The short answer? Maybe.
Whether your plumbing repair is covered by your homeowners insurance or not all depends on:
- Your specific policy details
- If the plumbing issue happened because of neglect or lack of maintenance
You see, every policy is different. Some may cover the cost to have a professional plumber fix the issue while some may only cover water damage. However, most home insurance policies won’t cover repairs for issues that happened because of neglect or lack of maintenance. In other words, you’ll have to prove that the issue was “sudden and accidental”.
We’ll go over 2 of the most common plumbing repairs and whether or not they’re typically covered by homeowners insurance.
Note: Contact a representative from your insurance company to get an accurate answer as to whether your plumbing repair is covered or not.
Does homeowners insurance cover repiping?
Typically, no. Most homeowners insurance policies consider whole-home repiping to be a preventative measure that you’ll have to pay out of pocket for.
The good news, though, is that most policies will cover any damage from corroded or failing pipes. But you may have to prove that the damage occurred from a leak that was “sudden and accidental”. For example, if the first sign of failing pipes was a burst pipe that caused water damage, most policies will cover the cost of that water damage and possibly the cost to repair that specific pipe.
A word to the wise: most homeowner insurance companies will pay to repair a water leak and water damage to your home twice. But if it happens a third time, you risk having your insurance company drop you.
Again, it all comes down to how your policy is worded, but for the most part, homeowner’s insurance won’t cover whole-home replumbing, just the cost to repair a broken pipe and water damage.
Does homeowners insurance cover plumbing breaks under a slab?
When it comes to the damage and repair costs due to a slab leak, you have a decent chance at having your homeowners insurance cover:
- Water damage caused by the slab leak
- Structural damage to your home from the slab leak
- The cost of tearing out and replacing the slab (but not the pipe)
- Damage to personal belongings (clothes, furniture, etc.) IF the slab leak occurred due to a “covered peril” such as a fire
However, homeowners insurance typically doesn’t cover the cost to repair the broken pipe or to replace it, especially if the pipe failed due to:
- Normal wear and tear
- Tree root interference
- Neglect
Need a quote for your plumbing repair? Regardless of whether your repair is covered by homeowners insurance, you’ll eventually need a quote for the job.
If you want an estimate for how much your repair will cost, just contact us. We’ll send over a reliable plumber who will inspect your system and give you a fair, honest price.
