One thing that first-time homeowners are seldom prepared for is the damage that can be caused to their pipes by tree roots. These invaders can cause leaks and blockages that require major portions of your yard to be dug up, costing you thousands of dollars. There is another way to fix it called a perma liner installation, which involves putting a hard liner inside of damaged pipes. This is not quite so invasive or expensive, but it will still probably cost a considerable amount of money. In either case, when a homeowner takes on a major expense like that, they naturally wonder if their home insurance might cover it.
Consider, for a moment, the nature of homeowners insurance. It is designed essentially to pay for sudden damage or loss, often caused by weather, fire or violent act. Root damage is not generally considered to be sudden, so you will usually have a hard time convincing an insurance adjuster that there was nothing you could have done to prevent the root damage over time. What this usually means is that you are stuck paying for your perma-liner without any help from your insurance.
This does not mean that it’s impossible to get a damaged pipe repaired with your home insurance. It is often possible to design a policy to cover removal of roots, pipe repair and/or perma liner installation–the trick is to talk to an agent before it becomes a problem. As an independent agent, we can help you to find a homeowners insurance policy that covers everything you want covered, and with our comparative quote tool on our website, you can be sure you’re always getting the best price, so call us today!