Does Home Insurance Cover Blocked Drains?

A blocked sewer pipe can push dirty water back up through a floor waste, shower or toilet, and the clean-up often worries people more than the blockage. So does home insurance cover blocked drains? The honest answer is that it depends on your policy and on what caused the problem.

This guide explains how policies typically treat blockages, where your pipe ends and Sydney Water's begins, and what to record if you need to claim. It's general information, not financial advice: your product disclosure statement (PDS) decides your cover. If wastewater is overflowing right now, stop running taps and flushing toilets, and get the line cleared before you worry about the claim.

What home insurance typically covers when a drain blocks

Home (building) policies typically include an insured event called 'escape of liquid'. One major insurer's PDS, for example, covers loss or damage caused by liquid leaking, overflowing or bursting from drains, fixed pipes, and drainage and sewage systems. That's the part of a policy that may respond when a blocked drain overflows into your home.

What it pays for is the damage the water causes, such as wet floor coverings or swollen cabinetry, not the plumbing fault behind it. Each of the insurer documents we checked says the same thing in its own words: no cover for the cost of repairing the item the liquid escaped from, such as a cracked pipe. Some policies do pay the reasonable cost of locating the source of a covered leak, so check whether yours includes exploratory costs.

So don't assume the plumber's bill to clear the blockage will be paid. Moneysmart suggests talking to your insurer before you spend money on temporary repairs, and notes that many insurers can arrange emergency repairs for you.

Tree roots, gradual damage and other common exclusions

Tree roots are one of the usual causes of blocked wastewater pipes, according to Sydney Water, because they grow into small cracks looking for nutrients. They can be excluded too. One major insurer's PDS excludes loss or damage caused by the roots of trees, shrubs or plants, while still covering damage from liquid overflowing from pipes or drains blocked or damaged by those roots, to the extent it falls under escape of liquid.

In plain terms, removing the roots and repairing the pipe are generally your cost, but the water damage may still be claimable. Two other points often catch people out:

• Gradual damage. The policies we checked exclude wear and tear, and cover slow leaks only where you couldn't reasonably have been aware of them. A pipe that has been seeping for months is treated differently from a drain that suddenly backs up.
• Maintenance. The PDS we read expects the home to be kept well maintained, and asks policyholders to fix known defects as soon as possible after finding out about them. If a plumber has already told you a line is failing, don't leave it.

Your pipe or Sydney Water's: who pays to clear it?

The Illawarra is part of Sydney Water's area: it supplies water and wastewater services across Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. Sydney Water is responsible for the pipes that form its wastewater network. Your responsibility covers the private wastewater pipes between your home and the spot where they meet that network, including private pipes that serve your property even if they run outside your boundary.

Sydney Water owns the junction where your line meets its sewer, but the property owner is responsible for the connection to it, and for clearing any tree roots that enter the junction at that point of connection. Sydney Water's own guide to telling the two apart:

• It's more likely Sydney Water's pipe if you can see the overflow outside your property, for example from a maintenance hole on public land, or the house next door has the same problem.
• It's more likely your private pipe if your neighbours aren't affected, or you only get an overflow when you use water on your property.
• Still unsure? Sydney Water takes calls on 13 20 90, 24/7, and will ask a few questions to help work out where the blockage is.

When Sydney Water may reimburse you

If a licensed plumber finds the blockage is in Sydney Water's pipes and it's reported, you can claim reasonable out-of-pocket expenses from Sydney Water. The plumber calls 13 20 90 to get a job number, and that number must go on your claim with the invoices. Sydney Water also says it may repair a collapsed private pipe under public land for residential customers, once a licensed plumber confirms excavation is the only option.

What should you record if you need to make a claim?

Contact your insurer as soon as practical, even if you don't yet know how much damage there is. Moneysmart's advice is to take lots of photos and video, capturing the damage in its original state before you move anything, and it notes that some policies set time limits for lodging a claim. A useful record includes:

• Photos and video of where the water came up, how far it spread, and each damaged room and item, taken before clean-up.
• The date and time you noticed the problem, and what you did to stop it.
• The plumber's findings: where the blockage was, what caused it (roots, a foreign object, a broken or collapsed pipe) and whether it was on your side of the connection. If the line is checked with a CCTV drain inspection, ask for the footage or stills.
• Invoices and receipts for any emergency work, plus a note of each call with your insurer.

Don't renovate before the insurer has looked

Hold off on ripping out or replacing damaged areas until your insurer agrees. The PDS we read excludes costs if you repair or renovate a damaged area of the home before the insurer can inspect it and find the cause.

Check your PDS, then lower the odds of a blockage

Because wording differs between insurers, your own PDS is the only reliable answer to whether home insurance covers blocked drains in your home. Moneysmart notes you may need to read the PDS to find out what isn't included, and insurers must also provide a Key Fact Sheet. Look at the escape of liquid section, the exclusions for roots, wear and tear and gradual damage, and whether exploratory costs are included.

Prevention takes some of the uncertainty away. Sydney Water says blockages are usually caused by tree roots, wet wipes and other unflushable items, fats and oils poured into sinks, and stormwater overloading the network in heavy rain. It also advises against planting new trees closer than 6 metres to wastewater pipes. Where roots are already a problem, a plumber can set up regular maintenance, such as our preventative plumbing maintenance plan.

If a drain is backing up, gurgling or draining slowly, call us on 0411 251 759, 24/7. Our blocked drain clearing can use drain jet blasting where it suits the job, and every job comes with a free plumbing safety report and fully qualified advice, so you can ask us to note where the blockage was and what caused it for your insurer.