out marketing analysis and customer profiling (including with transactional information) and create statistical and testing information.
  • help to prevent and detect fraud or loss.
  • contact you in any way (including mail, e-mail, phone, visit, text or multimedia messages) about products and services offered by us and selected partners. We will only contact you in this way if you have previously shown your consent.
We may allow other people and organisations to use information we hold about you:

  • to provide services you have asked for.
  • as part of the process of selling one or more of our businesses.
  • if we have been asked to provide information for legal or regulatory purposes.
As part of current or future legal proceedings. From time to time, these other people and organisations may be outside the European Economic Area in countries that do not have the same standards of protection for personal data as the UK. We may also allow your information to be used by other Centrica Group companies (including those using the British Gas, Scottish Gas, Telco Global, Dyno Rod and Onetel brands) for them to carry out any of the above purposes. We may monitor and record communications with you (including phone conversations and e-mails) for quality assurance and to make sure that we are meeting our legal and regulatory requirements. We may check your details with one or more licensed credit-reference and fraud-prevention agencies. We and they may keep a record of this search and the payment details from your account, and share it with other organisations. If a person provides false or inaccurate information and we suspect fraud, this is also recorded.

This information may be used by us, and other organisations may search these records to:

  • help make decisions about credit and credit-related services for you and members of your household.
  • help make decisions on motor, household, credit, life and other insurance proposals and insurance claims for you and members of your household.
  • trace debtors, recover debt, prevent fraud, and manage your accounts or insurance policies.
  • check your identity to prevent money laundering, unless you give us other satisfactory proof of your identity.
  • carry out statistical analysis about credit, insurance and fraud. We, and other credit and insurance organisations, may also use technology to detect and prevent fraud.
If you need details of those credit agencies and fraud-prevention agencies from which we get, and with which we record, information about you, please write to our Data Protection Manager

British Gas
3 The Square
Stockley Park
Uxbridge
UB11 1BN

If you give us information on behalf of someone else, you confirm that you have given them the information set out in this document, and that they have not objected to their personal information being used in the way described in it. If you give us sensitive information about yourself or others (such as health details or details of any criminal convictions of members of your household), you agree (and confirm that the relevant subject of the information has agreed) to us processing this information in the way set out in this document.If you are making a joint application or you have told us about some other financial association with someone else, a 'financial association' between you and that other person (or people) will be made at credit-reference agencies. This will link your financial records with that other person (or people) so that both (or all) your records will be taken into account in all future applications by either or both (or all) of you. This will continue until one of you successfully files a notice with the credit-reference agencies asking that you are no longer financially associated with that person.

Third-party rights

Nobody other than you will be able to benefit from this agreement, which cannot be passed to someone else without our agreement.

Our responsibilities

We will meet our responsibilities under this agreement within a reasonable time unless it is impossible for us to do this because of circumstances outside our reasonable control.

Customer information

Useful phone numbers

In the event of a breakdown, call 0845 9 500 400.
For all other questions, or if you are moving home, you should contact us on 0845 7 365 100. (We do not automatically transfer this agreement to your new home, so you need to contact us to discuss your options.)

Ways to pay

There are a number of different ways for you to pay. You can pay by:

  • monthly or annual direct debit
  • annual debit card, credit card or cheque
Central-heating improvements

Replacing your boiler

The Energy Savings Trust recommends that gas central-heating boilers are replaced every 15 years. While boilers older than this can often still work properly, their effectiveness and efficiency becomes reduced. Technological advances mean that today's boilers, if regularly serviced, have significantly improved efficiency, performance, reliability and safety features. Every new boiler we sell is at least 76% efficient ('A' rated condensing boilers over 90%) - this compares with boilers over 15 years old, which have an average efficiency of around 65%.

Upgrading the system and energy-efficiency improvements.

If you ask us to improve your system (for example, by adding new controls), we will give you a two-year parts and labour guarantee.We are able to provide energy-efficient products at a reduced VAT rate of 5%. To arrange an engineer visit, ring 0845 9 500 400.

Powerflush

Powerflush is a way of removing sludge, hard-water scale, and other waste matter from central-heating systems. We may also suggest you correct any design faults which might cause the problem to return. This work can increase the life of your system, and improve efficiency.

When a repair is needed due to sludge or hard-water scale (for example, damage to the pump, valves or radiators) we will complete this job, at no extra cost, as long as we have not already told you that you need a Powerflush or similar procedure. Our engineer will also tell you what other work is needed to avoid further problems, or offer you a different British Gas HomeCare option.

If we recommend that you carry out a Powerflush we will charge you to carry out this work. Once it is finished, there will be no charge for any future Powerflush work that may be needed as long as you keep a continuous Three Star Central Heating Care or Boiler and Controls Care agreement with British Gas at that property and as long as any work to correct design faults is carried out by us.

Powerflush is a trade mark.

Guarantees

Any guarantees do not affect your legal rights under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. You can get advice about your rights from a citizens advice bureau or trading standards department.

Other ways to receive this information

If you would like this leaflet in another format, such as in large print, in Braille or on cassette, please call us on 0845 7 365 100. (Lines open weekdays, 8am to 8pm, and Saturdays 8am to 5pm).

Deaf or hard of hearing?If you have a textphone, please call us on 0845 606 1135.If you smell gas

Phone the free Transco emergency service immediately on 0800 111 999.

(under the diagram)This diagram shows a conventional heating system featuring radiators. Note: This applies when you take out Three Star Central Heating Care, Plumbing and Drains Care and Home Electrical Care together.