Does homeowners insurance cover frozen pipes?

Usually, yes. Water damage from a pipe that suddenly bursts is typically covered, as long as you took reasonable steps to keep the home heated or shut off and drain the water.

What if I was away and the heat went off?

That's where claims get harder. Many policies expect you to keep the heat on or shut off and drain the water while you're away, especially if the home is vacant.

Is sewer or sump pump backup covered?

Only if your policy includes that coverage. It's usually an add-on, so check your declarations page for it before you need it.

What should I do first when a pipe bursts?

Shut off the water at the main valve, call a plumber, and report the claim to your insurer right away. Take photos before you clean up.

Frozen pipes and water damage in Illinois homes — From Elona’s desk

Water damage from a pipe that freezes and bursts is usually covered by a homeowners policy, as long as you took reasonable care to keep the house heated, or to shut off and drain the water. Flooding and sewer backups are separate questions, and that’s where people get caught out.

A burst pipe is one of those Illinois winter calls nobody wants to make. The good news is that it’s one of the more straightforward claims, if you know what your policy expects of you. Here’s what to know before the first deep freeze.

What’s usually covered

Homeowners policies generally cover water damage that’s sudden and accidental. The Illinois Department of Insurance lists burst pipes among the kinds of water damage standard policies cover. So when a frozen pipe splits behind a wall and soaks the drywall, the floor and the furniture, that damage is typically part of your claim, minus your deductible.

The catch: reasonable care

Most policies expect you to do your part. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners puts it this way: insurers often pay for burst-pipe damage when the homeowner took reasonable steps to keep the pipes from freezing, and may not when they decide the plumbing was neglected.

In practice, that usually means:

Keep the heat on. Policies generally expect a home to be kept heated in cold weather, even when nobody is there.
If the home will sit empty, shut off the water and drain the pipes. A vacant house is where frozen-pipe claims most often go wrong.
Fix slow problems. A drip that’s been rotting a cabinet for months isn’t sudden, and many policies treat it differently.

The exact wording varies from policy to policy, so if you’re leaving for a long winter trip, or you own a second home or a rental that sits empty, ask your agent what yours says before you go.

What’s usually not covered

Flood. Standard homeowners policies exclude flood damage. Flood is a separate policy, and it typically takes 30 days to start, according to the Illinois Department of Insurance. More on that here.
Sewer backup and sump pump failure. Covered only if you have that coverage on your policy. For many Illinois homes with basements, it’s the one worth checking first.

How to prevent it

The state’s own winter guidance from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Illinois Department of Public Health comes down to a few habits:

Insulate the pipes most likely to freeze, usually those near outside walls, in crawl spaces or in the attic, and seal any leaks letting cold air in around them.
Disconnect garden hoses and shut off and drain the pipes to outside faucets before winter.
On the coldest nights, let taps drip, keep the house warm, and open the cabinet doors under sinks so warm air reaches the pipes.
Know where your main water shutoff is, and make sure everyone at home does too.

If a pipe bursts

Shut off the water at the main. It’s the single biggest thing you can do to limit the damage.
Call a plumber, and report the claim to your insurer right away, even if you’re not sure it’s covered.
Take photos before you clean up, then start drying things out. Mold can start growing within 24 to 48 hours.
Make temporary repairs, but hold off on big permanent ones until your insurer has seen the damage. Keep receipts for supplies and keep the damaged materials.
Never thaw a frozen pipe with an open flame. Use gentle heat, like a hair dryer, and watch for electrical hazards around standing water.

Good to know

Read your declarations page for “water backup.” If it isn’t there, you probably don’t have it.
Long trip? Make a plan. A neighbor checking the heat, or the water shut off and drained, can be the difference between a claim and a denial.
Review it every year. The Illinois Department of Insurance suggests checking your coverage with your agent at least once a year.

Want me to check before winter?

Send me your homeowners declarations page and I’ll tell you whether you have water backup coverage and what your policy expects if you’re away. Five minutes now beats a soaked basement in January.

Talk to Elona