· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Water Damage
Standard homeowner policies cover sudden water damage from inside the house, a burst supply line, a failed water heater, an overflowing tub. They exclude water that backs up through sewers or drains, and they exclude water from a sump that fails. Both are added back only by an endorsement, usually called water backup or sewer and drain backup coverage, and it is one of the most useful and least bought riders in Middle Tennessee.
How the exclusion works
The policy language typically excludes water or sewage that backs up through sewers or drains, or overflows from a sump pump. The source of the water is what matters, not where it ends up. A basement flooded because a supply line broke is a covered loss. The same basement flooded because the municipal sewer surcharged during a storm and pushed water up through the floor drain is not, without the endorsement.
Flood insurance does not fill the gap either. Flood policies cover surface water entering from outside. Sewer backup that is not caused by a general flood condition falls between the two, which is why the endorsement exists as a separate item.
What the endorsement covers, and its limits
Water backup coverage pays for damage to the house and its contents from water or sewage that backs up through drains or overflows from a sump. It is sold with its own limit, often a fixed amount well below the dwelling coverage, and sometimes its own deductible. The limit is chosen when the endorsement is added and it is worth choosing with a finished basement in mind, because that is where the water goes.
It does not cover the pipe. A collapsed sewer lateral that caused the backup is a maintenance item and is not paid for by this or, usually, any other part of the policy. It also generally does not cover backup caused by the homeowner’s failure to maintain the system, which is an argument insurers make when the cause was a root-clogged line that had backed up before.
- Covers damage from water rising through drains or a failed sump
- Sold with its own limit, often modest, and sometimes its own deductible
- Does not cover the sewer line or the sump pump itself
- Not the same as flood insurance, which covers surface water from outside
Why it matters here
Nashville gets intense short-duration rain that can overwhelm combined and older sewer systems, and it has a large stock of houses with basements and crawl spaces below the level of the street sewer. A basement bathroom, a floor drain or a laundry sink that sits lower than the main is the path of least resistance when the main is full.
Houses on lots with sump pumps face the second half of the exclusion. A sump that fails in a storm, from a power cut or a stuck float, lets groundwater rise into the basement, and that is also excluded without the endorsement. A battery backup on the sump reduces the chance; the endorsement covers the outcome.
What to do when it happens
Sewage is category three water. Do not walk through it, do not run the HVAC if the return is in the affected area, and keep children and pets out. Photograph everything before anything is moved. Call the insurer promptly, because the endorsement has the same reporting requirements as the rest of the policy, and call a restoration company that handles contaminated water rather than a general cleaner.
Porous materials that sewage has touched, carpet, pad, drywall, insulation, particleboard cabinets, are removed rather than cleaned. Hard surfaces are cleaned and disinfected. Drying and clearance testing follow. If the policy has the endorsement, most of that is covered up to its limit. If it does not, this is the day the limit on a future policy gets chosen.