Northeast News
Oct. 13, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Kansas City homeowners will soon receive or may have already received a letter from city manager Troy Schulte reminding them they have another opportunity to sign-up for the city’s voluntary program to pay for repairs to their water and sewer lines.

The program is offered through the National League of Cities and is administered by Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA).

The program offers protection against normal wear and tear, which is not covered under most traditional homeowners policies. If lines clog, leak or break, the program will cover the cost to repair the line using local, licensed contractors who are familiar with local codes and can ensure a timely response. Persons who need a repair simply call the program’s 24-hour hotline and a local plumbing professional will be dispatched within 24 hours to perform the repair.

The program provides up to $4,000 in coverage with an additional allowance for public street or sidewalk cutting if needed. Additionally, the program has no annual or lifetime limits, service fees or deductibles, and the normal 30-day waiting period for coverage is being waived so coverage will be effective upon enrollment.

The program is offering special discounted coverage to protect both sewer and water lines for only $120 a year, or families can enroll for only sewer line coverage for $73 a year or $6.50 per month.

There is no cost to taxpayers for this voluntary program and the city actually receives a royalty for participating which is used to help needy residents prevent water shutoffs and to support community gardens and urban agriculture through the City Water Services Department’s KC Grow water access program.

“Homeowners are burdened with many expenses, and providing peace of mind in the event of a service line blockage or failure is important since repairs could cost thousands of dollars,” Schulte said.

The city started the program in 2012 to give homeowners an inexpensive way to cover any repairs to their buried outside sewer or water lines from their homes’ foundations to their lines’ connections to sewer and water mains. More than 11,000 families in the city have already enrolled.

“Many homeowners believe our pipes will last forever, but that’s simply not the case,” Councilman John Sharp said. “Many factors beyond the life expectancy of the pipe can contribute to a sewer or water line clog or failure including tree root intrusion, ground shifting and weather, all conditions which are covered through this program. Plus, many older homes in Kansas City have clay tile sewer pipes that were routinely installed prior to 1970. These pipes are subject to tree root intrusion at their numerous joints and also subject to breakage due to ground shifting since they are so brittle.”

For questions about this service, or to enroll, persons should contact Service Line Warranties of America at 855-999-8806 or visit www.SLWofA.com.