Service line protection

Service lines are the water, sewer, electrical, gas, and telecom lines that connect your home to the public supply. The public lines normally run underneath the street or sidewalk. Service lines also run underground, connecting your house to the public lines.

Utility companies take care of the public lines under the street. But the service lines on private property are the sole responsibility of the property owner — and repairing those lines can be costly. Home insurance covers service lines for the same types of damage as the house, but service lines face many other forms of damage, too.

That’s why Square One offers service line protection on most of our home insurance policies. If your home qualifies, you can easily add this affordable coverage when you buy your policy. With service line protection, you can extend the basic coverage for service lines to include coverage for wear and tear, corrosion, and many other types of damage that are usually excluded from home insurance policies.

Here, we’ve collected some of the most important information about service line protection.

Does home insurance cover service lines?		Most home insurance policies cover service lines for the same types of loss as the building itself, including policies from Square One. For example, if a house is damaged by a fire, any damage to the service lines would usually be covered. But, damage from excluded perils, like rusting or general wear and tear, would not be covered for the house nor the service lines. Given that they’re buried underground, service lines are difficult to maintain and accordingly susceptible to these types of gradual damage. If a service line fails due to an excluded peril, the homeowner will need to pay to replace it. And repairing a service line is not as easy as running to the hardware store and picking up a length of pipe. There’s the cost of digging up the yard (not to mention putting it back together afterward). Plus, you’ll need to bring in professionals; whether pressurized water lines, live electrical wires, or dangerous gas lines, most service line repairs can’t be DIY-ed. The average cost of repairing a sewer service line, for example, is as high as $6,000.
What does service line protection include?		By default, policies from Square One cover: Sewer lines that are connected to a municipal system Water supply lines connected to either a municipal system or a private well Active electrical and telecommunications lines Natural gas lines connected to a regional distribution system If any of these lines are damaged, the policy will help pay for the cost of repairs, subject to the policy’s exclusions. Among those exclusions, as with most home insurance policies, are wear and tear, vermin damage, and others. But, Square One’s service line protection adds coverage even for some types of damage that are normally excluded. With Square One, you can use your service line protection even if your service lines are damaged by: Wear and tear Mechanical breakdown Rust or corrosion Settling, sinking, moving, bulging, etc. Defective materials or faulty workmanship Vermin (raccoons, rodents, insects, etc.) Freezing Plus the typical coverages offered by your policy, up to the building coverage limit.
How much does service line coverage cost?		Not all home insurance providers offer service line coverage; those that do typically charge $35 to $50/year. Service line coverage from Square One starts at just $25/year.
What is the deductible for service line coverage?		Like most insurance, service line coverage includes a deductible — the portion of a claim the policyholder pays before the insurance provider pays the remainder. When you use service line coverage from Square One, your standard policy deductible will apply; there’s no separate deductible for this coverage.

Service line protection

Does home insurance cover service lines?

What does service line protection include?

How much does service line coverage cost?

What is the deductible for service line coverage?