What is Home Systems and Service Line Protection, and Is It Worth the Investment?
Morse Answers These Essential Questions and More.
When it comes to home insurance, 360 degrees of coverage is critical to protect one of your most significant investments. However, a standard homeowners insurance policy doesn’t always provide protection against everything you may encounter throughout a lifetime of home ownership.
Standard home insurance provides excellent coverage for the structure of your home, but what about all the integrated systems that buzz and hum, bringing your home to life. We’re talking about your heating system, central air conditioning unit, boiler, and electric garage door opener, to name a few. Are they covered too?
With Home Systems and Service Line Protection, they very well could be.
The team at Morse Insurance is breaking down everything you need to know about Home Systems and Service Line Protection, so you can make an informed decision whether or not this additional coverage makes sense for you.
Spoiler alert: it doesn’t cost nearly as much as you may think (but more on that later).
Where Standard Home Insurance Ends, Home Systems and Service Line Protection Begins
After experiencing weeks’ worth of slow drains and gurgling toilets, you notice an unpleasant odor and a visible sinkhole in your front yard. Unfortunately, you find out from your plumber that your home’s sewer pipes have tree roots growing inside them. This common problem is not a cheap fix, repairing or replacing the sewer pipes that run in and out of your house can be expensive.
If you assume that the city or town will step in and foot the bill to replace your sewage pipes and eradicate the tree root growth, think again. Most municipalities only cover the pipes up to your property line, making you, the homeowner, responsible for addressing any pipe damage on your property.
But with Home Systems and Service Line Protection, you would likely be financially covered from a situation like this.
What is Home Systems and Service Line Protection, and What Does It Cover?
Home Systems and Service Line Protection is an additional endorsement that can be added to your existing home insurance policy. This extra layer of protection offers financial coverage for all of your permanently installed systems, such as your central air conditioning unit, heater, and boiler, as well as your electrical, plumbing, and sewage lines from a sudden or accidental breakdown.
Are There Any Exclusions?
There are a few exclusions that are worth outlining. This endorsement does not provide coverage for home equipment that doesn’t generate, transmit, or utilize energy or that is not permanently affixed to your home. While this list is not exhaustive, it should give you a good idea of the types of items that are generally NOT covered:
- A structure, cabinet, compartment, or insulating material associated with a covered piece of equipment
- Software or electronic data
- Kitchen or laundry appliances, including but not limited to your refrigerator, dishwasher, oven/stove, washer and dryer
- Computers, laptops, and tablets
- Electronic entertainment systems, including but not limited to televisions, stereos, and speakers
How Much Does Home Systems and Service Line Protection Cost?
For as little as $35 a year, you can add Home Systems and Service Line Protection to your current homeowners insurance policy. This extra expense is significantly cheaper than most equipment warranties and service contracts, making it a cost-effective way to purchase some additional peace of mind.
No one wants to think about something going wrong to a critical home system or utility line, which is why the Morse Insurance team always recommends this coverage to our clients. We believe in the power of this small-but-mighty endorsement so much, most of our staff has added it to their home insurance policies to combat those dreaded “what if “scenarios.
If you have any additional questions about Home Systems and Service Line Protection or are ready to add this extra coverage to your current home insurance policy, contact Morse Insurance today.