Loans for a home emergency from £100 to £2,500

The most common home emergencies and how much they cost

Keeping your home clean and in good repair is a matter not only of keeping things looking nice but safety in many cases. So when your home becomes damaged in some way, fixing the issue can feel urgent. But, what is considered a home emergency? How can you tell if you’re really facing one? If damage makes your home uninhabitable, or if it will cost even more money to fix if it is left undealt with, then this is a genuine home emergency and should be resolved as soon as possible.

Here, we’ve broken down the kinds of repairs that will need quick action and could mean you need to apply for a loan for a home emergency, and how much each issue could cost to repair.

How to deal with a home emergency

Every home emergency is different but here are some steps to take to handle it without causing any more unnecessary stress.

• Assess the damage
  Stay calm and take some time to deal with the initial effects of the emergency straight away. Maintain some order by turning off the water supply at the mains and cleaning up any mess in the event of a leak, or cutting off the power to an electrical outlet via the fuse box in the event of a malfunction. If you’ve lost your house keys, call someone else who lives with you, or the trusted friend who holds a spare key, to see if they can let you in.Doing this can relieve some of the urgency of the situation and give you time to compare quotes from tradesmen to fix your issue, and apply for a loan if this is your only option for financing the repairs. This is also the time to call your insurance company to find out how to claim. Usually, you will need to pay for the repairs, and then claim the cost back, minus any excess on your policy, from your insurance company. Some insurers will only accept your claim if you’ve used one of their approved tradespeople, so it’s important to bear this in mind and ask about it before you commit to repairing work.Make sure you take photographs of all the damage, as they’ll be useful when claiming on your insurance and could even help you explain the problem to a professional if you’re not sure how to describe it.
• Call out a professional to help
  If you can’t stop the issue yourself by turning off the water supply or electrics or getting a spare key to your house, then plumbers, locksmiths, electricians and roofers are on hand to help. Bear in mind though that their call-out fee will usually be determined by the time of day, and whether it’s a weekend or not. Overnight, weekend and bank holiday emergencies will come with a higher call out charge, so if you are able to wait until a reasonable hour, then you can save money on call-out charges.In most cases, tradesmen attending an emergency call out will require payment for their work straight away. They should tell you what repairs are needed and what the costs are before they carry out any work, so if the overall cost is a concern for you, you can ask them to do the bare minimum to stop the leak or secure your home. If they start the work make sure you have an invoice for the work. You will need this for your insurance claim. This buys you the time to shop around for quotes and work out how you’re going to pay for the permanent repairs.Even if you’re not facing an emergency right now, it’s a good idea to research the tradespeople who can help with various issues you might come up against, so that you have a list of people to call if you ever do need their help. Look for tradesmen who don’t charge a call-out fee, or who will give you a bill to pay later rather than expect payment on the spot. Recommendations can be extremely useful in this kind of situation, too, so speak to friends and family about who they have used in the past and have their numbers to hand in case you need work carried out, fast.
• Find the money to pay for any necessary work
  Once you have a quote for essential repairs, then think about how you’ll pay for them. If your insurer asks you to pay the bill now and claim the costs later but you don’t have the cash you need, then you’ll need to consider the different options available to you. We’ve outlined some of the options you may want to consider below:

Options for financing your home emergency

When it comes to finding the cash you need for a home emergency you may wonder where to turn.

In most cases, all you’ll need to pay in the end is the cost of the excess on your home insurance policy, but you may need to foot the whole bill yourself before you can claim it back. However, if you don’t want to or are unable to claim, here are the options available.

Savings

Dipping into your savings is perhaps the best solution to fund an emergency if you don’t have the money to spare from your disposable income. After all, this is exactly why you have savings in the first place! Even if you know you’ll need to pay yourself back to replenish savings towards a goal, you’ll be able to do this affordably and with no obligations to anyone but yourself.

Borrowing from friends and family

When you’re in a pinch, a friend or member of your family could lend you money to help cover the bill for a home emergency, and you can pay them back later or in instalments to spread the cost. This isn’t something to enter into lightly, particularly if it’s a large bill, as it can cause a strain on your relationship. If you think it can work for you, though, you can sort your repairs out quickly.

Loans for a home emergency

A loan for a home emergency is something we can help with here at Sunny, as you can apply for a short-term loan at any time of the day or night. Simply complete your application online using your computer or even your smartphone, and if you’re approved, funds can be transferred directly to your bank account on the same day.

You can find out more about emergency loans here, including our eligibility criteria, and how to apply.

Claim on your home insurance

While you may have to foot the bill yourself initially, you should be able to claim the repair costs back later through your home insurance provider. This means you recoup what you’ve spent but bear in mind if you borrowed money to pay tradesmen, the amount you get back will only cover the cost of the bill – not the interest you will also have repaid on the loan.  It is important that you speak to your insurer before committing to the cost, to make sure you know exactly what your policy covers and doesn’t cover.

Future proofing your property against home emergencies

While it’s not always possible to tell when an issue is going to arise, carrying out some simple, routine home maintenance can help to future proof your home and prevent home emergencies from happening, or having such a huge impact – and cost. Here are some ways to reduce the likelihood of having to fork out for a hefty repair bill should something go wrong with your home.

• Turn off the water when you go on holiday – This means there won’t be any risk of coming home to a leak after a lovely break.
• Have your boiler serviced every year – This can improve its efficiency and even prevent it from breaking down once winter rolls around. Ensure the plumber or engineer you choose for your service is Gas Safe registered.
• Prepare for storms – Try to fix any damaged roof tiles or fence panels and secure these before a storm hits; this can reduce further damage, or prevent it altogether.
• Leave spare keys with a friend or family member – Choose someone you trust to look after a spare key, then you can call on them to let you into your home should you get locked out.
• Keep your kitchen clean – Pests usually enter homes via the kitchen, so if it’s sparkling there’s nothing they’ll fancy. If you spot any signs of pests, don’t ignore it, lay down traps or use deterrents to keep them at bay.
• Install timed lights in your home – These can deter burglars from entering your property when you’re not there, as it looks like someone is home.