The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you a specific, tiered set of legal remedies if a boiler you’ve bought turns out to be faulty — and these rights exist independently of, and in addition to, any manufacturer’s guarantee that came with it.

The first 30 days: reject and get a full refund

Within 30 days of taking ownership of a faulty boiler, you have a short-term right to reject it and claim a full refund, without the trader being entitled to attempt a repair first if you don’t want one. This 30-day period runs from whichever is later out of the purchase date or delivery/installation date. In practice, a fault serious enough to make you want to reject a newly installed boiler this early is likely to be fairly fundamental, but the right itself doesn’t require you to prove the fault is severe — it simply needs to be a genuine fault, not simply a change of mind.

30 days to six months: one chance at repair or replacement

Once the 30-day window has passed, you move into a different phase of protection: the trader is entitled to one opportunity to repair or replace the faulty boiler before you can insist on a refund. During this period, up to six months from purchase, the law presumes the fault was present at the time of purchase unless the trader can prove otherwise — in other words, the burden of proof sits with the trader, not with you. If the repair or replacement itself fails to fix the problem, or a further fault of the same kind appears, you’re then entitled to a refund, or in some circumstances a price reduction, without further repair attempts being forced on you.

After six months: the burden of proof shifts

Beyond six months of ownership, the position becomes more demanding for the consumer: you generally need to demonstrate that the fault was present at the time of purchase, rather than the trader having to disprove it. You still have meaningful rights — in principle up to six years to bring a claim through the small claims process in England and Wales — but proving a boiler fault existed at the point of installation, rather than developing later through normal wear, misuse or unrelated causes, becomes a genuinely harder practical case to make, and independent expert evidence often becomes necessary to support it.

Who these rights are actually against

• Your Consumer Rights Act protections are against the trader you actually bought the boiler from — commonly the installation company or supplier — not the manufacturer directly.
• A manufacturer’s guarantee is a separate, voluntary commercial promise, and doesn’t replace or reduce your statutory rights against the trader in any way.
• Any guarantee term that appears to limit or exclude your Consumer Rights Act protections is unenforceable to that extent — a guarantee can only add to your rights, not take them away.

What about the cost of removal and reinstallation?

Where a repair or replacement is the correct remedy, the trader must bear any reasonable costs involved in removing the faulty boiler and installing its replacement, rather than passing those costs on to you. This matters specifically for a boiler, given that installation itself is a significant cost on top of the appliance price — the right to a repair or replacement genuinely has to be a practical remedy, not one that leaves you effectively paying installation labour twice because the trader only replaces the unit itself and expects you to separately fund reinstallation.

FAQs

Does a faulty boiler that leaves me without heating in winter count for more compensation?

The specific disruption a fault causes, such as being left without heating or hot water during winter, can be relevant to what a fair remedy looks like, including in some cases additional compensation for the inconvenience, beyond simply fixing or replacing the appliance itself.

Can I insist on a full refund instead of a repair within the first six months?

Generally, within the 30-day window, yes. Between 30 days and six months, the trader is normally entitled to one attempt at repair or replacement first, and you can only move to a refund if that attempt fails or isn’t carried out within a reasonable time.

Do I need to go through the manufacturer’s guarantee process before I can use my Consumer Rights Act rights?

No — a manufacturer’s guarantee gives you an additional, optional route, but it doesn’t have to be exhausted first. Your statutory rights against the trader exist independently and can be pursued directly regardless of the guarantee.

Sources

This guide draws on the following primary sources, current as of 16 September 2026:

• Which?: Faulty product? How to get a refund, repair or replacement
• legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015

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