What is water backup coverage and why is it important?

Water damage can be disastrous to your home. Imagine discovering that your entire basement is filled with brown water and sewage from a backed-up water main or other pipes. It’s not only disgusting and potentially dangerous, it’s also expensive. On average, most water backup claims cost $5,000-$10,000 to repair.

Water backup coverage is an optional coverage that can be added to your existing homeowner’s policy for this type of situation. But since many homeowners’ policies either don’t cover water backups or only offer limited protection, it’s worth learning more about this valuable and affordable option. Because you don’t want to find out you’re underinsured after you experience a water backup issue.

The amount of coverage you’ll need depends on several factors, including:

• Whether you have a finished or unfinished basement.
• The size of your basement.
• The type of flooring in your basement (carpet, vinyl, hardwood, etc.).
• The type of wall material in your basement (drywall, paneling, etc.).
• Whether your basement has a bathroom.
• Whether you have a washer, dryer, or heating and cooling system in your basement.

Once we have this information, we can offer a quote for either adding the option or increasing your water backup coverage. The good news is that this coverage is inexpensive. You can get quality coverage for less than $25 per month.

Contact us today to discuss your current homeowner’s policy with an expert.

Reposted with permission from the original author, Safeco Insurance®.

The top image was taken by Flickr user .waldec and used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.