Insurance For Sewer Backup

By Devon Monache


When a sewer backup occurs inside a home, it creates a very filthy and disgusting situation. When there is excessive snow melting or higher than average rainfall in a certain area, this can make the drainage system overloaded, and it can cause a sewer backup. The extra water in the pipes starts to back up, and it flows the opposite direction into your home and onto your floor. When sewage flows into your home, the damages can be very expensive and messy to clean up, and also there are health implications. Cleanup has to be begun immediately, and the price for doing it is exceedingly high. While there are some steps you can take to prevent sewer backup damage, the only way to financially protect your family and home against sewer backup damage is to buy insurance.

The tub or sink can just fill with the excess water sometimes, but if it goes through the toilet pipe, it will flow over the edge more quickly since it is full of water, and this situation can happen with no warning. Your home can be damaged by a backup, and the waste water carries bacteria that can be dangerous to your health.

Sewer backup is usually excluded from the list of insurable damages in traditional insurance company policies. Most times, the homeowner can pay extra and have a rider attached to include it. Sewer backup is common in some areas that have regular flooding, so in these places, insurance companies offer only an extremely limited amount of coverage for these damages. Replacing damaged property or paying for the cleanup cost may not be enough, depending on the limit on the policy. The damage can be so extensive that carpets need to be replaced, and you may need to install new drywall. There are also valuables that many people store in the basement, and these replacement costs can add up significantly.

Sewer backup insurance will protect a homeowner from the cleanup costs and damages associated when sewer waste flows into a home. Your home insurance policy will pay replacement costs for property damage if they settle losses on a replacement cost basis. Other policies provide coverage on an actual cash value basis. When a policy is designed like this, property that is damaged will be covered based on the depreciated value of each item.

Cities will very rarely claim responsibility for sewer backups, it's up to the homeowner. Unless sewer backup is mentioned specifically in your home insurance policy, a rider must be purchased to be covered in case of damages from this cause. The cost varies with your home's risk for a backup. Damages that will be covered have their limits, and they will have their own deductibles, with these riders. The insurance company and the policy itself will outline what limits are in place.

Repair and maintenance of the sewer line that runs out of your home and connects to the city's main line in the street is not the city's responsibility, it is the homeowner's, and many do not know this. The property owner is responsible for maintaining the sewer line to the street or public right of way, as owner of the line, they are expected to maintain it.

As the years pass, cracks can form on the lines, they can have obstructions, or they can simply deteriorate and collapse. You may not have a clue that this kind of damage is occurring. If there is a major rainstorm or melt, the issue with the pipes will become obvious quickly.

Keep in mind, the majority of business and home insurance do not automatically include sewer backup, and a rider is necessary to have this protection. Do what is necessary to ensure that you are covered.




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