Why Water Backup Coverage Is So Important

Donna leads a busy life – home is often just a place to lay her head after a crazy day. Over the course of a couple months, she noticed that her sinks were taking a long time to drain and her toilet wasn’t flushing like it should. “I’ll add it to my to-do list,” she thought as she left the house early one morning.

Unfortunately, the to-do list was delayed. Donna arrived home from work one day to find several inches of water standing in her bathroom and flowing into other parts of her house. Donna had to call professionals out to clean her home. In addition, carpet had to be ripped up, flooring had to be replaced, and a couple appliances were ruined as well. As you can imagine, this set Donna back a pretty penny.

If Donna had added water backup coverage to her homeowner’s policy, all of this could have been covered.

Water backup coverage protects you from damage caused by a backed up drain, sewage line, or failed sump pump. You may be particularly susceptible if your house is on a hill, if you have a basement, or if you have an old sewer line. However, anyone can be at risk due to things such as: improper disposal of sanitary items, disposal of cooking grease down drains, tree roots infiltrating sewer lines, and even city-wide sewage problems that are out of your control.

Furniture can be ruined, the structure of your home can be damaged, values lost, and in some cases your home may be uninhabitable while being disinfected. Repairs for these damages and cleanup are easily tens of thousands of dollars.

Consider adding this to your homeowner’s policy today so that you are protected from a messy disaster.

An important note: water backup coverage is NOT flood insurance and will not cover flooding or damage from subsurface water sources such as sprinkler systems or swimming pools.