Does home insurance cover plumbing?

What is home insurance?

Home insurance, or homeowners insurance, is financial protection in case of an accident that causes damage or loss.

There are a few types of home insurance coverage, including for your physical home and your belongings. There is also liability protection in case the policyholder causes bodily injury or property damage and coverage for additional living expenses in case a home becomes uninhabitable due to an event like a fire or storm.

Plumbing issues home insurance will cover

The fact that there are different types of water damage means you might not be covered for all plumbing issues in your home. A standard home insurance policy will cover some things, including:

• Broken or burst pipes, including corresponding water damage to walls and floors
• Sudden leaking from a broken appliance, like a water heater or washing machine
• Overflowing, like from a sink, toilet or tub
• Damage to pipes through other means, like a fire in the home
• Frozen pipes in homes that are heated
• Leaking roofs

You’re also covered if plumbing issues make your home uninhabitable. For instance, if you’ve been displaced due to burst pipes, your insurance will cover additional living expenses, like a hotel or temporary housing for you and your pets, if you have any.

Plumbing issues not covered by home insurance

While home insurance covers some plumbing issues, it won’t cover all of them. Don’t expect coverage for:

• Floods: You’ll need to purchase a separate flood insurance policy for coverage.
• Frozen pipes: While frozen pipes in homes that are heated are covered, you won’t be covered if you have frozen pipes in an unheated house.
• Sump pump or sewer backups: As with flooding, you’ll need to get a separate water backup policy to have these instances covered.
• Damage from neglect or lack of maintenance: If you’ve had a leaky bathroom faucet for a while and it eventually leads to damage, you won’t be covered by home insurance.

Should I file a claim for plumbing problems?

You may want to file a claim for plumbing issues if the following are true:

• It’s covered by your insurance.
• The damage is large enough that it exceeds your home insurance deductible.
• You can’t afford to pay for the damages out of pocket.

You may want to skip filing a claim in these situations:

• The damage is minor.
• The cost of repair is less than your deductible amount.
• You can afford to pay for the repairs out of pocket.
• The problem has been building for some time or it occurred because you neglected regular maintenance.

Bottom line

Home insurance covers many household issues, including those related to plumbing — but not all plumbing problems are covered. It’s important to read the fine print in your policy so you know what’s covered. You can also discuss your coverage with an agent and find out about add-ons that provide greater protection.

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