Are slab leaks covered by insurance?

Are slab leaks covered by insurance?

One of the realities to home ownership is that building materials degrade over time.  The degradation of plumbing materials can lead to pipes breaking or pipes leaking in the slab.  If a slab leak happens to you and you see water coming up through the floor or hear water running and don’t see any water running anywhere in the home, the first thing you need to do is turn the water off to the house.  This can prevent a bad situation with a relatively minor fix from becoming a terrible situation for you that could end up costing tens of thousands of dollars.

So would these situations be covered by your home insurance? 

Before we answer this question, let’s briefly walk through a home insurance policy.  A standard home insurance policy written on an H03 form provides coverage for direct physical loss to the property.  It has an exclusion in the policy, however, for wear and tear.  Insurance companies typically look at pipes breaking or leaking as a wear and tear situation.  In other words, the plumbing materials have degraded over time and began leaking.  As such, coverage to fix the pipe causing the slab leak would generally not apply. 

What if the leak damages the house?

However, if there is damage to the home as a result of the slab leak, coverage could apply.  Examples of this include damage to baseboards, damage to the flooring, damage to drywall, damage to cabinets etc etc.  This damage could be covered subject to your deductible.  So if there is damage as a result of your pipes leaking, be certain to take photos and to keep all invoices and receipts for consideration of reimbursement.

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