Most of the time, we homeowners fail to notice whenever our sewer lines are broken or damaged until such time that it causes serious problems in our home like the emergence of foul odor and loud clunking sounds that are usually heard whenever water is drained from our plumbing fixtures.

Because of this, fixing problems with our sewer lines is quite difficult to accomplish on our own and requires us to hire the services of professionals which in most cases are quite costly and troublesome on our part. According to Deluxe Plumbing and Heating, a Plumber near me in Bethlehem, these unwanted events make us consider the amount of the unexpected repair cost that we are going to pay and wonder if our homeowner’s insurance can cover the expense of our sewer line repairs.

Will My Homeowner’s Insurance Cover the Repair Cost of My Broken or Damaged Sewer Lines?

According to Investopedia, every homeowner's insurance has a liability limit that is determined by the particular coverage that we have selected in our insurance policy. And in reality, most of the insurance policy that we possess does not include the cost of sewer line repairs and replacement. 

However, there are several factors that may affect our insurance policy to cover our sewer line repairs and replacement.

Factors Affecting Our Homeowner’s Insurance to Cover Sewer Line Repairs and Replacement

Based on the information provided by DIFS Homeowners Insurance Guide, several factors may affect every insurance policy. In regards to sewer line repairs and replacement, the following factors may influence whether or not your policy will cover the cost of the sewer line repairs in your home.

“Other Structure” Clause

Typically, the repair cost of your sewer line repairs or replacement may be covered under your homeowner’s insurance “Other Structure” section policy (unless otherwise specified) based on the following situations:

• Damaged was caused by fire or smoke

• Damaged was caused by lightning

• Damaged was caused by theft or vandalism

• Damaged was caused by explosions

• Damaged was caused by a volcanic eruption

• Damaged was caused by hail or windstorm

• Damaged was caused by riots or civil disturbance

• Damaged was caused by falling objects

• Damaged was caused by vehicles

Cost of Repair

If the repair or replacement of your sewer lines is covered by the “Other Structure” section of your policy, the covered amount that your insurance company will pay may be limited to just about 10% of your overall home insurance coverage. 

For example, if the total amount that your home is insured for is $500,000, then the maximum amount that your insurance can pay you for your sewer line repair or replacement is $50,000 which in most cases will be enough for the replacement cost of the sewer lines in your home.

Additional Coverage 

Almost every insurance company offers options for our homeowner's insurance policy such as additional coverage for flooding and sewer and drain repairs. This extra coverage will require us to pay an additional premium on top of our regular insurance policy cost but if you opted for it, then the repair and replacement cost of the sewer lines in your home will surely be covered by your insurance policy.

Scenarios Where Your Homeowner’s Insurance Doesn’t Cover the Repair or Replacement Cost of Your Sewer Lines

According to the insurance guide released by the state of Delaware, a homeowner’s insurance is available to protect our home and personal property. However, certain situations exempt our insurance company from paying our policy based on the following scenarios:

Sewage Backup

All homeowner’s insurance policy makes it clear that any damages that resulted from a sewage backup will exempt the insurance company from covering our sewer line repair or replacement. Unfortunately, sewage backup is one of the main causes of sewer line damages and may be very costly to repair.

Physical Damage

Every sewer line repairs that can be attributed to faulty construction, poor upkeep, or preventable errors will not be covered by our homeowner’s insurance policy. Furthermore, some natural calamities like floods will exempt our insurance company from shouldering the repair bill.

Final Words

Purchasing a homeowner’s insurance for our home is vital to the protection of our property. Unforeseen damages may cause our expenses to blow up and ruin our financial situations. Sewer line repairs and replacement is very costly and takes a long time to finish.

Opting for additional coverage in our homeowner’s insurance policy to take care of untimely sewer line damages whenever it is not covered by our regular insurance will make it easier for us to cope up with these upsetting situations.

The truth is that sewer line damages are difficult to detect due to the nature of its location in our home and the lack of obvious signs and symptoms that may alert us that there is an existing problem. Making sure that repair cost on possible damages on our sewer lines is covered by our homeowner’s insurance will save us a lot of money in the long run and will help us keep our mind at peace regarding our property.