For a court claim in England and Wales over a faulty boiler installation, the Limitation Act 1980 generally sets six years from when the cause of action accrued for both contract and tort claims, with a possible three-year knowledge-based extension for latent negligence claims, an overriding 15-year long-stop for negligence, and postponement where the installer deliberately concealed a relevant fact.

Why time limits matter for boiler work

A poorly fitted boiler does not always show its faults straight away. A leak inside a wall, an incorrectly sized flue or a badly balanced system can take years to cause visible damage. Court time limits, known as limitation periods, decide how long after the event a homeowner has to start a claim, and they apply to court proceedings rather than to a manufacturer’s guarantee, which has its own conditions and deadlines. This guide covers the Limitation Act 1980, which the legislation.gov.uk text marks as applying to England and Wales. Personal injury claims follow separate rules that are outside its scope.

Six years for contract claims

Section 5 provides that an action founded on simple contract may not be brought after six years from the date on which the cause of action accrued. A homeowner’s agreement with an installer to fit a boiler is a contract, so a claim that the installer failed to do what was agreed, for example by not fitting the specified model or by not completing commissioning, is generally subject to this six-year limit. The clock is set by when the claim accrued, not by when the fault was noticed, except in the cases described below.

Six years for negligence and other torts

Section 2 sets the same six-year period for an action founded on tort, which includes a claim that work was carried out negligently. As with contract, the period runs from when the cause of action accrued. Where damage to the home only becomes apparent later, section 14A can change the position.

The three-year knowledge extension

Section 14A applies to negligence claims where the relevant facts were not known when the claim accrued. It allows the claim to be brought within six years from accrual or three years from the “starting date”, whichever expires later. The starting date is the earliest date on which the claimant first had both the knowledge required to bring an action and a right to bring it. Knowledge means the material facts about the damage, that the damage was attributable to the alleged act or omission, and the identity of the defendant. The section says knowledge that something amounted to negligence in law is irrelevant, and that a person’s knowledge includes what they could reasonably have found out from observable facts or with reasonable expert advice.

The 15-year long-stop

Section 14B sets an overriding limit for negligence actions that do not involve personal injuries: no claim may be brought after 15 years from the date of the act or omission alleged to be negligent, even if the damage has not yet occurred or the three-year period has not begun. In practical terms, the older the installation, the less room there is for a negligence claim over it, whatever the date of discovery.

Concealment, fraud and mistake

Section 32 postpones the start of the limitation period where the action is based on the defendant’s fraud, where a fact relevant to the claimant’s right of action has been deliberately concealed by the defendant, or where the claim is to relieve the consequences of a mistake. In those cases the period does not begin until the claimant has discovered, or could with reasonable diligence have discovered, the fraud, concealment or mistake. The section says deliberate commission of a breach of duty in circumstances where it is unlikely to be discovered for some time amounts to deliberate concealment. Under section 32(5), sections 14A and 14B do not apply to an action based on deliberate concealment, so the section 2 period applies instead.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

The Limitation Act 1980 is marked as applying to England and Wales only. In Scotland, the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 provides that an obligation is extinguished if it has subsisted for a continuous period of five years without a relevant claim or acknowledgement, with the start date fixed by the Act and its schedules. Northern Ireland has its own Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989. A homeowner in either nation should check the rules there rather than rely on the England and Wales figures.

Practical steps

Time limits are a long-stop, not a target. The practical route usually starts with raising the problem with the installer and, where relevant, the complaint routes covered in our guide to complaining about a boiler installation. Consumer remedies for faulty goods and poor workmanship are covered in Consumer Rights Act remedies for a new boiler and poor installation workmanship. If an installer has stopped trading, see insurance-backed guarantees.

FAQs

Is it six years from the installation date?

Section 5 and section 2 run six years from when the cause of action accrued. For latent negligence, section 14A can extend this by reference to when the claimant had the necessary knowledge.

What is the longest time limit for negligence over building or installation work?

For negligence claims not involving personal injury, section 14B sets an overriding limit of 15 years from the negligent act or omission.

Does the six-year limit apply to a manufacturer’s guarantee?

No. The Limitation Act governs court proceedings. A guarantee or warranty claim is governed by its own terms and conditions.

Does this apply in Scotland?

No. The Limitation Act 1980 applies to England and Wales. Scotland has a five-year prescriptive period under the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, with its own rules on when it starts.

The bottom line

In England and Wales the Limitation Act 1980 generally gives six years to bring a court claim over faulty boiler work, in contract or negligence, with possible extensions for latent damage and deliberate concealment and a 15-year long-stop for negligence claims. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate rules. This is general information, not legal advice; anyone close to a deadline should take advice promptly.

Sources

This guide draws on the following primary sources, current as of 24 September 2026:

• legislation.gov.uk, “Limitation Act 1980, section 5: Time limit for actions founded on simple contract”
• legislation.gov.uk, “Limitation Act 1980, section 2: Time limit for actions founded on tort”
• legislation.gov.uk, “Limitation Act 1980, section 14A: Special time limit for negligence actions where facts relevant to cause of action are not known at date of accrual”
• legislation.gov.uk, “Limitation Act 1980, section 14B: Overriding time limit for negligence actions not involving personal injuries”
• legislation.gov.uk, “Limitation Act 1980, section 32: Postponement of limitation period in case of fraud, concealment or mistake”
• legislation.gov.uk, “Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, section 6: Extinction of obligations by prescriptive periods of five years”
• legislation.gov.uk, The Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (Northern Ireland has its own limitation rules)

Related guides

Best Boiler Deals is an independent guide. We may earn a fee from some links; this never affects what we write. This article is general information, not regulated advice on any specific installation — always confirm the details with a Gas Safe registered engineer.