GALESBURG, Ill. — When buying a property, people understand that they're responsible for maintaining their home and the land around it. But did you know that responsibility extends underground to sewage and water pipes?
The city of Galesburg and regular homeowner insurance won't fix your service lines, but the city's newest partner, Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA), will. With voluntary coverage, SLWA offers lateral protection with no service fees or deductibles, according to a press release.
If a customer's line is damaged, they can call SLWA's service number and have a local, licensed contractor sent to their home. The contractor will bring the service lines back up to local code.
SLWA takes multiple factors of service line condition into account, including age, type of piping material, soil conditions and installation quality, according to a press release.
Aaron Gavin, Galesburg's interim public works director, said many people are unaware of their responsibility to maintain service lines.
“SLWA repair plans provide homeowners with an optional peace of mind solution so they can be better prepared in the event of these unexpected repairs," Gavin said.
Since 2003, SLWA has partnered with more than 1,200 cities, municipalities and utilities to provide homeowners with protection. They are a part of HomeServe USA Corp, a home repair company.
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