Does Home Insurance Cover Plumbing?

Here’s what you should know about coverage for plumbing:

Plumbing systems require maintenance to function properly.
Home insurance covers damage caused by sudden, accidental events.
Therefore, most plumbing problems aren’t covered by insurance.
Your policy can cover water damage caused by bursting pipes.

Question The drains in our home run a little slow, and sometimes I have to grab the plunger. The house was built decades ago, and I know the plumbing isn’t going to last forever. Is this something my home insurance will cover?

Francisco Flores is a Farmers Insurance^® agent in Yuma, Arizona. He has this to say about handling plumbing problems.

Answer Keeping up with maintenance and repairs is a fact of life for homeowners. Time and everyday use take their toll on a house — including the parts you can’t see. Even if your plumbing is working fine right now, those pipes will likely need attention sooner or later.

The purpose of home insurance is to cover damage caused by sudden, accidental events like a storm, fire or falling object. Since most plumbing troubles are maintenance issues, they are not usually covered by home policies.

If you live in a cold climate, you’re probably wondering whether frozen pipes are covered. We realize that you can’t control the weather, so your Farmers® policy provides coverage for water damage from pipes that freeze up and burst on you — if you have taken reasonable care to prevent the freezing. It also provides coverage when your kids overfill the bathtub because they’re kind of hard to control, too.

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