Is water line insurance worth the cost? What experts say

CALGARY- An ad that’s circulating about water and sewer line insurance is proving confusing for some homeowners.

Homeserve USA is selling policies to cover the costs of underground repairs on private properties, which aren’t covered by the city or home insurance. For $9.99 per month, they promise to pay up to $10,000 for repairs—but experts Global News spoke with say it’s probably not necessary.

“It’s a very infrequent problem for a water line to become an issue,” says Ryan Hansen from Hansen Plumbing. “A lot of time it will be an act of God, or the pipe has a manufacturers defect. If the integrity of the pile is good, it should last many, many years.”

He adds that sewer line breaks are far more common in Calgary, especially in homes over 40 years old with lots of trees.

“Sewer lines 40 to 50 years old tend to be made of products that are easily compromised. That’s easy for tree roots to get into, and compromise a main sewer.”

Hansen suggests hiring someone to inspect the lines with a camera, to ensure they’re not being damaged by tree roots.

Homeserve also sells sewer line insurance, and says about 60 per cent of their claims in Alberta are related to sewer problems.