What Is Service Line Coverage? Understanding Protection For Your Winnipeg Home

As a Winnipeg homeowner, are you aware that you are responsible for maintaining and repairing all of the service lines on your property? From water and sewer pipes to gas, power, and communication lines, any utility service line located on, above, or beneath your yard is considered yours (not the city’s or utility company’s) until it reaches the street.

If this information takes you by surprise, you’re certainly not alone. While insuring your home and property is an expected part of home ownership, many Winnipeg homeowners remain under-educated about the fact that most standard home insurance policies don’t cover service line issues. Because service lines may not be visible, it can be easy to forget they exist. But in the event of a service line failure, you can be on the hook for overwhelming out-of-pocket expenses, not to mention major disruptions to your comfort and lifestyle.

At Nation West Inc., we strongly encourage our clients to invest in service line coverage in addition to home insurance in order to avoid the financial, physical, and emotional hardship that can accompany unexpected and uncovered service line damage. In this post, we’ve explored service line coverage and its benefits in more detail. Still have questions after reading the information below? Don’t hesitate to contact our knowledgeable and professional team directly!

Understanding Service Line Coverage: The Basics

Before exploring service line coverage, let’s take a moment to define the term service line. In simple terms, service lines are the pipes or wires that run across or under your property for the purpose of connecting your home to public utility systems. They can include:

• Water lines
• Sewer lines
• Power lines
• Gas lines
• Communication/data lines

Service line coverage is intended to cover the costs associated with damage to service lines on your property. Frequently available as an add-on to standard home insurance (which typically does not include this type of coverage), it can offer protection from physical damage to service lines caused by a wide variety of factors including:

• Wear and tear
• Corrosion
• Mechanical failure
• Insects or animals
• Freezing temperatures
• Root intrusion
• Collapse

In addition to covering the direct costs associated with the repair/replacement of damaged service lines, service line coverage may also include:

• The excavation costs associated with accessing underground service lines
• The cost of repairing damage to outside property including plants/trees, sidewalks, decks, and landscaping
• The cost of generators or other temporary equipment necessary to keep your home safe and functional during repairs
• The costs associated with living expenses outside the home, if required (hotel stays, meals, etc.)

No two service line coverage policies are identical, so be sure to discuss any questions or concerns with your professional Nation West Inc. representative. Our team is dedicated to finding you the right coverage for your specific needs and situation!

What Does Service Line Coverage Protect?

Service line coverage protects you and your household from debilitating expenses and lifestyle disruptions. If and when unexpected damage occurs to a service line on your property, you can rest easy in the knowledge that you won’t find yourself scrambling.

Water Line Protection

From showering and cooking to washing dishes and watering the lawn, you rely on your water line to bring fresh, clean water into your home every hour of the day. When a water pipe freezes, corrodes, or becomes otherwise damaged, excavation is often necessary and you may find yourself without the use of your faucets for an undetermined period of time. Water line protection ensures that the cost of repairs as well as any expenses associated with property restoration or off-site living are covered.

Sewer Line Coverage

When a sewer line becomes damaged, you can quickly find your household in a real mess. Service line coverage can provide superior peace of mind and help you restore function and order to your home as seamlessly and with as little stress as possible.

Electrical Service Lines

When blizzard gusts or summer storms send branches flying and trees toppling in Winnipeg neighbourhoods, the lines that bring electricity to your home may become damaged. With service line coverage, you won’t have to worry about living without electricity or the potentially high cost of repairs.

Gas Line Protection

Gas line damage can be both dangerous and highly disruptive to your lifestyle, but with gas line protection you can trust that repairs will be made and order restored to your home without undue financial burden to your family.

Common Service Line Problems In Winnipeg

If you live in Winnipeg or the surrounding areas, you already know all too well the toll that aging infrastructure combined with extreme climate conditions can have on your property. Perhaps not surprisingly, three of the most common service line problems encountered in Winnipeg are:

Winter Freeze Damage

Prolonged frigid temperatures and the freeze/thaw cycle can both wreak havoc on utility lines—most notably water pipes. Water expands as it freezes, which can lead to burst pipes, property damage, and a lack of access to fresh water in the home.

Age-Related Deterioration

No service line lasts forever and many of Winnipeg’s heritage properties are connected to the water main and other utilities with pipes that are several decades old. Eventually, age-related deterioration results in service line failure and, when it does, service line coverage can help.

Tree Root Intrusion

Winnipeg is known for its elm-lined streets and urban greenery, but sometimes this comes at a cost for homeowners. Tree and shrub roots that push their way into service lines are a frequent cause of water and gas line issues that can take homeowners off guard if they haven’t invested in service line coverage.

Why Winnipeg Homeowners Need This Coverage

At Nation West Inc. we strongly recommend that Winnipeg homeowners purchase service line coverage in addition to their standard home insurance policy. As we’ve seen in this post, Winnipeg’s climate and aging infrastructure make homeowners particularly vulnerable to experiencing some type of service line damage on their property, and service line coverage can mitigate the burden.

Making The Right Choice For Your Home’s Protection

Ready to protect your property, savings, and lifestyle with a proactive investment in service line coverage? The experienced team of professionals at Nation West Inc. is ready to assist you in finding the right fit for your needs. Contact us online, by phone, or in person today to learn more. We look forward to serving you!