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The utility lines like gas and water pipes running underground from the street till the house are responsibility of homeowners.
Did you opt for their insurance?
Has anyone encountered issues with them? If so, is it really expensive as the insurance companies say?
I guess I would have to look at my homeowner's policy to see if underground lines are covered.
I have never taken a separate insurance on these nor do I expect to do so.
The purpose of homeowner's insurance is not to pay for things that cost a few thousand dollars. If you try to get coverage for that you will pay far more in premiums than you will recover. The purpose of homeowner's insurance is to cover you in case of an extremely rare event that is so costly it will have a severe effect on your finances. Examples are: the house burns down; someone is injured on your property suffering multi-million dollar injuries/disability. A few thousand bucks to dig up and repair a water line is not the purpose of homeowner's insurance.
We had our cable TV line, and telephone line get cut several times. The carrier just replaced it at no charge. The electrical line also malfunctioned so they just laid in a new one - no charge. Not sure what insurance wold do. Maybe gas or water lines, but they are so deep, there is no liklihood they will have issues.
We just received something in the mail about sewer line coverage, but it came from our gas company. I’m not even sure why they are providing it. It did trigger us to check out our policy and call our current homeowners insurance to see if we are already covered.
We just received something in the mail about sewer line coverage, but it came from our gas company. I’m not even sure why they are providing it. It did trigger us to check out our policy and call our current homeowners insurance to see if we are already covered.
Usually because it'd be rare for your homeowners to cover things like that.
Cable company and phone company, normally cover to the demarcation point (The box outside your house, not the one at the road). Power company, again, usually covers to the meter. It's not uncommon for the cable company to charge $5 a month 'insurance' for wiring inside the house, because it's just all profit for them. Rarely does anyone have a line go out within the house.
Water companies, I have found are different. They cover only their lines. Lines run from the main (road) to your house are often your responsibility. I think part (most?) of that is so that if one springs a leak, they bill you for all that water.
Usually because it'd be rare for your homeowners to cover things like that.
Cable company and phone company, normally cover to the demarcation point (The box outside your house, not the one at the road). Power company, again, usually covers to the meter. It's not uncommon for the cable company to charge $5 a month 'insurance' for wiring inside the house, because it's just all profit for them. Rarely does anyone have a line go out within the house.
Water companies, I have found are different. They cover only their lines. Lines run from the main (road) to your house are often your responsibility. I think part (most?) of that is so that if one springs a leak, they bill you for all that water.
We had to pay to put in the line from the nearest water main, which mean down our road to our property as well as from the road to our house. Same with the gas line. It was the gas line that was the killer cost wise ($8,800). Annoyingly, the properties we had to cross to get water and gas to our property, get the benefit of those lines that we had to pay for for free. I do not mind someone else gets a bargain, what is annoying is that i had to pay to cost to bring water to their property so it could then go to my property. The utilities used to charge part of that cost when someone else tapped into it and refund a credit to people in my position, but they found the accounting to onerous, so now they either do not charge a part of the installation cost I paid when others tap into the line, or if they do, they just keep it.
the house we are in now is the first time I have run up against this insurance coverage thing. The electric company does not cover the cost of downed lines etc. from the pole to the house. You can get insurance through them to cover such damage. I think it was about $5. a month.
The utility lines like gas and water pipes running underground from the street till the house are responsibility of homeowners.
Did you opt for their insurance?
Has anyone encountered issues with them? If so, is it really expensive as the insurance companies say?
Generally, with most utilities, the provider covers any damage or replacement in the lines, up to the meter, for water, electricity or gas and to the cable or telephone box, on the outside of the house.
There has been a company sending solicitations through the mail, for "waterline coverage", that is regarded as a scam. This would cover only the water line from the meter, to where it goes under the foundation. Those who made claims, were denied, with the company saying the failure was due to a pre-existing condition, from before the insurance was purchased. No one seems to know anyone who was foolish enough to buy their coverage, who ever had a claim honored. There may be numerous such companies.
Generally, with most utilities, the provider covers any damage or replacement in the lines, up to the meter, for water, electricity or gas and to the cable or telephone box, on the outside of the house. .
This^^^ In our area anything underground in the easement areas are covered by the utility companies at no cost to the homeowner. All our utilities are underground. We're only responsible for water line from the meter to the house.
Insurance in most cases for this situation is a waste of money. And yes there are many scams out there, with many taking advantage of seniors.
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