One beautiful morning you might be unfortunate enough to discover your front lawn has become a three inch retention pond. After calling in a plumber, you’ll quickly discover an underground service pipe has broken and is now leaking water onto your grass…and eventually it could reach the inside of your residence.
Repairs such as this water main break are complicated, time-consuming, and can cost you thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses.
Fact #1 – Home Policies Don’t Help with Service Lines
Does it surprise you to know that the underground wiring and plumbing connecting your house to public utilities is your legal responsibility? That means it’s solely your duty to maintain and repair the underground connections linking your home to electricity, water, gas, and cable services.
Home insurance is meant for losses associated with your residence’s structure and contents but not its underground utility lines. In fact, standard homeowners insurance excludes this type of protection.
Remember, service lines can fail no matter where you live, whether it’s an old, historic neighborhood or a brand new bedroom community. That’s why it’s worthwhile for all homeowners to consider underground service line coverage.
Fact #2 – Service Line Insurance Explained
Service line insurance kicks-in when a utility line fails because of deterioration, environmental conditions, or other outside forces. Under this type of policy, homeowners can file a claim for the repair or replacement costs associated with the underground service line. In addition, utility lines coverage typically takes care of expenses for excavation and damage to outdoor property as well.
Utility Lines Covered: (Just copy what is on the philly policy endorsement, because ‘geo thermal and fiber optic, I don’t think I want to put that in there unless you see that, probably qualify as communication lines but I’d rather be on the safe side)
- Gas lines
- Sewer pipes
- Drain pipes
- Communication lines
- Main water lines
- Geo-thermal pipes
- Power lines
- Fiber Optic lines
- Valves
Typical Exclusions:
- Septic tanks
- Well, pumps, or motors
- Relocation of utility lines
- Installation or repair damages
- Heating/cooling systems
- Drain/leach fields
- Obstruction of lines
- Irrigation/sprinklers
- Lines in or under a pool, building, hot tub, or body of water
Fact #3 – Offers Through the Mail Won’t Do It
Every homeowner in America receives random offers through the mail from utility providers offering underground service line coverage. Be aware that these types of contracts can be very limited (e.g. only covering one utility line) in comparison to more robust policies through traditional insurance carriers.
Fact #4 – Utility Line Policies Are Low Cost
For the amount of financial security you’ll get from an underground service line policy you might be surprised to learn it typically runs less than $70 per year and many times even less than that.
Fact #5 – Signing Up for Service Line Insurance Is Easy
Contact Gonzalez & Co. today for an evaluation of your current home insurance needs. A licensed insurance agent is always available to answer questions about underground service line coverage or any other protection you may need. Get a quote or talk to an agent.