Does House Insurance Cover Blocked Drains?

Whether house insurance covers blocked drains is rarely a simple yes or no; the answer is actually a qualified ‘sometimes’. Standard building insurance may cover the cost of repairs to a drain if it’s a result of sudden and accidental damage, but it’s unlikely to cover the cost of clearing a blockage caused by misuse or gradual wear and tear.

It’s the sight no homeowner wants to see: gurgling toilets, slow-draining sinks. Nor do they want unpleasant smells wafting up from drains internally or externally. Naturally, your first thought is about the cost and inconvenience of a blocked drain backing up your home. Your second thought, however, is likely to be “Am I covered for this by my insurance?”.

This month at Express Drainage Surveys, as your local experts when it comes to the aftermath left by blocked drains, we’re exploring this topic in more detail so that you can understand home insurance in relation to drains and what your responsibilities are.

Remember, establishing the cause, extent and location of drain damage is crucial. That’s why we’re always on hand for CCTV drain surveys to help diagnose any problem and provide the evidence you’ll need to navigate insurance claims.

Home insurance policies: a quick refresher

It’s worth starting with a quick recap on insurance types, so that you know which you’re more likely to claim a blocked drain against if it’s possible to do so.

Buildings insurance: This is the policy that will cover the structure of your property, including drainage systems, pipes and sewers. So it’s this insurance we’ll focus on.
Contents insurance: This policy only covers the things inside your home, hence the name. That means it’s good for covering items like your television, other valuables and furnishings.

Accidental damage vs wear and tear

The critical thing that will decide whether your blocked drain is covered by insurance or not is the difference between accidental damage and wear and tear. Accidental damage is the sudden or unexpected damage, and is usually what your insurance is for – the unforeseen.

Wear and tear, such as the gradual deterioration of your drains over time due to age or a lack of proper maintenance, is not likely to be covered by your standard policy. Think of this a little bit like how your car insurance works; your policy will likely cover an accident you have on the road, but it won’t pay for a new set of tyres just because they’ve worn out.

Whose pipe is it anyway?

Responsibility for drains is another aspect of this conundrum, as it may or may not be your issue to deal with, depending on where the blockage is in the system. Let’s get a simple definition:

Private drains: These are the drain pipes within your property boundary which only serve your home. It is your responsibility to deal with blockages within this section.
Lateral drains: This is the section of pipe that carries your wastewater away from the property and to the public sewer. This will often be outside your property boundary, underneath the pavement.
Public sewers: These are large mains pipes that collect the wastewater from multiple properties and are the responsibility of water companies.

What all of this means is that, thanks to a rule change, it’s only your responsibility to have the drain blockage dealt with out of your own pocket if it’s in your private drain – lateral drains and public sewers with blockages should be reported to the local water company.

You can usually tell if it’s a blockage in your property boundary if it’s only affecting your drains, so check with your neighbours to see if they have the same issue. If you’re not sure or suspect it’s on your property, why not get a CCTV survey to find out what you’re dealing with?

What does building insurance actually cover?

So, what would be covered by your building insurance? This, of course, can vary from policy to policy, so we always recommend consulting your provider or documentation first, but here are four examples of where building insurance might cover a blocked drain:

Tree root ingress: When roots break your pipes in search of water and block the flow, this can be considered accidental damage.
Subsidence: If the ground has shifted, cracking your pipe and causing it to back up, this can be considered accidental damage.
Vehicle damage: Where a heavy vehicle has driven on the ground over your drains and cracked the pipe, this is considered accidental damage.
Damage by third parties: An example of this would be where construction teams damage your drains during their work, making it accidental damage that you could claim for.

Any flooding as a result of your drain being backed up, which then damages the inside of your property, could also be classed as part of your building coverage. Water that gets inside your home would additionally need you to claim on contents insurance if it damages furnishings, appliances and other items.

What does it not cover?

Blocked drains are very unlikely to be covered by your buildings insurance if it’s due to:

Misuse: pouring oils down your drain or items that are not flushable, such as wipes and nappies.
Gradual deterioration: old pipes corroding and failing, or faulty workmanship.
Pest problems: with damage caused by rats or other rodents.

Thankfully, the cost of drain unblocking is not usually prohibitive, which is why many insurance companies won’t cover it – they see it as a routine maintenance cost.

Get clarity, evidence and peace of mind with us

Will house insurance cover a blocked drain? One way to find out is to first establish the extent of the blockage and what’s causing it. The single most powerful tool you have available to you is professional drainage services. At Express Drainage Surveys, we not only locate blockages and help you uncover the cause, but we can also resolve the issue in most cases as well. So, whether you need a survey for a report to submit to your insurer or want to tackle the problem yourself, look no further than our expert drainage services:

Don’t let your drainage dilemma escalate into an insurance nightmare, contact us today if you suspect you have a blocked or damaged drain, and we’ll give you the clarity and calm you need to put everything right again.