We wanted to add a quick personal note that might be helpful to people trying to determine what is covered, what isn’t, and how best to protect their home against unforeseen accidents.

We’ve written previously about insurance coverage due to sewage & water back-ups but we recently renewed our homeowners insurance policy through Progressive and they sent out a packet outlining changes to our policy along with additional coverage options.  One of those new coverage options was for “Water Backup & Sump Overflow Endorsement”.  From the notice:

“We have developed several new coverage levels for the Water Backup and Sump Pump endorsement.  If you have a finished (or partially finished) basement – or if your home is simply connected to city sewer lines – you may be interested in this coverage.

Why You May Need It

() your electricity goes out during a storm, including power to your sump pump.

() your sump pump suffers a mechanical breakdown and you don’t know it until it begins to rain and the pump never starts.

() There is torrential downpour and your sump pump is overwhelmed to the point of overflowing.

() Too much water tries to go through the main sewer lines adjacent to your property and water is forced back into your home through the drain.”

As you can see, each of these scenarios deals with water losses that originate from water from outside the home coming into the home and damaging it.  For my home, in my particular area, the cost of this additional coverage is:

() $5,000 of coverage with a $500 deductible for only $15 per year.

() $10,000 of coverage with a $1,000 deductible for only $23 per year.

() $25,000 of coverage with a $1,000 deductible for only $30 per year.

A couple of thing I thought were interesting about this endorsement:

1) It appears Progressive will cover losses occurring from the city’s main sewer line becoming overflowed and backing up into my house with this additional coverage.  That is one of the main reasons sewage back-ups occur, so if it’s the case you live in a place prone to flash floods, it may be worth $2.00/month to have that peace of mind.

() I assume you’d need some proof of a working sump pump in the home in order to qualify for coverage from a sump pump failure.

We have emergency crews available nationwide!