There’s some confusion around water & sewer backup coverage, let’s clean it up!
Almost all homeowners and landlords policies will include an endorsement for $5000.00 of water & sewer backup coverage. The truth is, most water & sewer backups are automatically covered by your homeowners policy without any limit, here’s why.
The $5000.00 limit applies only when the backup occurs outside of your premises or, depending on the policy, outside of the footprint of your foundation. An example would be the failure of your city’s water system or the overload of your city’s water system by excessive rain or overflow or, perhaps your home sits lower than the other homes in your neighborhood.
Here’s a great example:
You may want to think about increased coverage for water & sewer backup if:
- Your sewer lateral is aging
- You have a sump pump
- You have a finished basement
- Your home is older and the plumbing has not been updated
- Your town or city has am aging sewer system
- Your home sits lower than other homes in your area
How you can help prevent water backup
You can reduce potential water backup issues by keeping your home’s drain lines clear with a few simple steps.
- Dispose of kitchen grease properly — in a container in the trash, not down the drain.
- Don’t flush paper products other than toilet paper. That includes wipes, paper towels, feminine hygiene products and diapers.
- Have tree roots trimmed near your house and drainage lines.
- Replace your clay sewer lateral with PVC, ABS or HDPE plastic piping.
- Consider having a licensed plumber assess your pipes to make sure your sump pump, French drains and other flood management systems are not connected to your sewer lateral.
- Install a backwater prevention valve to keep sewer water out.
The average cost to increase your coverage for water & sewer backup coverage is less than $100.00 per year.
For the best homeowners insurance coverage including endorsements and coverage for water & sewer backup, call Anderson Insurance Group today!
Anderson Insurance Group – Salt Lake City – Utah