Does Your Insurance Policy Cover Sewage Backup?

As a responsible home, business, or investment property owner, you made sure to get the insurance coverage that you thought you needed. However, there are some common coverage gaps that you might not be aware of.

Did you know that sewer backup coverage is not usually covered under most property insurance plans?

It is important that you check with your insurance coverage to make sure that you have this critical coverage. Sewage backups are dangerous, and the clean-up can be both expensive and difficult. Unfortunately, far too many property owners experience sewer backups every year. Here’s what you need to know about these critical events.

Why Are Sewage Backups So Dangerous?

Sewage backups are dangerous because they create a biological hazard in your living or working space.

Water damage at your property should be treated differently depending on the nature of the water, the size of the spill, and more. For example, if the water is from a leaky pipe under a sink, it may be pretty easy to clean up the mess under your cabinet by yourself.

If, however, you have a greywater spill, the clean-up gets more complicated. You have to take extra precautions for a toilet that has overflowed, even if it only had urine in it. The same is true for water that floods your basement due to a sump pump failure during heavy rain or melting ice.

Property owners can sometimes clean up these messes on their own. However, sewage water is a totally different situation!

Sewage contains bacteria, viruses, and other biological risk factors. When exposed to sewage, people can develop nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rashes, infections, difficulty breathing, and prolonged illnesses.

Cleaning Up After a Sewage Spill Can Be Expensive.

If you don’t have the right coverage, out-of-pocket clean-up costs can be incredibly expensive.

While there are a few things you can do in the immediate aftermath of a backup, like ventilate the area and turn off the power (if the water is high enough to reach the outlets or appliances), professional clean-up is necessary, and that can be costly.

Costs associated with cleaning up after a sewage backup may include:

• Water removal and industrial fans for drying the area
• Replacing of carpets and flooring
• Replacing of drywall
• Re-wiring any electrical systems affected by the flood
• Deciding what can be salvaged and what can’t; replacing items that are unable to be saved
• Alternative housing options for the duration of the cleanup

If You Ever Have a Sewage Backup at Your Property, It’s Critical That You Get Professional Help With the Clean-up

To put it simply, cleaning up any water damage by yourself is a bad idea. Sewage backups require professional restoration to keep you, your loved ones, or your team members and customers safe.

You are not only exposing yourself to pathogens that may make you sick, but the average person simply does not have the experience necessary to make informed decisions about how to tackle hazardous materials like sewage and sewage water.

Most individuals outside of the disaster restoration industry also don’t have access to the PPE that is needed for these kinds of jobs, or the tools and equipment that can restore the area back to being liveable.

As disaster restoration specialists in South Central Montana, we highly recommend that you add sewage backup coverage to your existing insurance policy, no matter where you live! These plans generally aren’t very expensive, and they offer a lot of protection to the average property owner.

Contact Us for Help With Getting Your Home or Business Back to Normal.

If you are experiencing the aftermath of a sewage backup, we are here to help! Alpha-Omega offers 24 hr service support to property owners in South Central Montana, including Billinngs, Billings West End, Billings Heights, Laurel, Red Lodge. Contact Alpha-Omega and let us know how we can help.