What the plan actually is
Most London homes do not need a policy. They need someone who picks up the phone, turns up when they said they would, and charges a rate you can live with. The membership is that arrangement, paid monthly, so the price and the waiting time are settled before anything goes wrong.
For a small monthly fee your hourly rate drops to from £75 an hour on the higher tiers, the call-out fee goes on every tier, you are booked ahead of non-members, and at least one certificate a year is included. You still pay for time on the job and for parts. Nothing sits behind a claims process, because there is no claims process.
Plumbing, electrical work, handyman jobs and drains are ours; gas servicing is arranged through Gas Safe registered engineers. One number covers the lot.
How it differs from boiler cover
Boiler cover and home emergency policies are insurance. Our plan is not, and we would rather say so now.
What a Hem plan gives you
- A lower hourly rate: from £75, or £80 on Bronze and Silver
- No call-out fee, so you pay for time on the job and parts
- Priority booking: next-day on Bronze and Silver, same-day on Gold and Platinum, with morning and late slots held back for members and a two-hour arrival window
- At least one free certificate a year, four on Platinum
- 5% to 20% off any other certificate
- Welcome credits of £100 to £400 by tier, as ten vouchers, one per booking
- An annual property MOT and key holding on Platinum
- One number for plumbing, electrical, handyman and drainage work
What it is not
- Not insurance, and there is no claim to make
- It does not pay for parts, materials or a replacement boiler
- It does not cover the cost of a repair, so no excess and no claim limit
- It does not replace buildings or contents insurance
Insurance spreads the cost of a large, unlikely repair. A maintenance plan lowers the cost of the small, likely ones. Different products, and plenty of people keep both.
The four tiers
Half price until 30 September 2026. The normal monthly price is shown alongside.
| Tier | Now | Normal | Hourly rate | Certificate discount | Free certificates | Welcome credits | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | £3.50/mo | £6.99/mo | from £80 | 5% | 1 a year | £100 | Next-day priority booking |
| Silver | £5.00/mo | £9.99/mo | from £80 | 10% | 1 a year | £150 | Next-day priority booking |
| Gold | £7.50/mo | £14.99/mo | from £75 | 15% | 1 a year | £300 | Same-day priority booking |
| Platinum | £13.00/mo | £25.99/mo | from £75 | 20% | 4 a year | £400 | Same-day priority booking |
Platinum adds an annual property MOT and key holding, so we can let ourselves in while you are at work. The first month is risk-free; after that a plan runs on a 12-month minimum.
What a year looks like in a typical flat
Nothing dramatic happens in most flats. What happens is seven or eight hours of small work across twelve months, always at the wrong moment:
- A dripping tap and a dead shower mixer — about two hours
- A dead socket and two light fittings swapped — about two hours
- A basin waste that drains slowly, then not at all — about an hour
- Shelves, a curtain pole and a door that catches — about two hours
The arithmetic on seven hours
At the £120 an hour we use as the London comparison rate, seven hours comes to £840. At the Gold member rate of from £75, the same seven hours is £525.
Gold is £7.50 a month at the current price, so £90 for the year, or £179.88 at the normal £14.99.
Gold also includes £300 of welcome credits, one free certificate and 15% off any others, with no call-out fee on any visit.
An illustration, not a quote. Rates are from-prices, hours vary with the job and parts are charged separately.
Questions people ask before joining
Is the plan per property or per person?
Per property. The plan is tied to the address rather than to you, so a second home or a flat you let out needs its own plan.
Is this boiler cover or home emergency insurance?
No. This is a membership, not an insurance policy. There is no claim, no excess and no cover limit, because the plan never pays for the repair itself. It cuts your hourly rate, removes the call-out fee and includes certificates. If you want something that pays for a new boiler, that is an insurance product and we do not sell one.
So what do I actually pay when something breaks?
Time on the job at your member rate, from £75 an hour on Gold and Platinum and from £80 on Bronze and Silver, plus parts. No call-out fee on top. We use £120 an hour as the London comparison figure, so the gap shows after a few jobs.
How much does the plan cost and how long am I tied in?
From £3.50 a month for Bronze to £13.00 for Platinum while the half-price offer lasts, which is until 30 September 2026. Normal prices are £6.99, £9.99, £14.99 and £25.99. The first month is risk-free, and after that a plan runs on a 12-month minimum.
How quickly can someone come out?
Bronze and Silver get next-day priority booking, Gold and Platinum same-day. Members are booked ahead of non-members into the slots we hold back, which is why it pays to join before you need us rather than during a leak.
What is the free certificate each year?
Every tier includes at least one free certificate a year, and Platinum four. You can put it towards an EICR or a gas safety certificate. Anything beyond the free allowance gets 5% to 20% off depending on your tier.
How do the welcome credits work?
£100 on Bronze, £150 on Silver, £300 on Gold and £400 on Platinum, issued as ten vouchers rather than one lump sum. One voucher comes off each booking, so they suit several small jobs across the year.
Is your gas work done by a Gas Safe registered engineer?
Yes. Hem London is NAPIT registered, registration 64777, for electrical work. Gas work is carried out by Gas Safe registered engineers we work with, and the certificate comes from that engineer. We are fully insured, including public liability.
Do you cover my area?
Everywhere inside the M25 and just outside it. If you are not sure about your postcode, call 020 4634 2681 and we will tell you straight away.
Where to go next
Compare tiers on the membership page, or see what we do for plumbing, electrical work, handyman jobs and gas servicing. If you let a property out, the landlord plan adds the compliance calendar.
Hem London membership is a maintenance plan, not a contract of insurance. It does not pay for repairs, parts or replacements and is not a substitute for buildings, contents or home emergency insurance. Full terms apply.