Warranty, Guarantee And Furniture Protection
The first thing you want to know: yes, the electrics are covered — and so is the frame, for five years.
Recliner motors. Actuators. Control units and handsets. Cup holders, including cooling and heating cup holders. USB and charging points. Fridge consoles. Speakers and Bluetooth modules. LED lighting. Power headrests and power lumbar. Massage units. Every powered part of a smart recliner is covered — not just the frame it sits in.
Three things protect your sofa, and they are not the same. We do not blur them.
• Our guarantee is ours — We are liable, and we pay. Our 5-Year Frame Guarantee and 12-month guarantee on electrics are ours, standard, included with every sofa — and never withdrawn, whether or not you take Furniture Protection.
• Your statutory rights are the law — Nothing on this page reduces them.
• Furniture Protection is optional insurance — An optional insurance policy, underwritten by an insurer, covering what a guarantee never will — accidental damage and staining from day one, and extended cover on electrics and frame once our own guarantees end.
1. The Sofa Shop Guarantee
Every sofa, chair and seating product we sell carries two guarantees, both standard, both included, both starting from the date of delivery.
5-Year Frame Guarantee:
Structural defects in the frame and frame springs are covered for 5 years from delivery. This is included with every sofa as standard and is never withdrawn or reduced, whether or not you purchase Furniture Protection.
12-Month Guarantee — Everything Else:
The following are covered for 12 months from delivery: faulty stitching and seam failure, defects in the upholstery as supplied, and faults in electric recliner motors, mechanisms, actuators and control units.
If a fault covered by either guarantee appears within its period, we repair or replace it at no cost to you. No call-out charge, no parts charge, no labour charge. A repair or replacement does not restart or extend the guarantee period.
What neither guarantee covers:
• Accidental damage — spills, stains, rips, burns, pet damage
• Normal wear and tear, and the natural softening of cushion interiors over time
• Damage from misuse, neglect, or unsuitable cleaning products
• Colour change from sunlight, body oils or perspiration
Those are what Furniture Protection is for. See section 3.
Every sofa includes a £99 Care Pack as a condition of these guarantees — the correct, non-toxic care products for your sofa's leather or fabric. Maintaining your sofa with suitable products, as set out in your care guide, is a condition of your guarantee; damage from neglect or unsuitable products is excluded, as above.
Where Furniture Protection Is Taken
Our guarantees stand regardless of Furniture Protection. Where you also take the policy, cover simply extends beyond what we already give you, with no overlap and no gap:
• Frame: years 1–5 ours, year 6 onward the policy — Frame and frame springs — our 5-Year Frame Guarantee. From year 6, the policy takes over structural frame cover for the remainder of its term.
• Electrics: months 1–12 ours, month 13 onward the policy — Motors, mechanisms, control units and every smart component — our 12-month guarantee. From month 13, the policy takes over structural cover on electrics.
• Accidental damage & staining: policy, from day one — Accidental damage and staining were never covered by any guarantee — the policy covers these from the date of delivery.
This handover is deliberate: nobody pays twice for the same cover, and nothing you already get free from us is reduced by buying protection on top of it.
2. Your Statutory Rights
Your legal rights sit alongside our guarantees and are not affected by them. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods sold to you must be as described, of satisfactory quality, and fit for purpose. If they are not, you have rights against us for up to six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and five years in Scotland. Every product we sell also meets the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988. Nothing on this page — and nothing in any protection policy — takes any of that away.
3. Castelan Furniture Protection — Optional
Furniture Protection is an optional insurance policy. It is not a warranty, and it is not sold or underwritten by us. It is never added to your order automatically and it is never pre-ticked. It is administered by Castelan Group and covers the everyday accidents, and the extended cover, that our own guarantees do not.
Who underwrites it:
The policy is underwritten by Novus Underwriting Limited on behalf of Helvetia Schweizerische Versicherungsgesellschaft in Liechtenstein AG. Novus Underwriting Limited is registered in England and Wales, Company No. 10844265, registered office Cumberland House, 129 High Street, Billericay, Essex, CM12 9AH, and is an appointed representative of Direct Insurance Group Plc, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Firm Reference No. 306080. Helvetia Schweizerische Versicherungsgesellschaft in Liechtenstein AG, registered office Aeulestrasse 60 (2. Stock), 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein, is authorised by the Liechtenstein Financial Market Authority, Firm Reference No. 454140.
What is covered:
The smart components — the part that matters most. A smart recliner is a powered piece of furniture, and the policy covers defects to: electric recliner mechanisms, actuator motors, control units and handsets, cooling and heating cup holders, USB ports and charging points, fridge consoles, speakers and Bluetooth modules, LED lighting, power headrests and power lumbar, and massage units. Physical breakage of these parts is covered from delivery under accidental damage. Defects and failures are covered as structural defects from month 13, once our own 12-month guarantee ends.
• Accidental staining — From the date of delivery. Including food, drinks, cosmetics, ink, paint, shoe polish, dye transfer, human and animal bodily fluids, and odours caused by a stain.
• Accidental damage — From the date of delivery. Including rips, tears, burns, scratches, punctures, scuffs, dents, chips, heat rings, pet damage, and breakage of glass, stone, marble or frame components.
• Structural defects — Frame and frame springs from year 6, once our 5-Year Frame Guarantee ends; electrics from month 13, once our 12-month guarantee ends. Includes fraying of fabric, peeling of finish, bending or breakage of metal components, loss of cushion resilience, broken zips, castors and buttons, seam separation, and lifting or peeling of leather and vinyl.
How a claim is settled:
A valid claim is settled by cleaning or repairing the damaged product, with parts sourced to the original specification. If it cannot be cleaned or repaired, an alternative settlement is provided. No excess, no call-out fee, UK technician network. The value of any settlement will not exceed the amount you originally paid for the product.
What is not covered:
• Damage caused deliberately, by you or anyone else
• Wear and tear of any kind
• Damage or staining that has built up gradually over time
• Structural defects in products with a defective design subject to a manufacturer recall
• Colour change or damage caused by sunlight, perspiration, natural oils, or wear and tear
• Staining or damage from incorrect or inappropriate cleaning products or methods
• Damage caused by any animal other than your own pet
• Structural defects first discovered while our own Frame Guarantee or 12-month guarantee is still running
This is a policy for sudden accidents and extended cover once our own guarantees end — not a general cleaning or maintenance contract. Full exclusions are set out in the policy Terms and Conditions, provided before purchase and again after.
How it is priced:
The price is set by the combined value of the qualifying furniture in your order — not your whole basket. Non-furniture items such as LED art, mirrors and accessories are neither covered nor counted towards the price. Your exact price is shown at checkout.
Paying By Finance:
If you buy your sofa on finance and choose to include Furniture Protection or the £99 Care Pack within your financed amount, interest applies to the whole financed amount for the full term of your agreement — including the protection premium and the Care Pack, not just the sofa. This means the effective cost of Furniture Protection is higher if financed than if paid for upfront. You are free to pay for Furniture Protection and the Care Pack separately, outside your finance agreement, if you would prefer not to pay interest on them. Ask us at checkout if you would like to do this.
Who can take it out:
• You are 18 or over on the date of purchase
• You live in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
• The product or products are valued at no more than £20,000
• The product is for your own domestic use, new and undamaged at the start of the policy
• The policy cannot be transferred to another person
Your obligations under the policy:
• Take all reasonable precautions to safeguard the product
• Maintain the product in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions
• Report a claim as soon as possible, and no later than 28 days after you notice the damage
• Give accurate and complete answers to any questions asked as part of your application
4. Making A Claim
Under our guarantees: contact our customer service team. We assess the fault and arrange repair or replacement.
Under Furniture Protection: claim directly with Castelan, online or by phone, within 28 days of noticing the damage.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0330 088 2522
Our team will help you work out which route applies if you are not sure.
5. Cancelling Furniture Protection
You can cancel the policy at any point up to 14 days from receipt of your Certificate of Insurance and receive a full refund of the premium. After that 14-day period, or if you have already made a claim, no refund of premium is made. To cancel, contact us with your sales receipt or invoice. The premium is paid in one full payment before the policy starts.
6. Residential Customers
All recliner sofas sold by The Sofa Shop Inc Ltd to residential customers meet the statutory rights and safety standards required by UK law, including the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988. As a residential customer, your purchase carries a 5-Year Frame Guarantee, a 12-month guarantee against manufacturing defects on everything else, and full coverage under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
7. Commercial Customers
Commercial purchases are business-to-business transactions. The statutory consumer protections above — including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 — do not apply in the same way. We still meet UK fire safety standards on every product. Commercial buyers should inspect the product and confirm it meets their requirements before purchase, including compliance with BS 7176:1995, BS 5852:2006, and BS EN 1021-1/2:2014. Optional extended service packages are available for commercial clients on request.
8. Regulatory Information
Furniture Protection is a regulated insurance product. It is optional, it is never pre-ticked, and you are free to buy it elsewhere or not at all. Before you buy, you are given the Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) and the full policy Terms and Conditions. Both are sent to you again after purchase. Please read them — they are the definitive statement of what is and is not covered, and this page is a summary, not a substitute.
The Sofa Shop is a trading name of The Sofa Shop Inc. Ltd, registered in England & Wales, Company No. 14866043.
Download: Insurance Product Information Document (PDF) · Policy Terms and Conditions (PDF)