A clogged toilet that backs up all over your bathroom. A sump pump breakdown that leaves your basement full of water. These scenarios can turn into a huge headache — and your insurance policy likely won’t pay for the damage. That’s why you might want to buy water backup coverage.
Get home insurance quotes in minutes
Answer a few questions to see custom quotes and find the right policy for you.What is water backup coverage?
Water backup coverage is a type of insurance you can add to a homeowners, condo or renters policy. Standard home insurance generally won’t cover water damage due to sewer backups or sump pump failure. This add-on coverage — also known as an “endorsement” — can help fill the gap.
🤓Nerdy Tip
To buy water backup coverage, you’ll often need to call your agent or insurance company. However, sometimes you can add it when buying a policy online.What does water backup insurance cover?
Water backup coverage typically pays to repair damage from two scenarios:
- Sewers, drains or septic systems that back up into your home.
- Failure or overflow of a sump pump.
The coverage can pay for things like new personal belongings, mold cleanup and replacement carpet or flooring.
With this endorsement you can also generally use your policy’s loss of use coverage. This part of your policy pays for additional living expenses if you need to stay somewhere else while your home is cleaned up.
Imagine the shower in your only bathroom backs up, causing a soggy mess. Your policy may be able to pay for a few nights in a hotel while the pipe is cleared and the damaged flooring is replaced.
🤓Nerdy Tip
Read your policy carefully. The exact terms of coverage may vary from insurer to insurer. For example, some may specify that damage from a backup is covered only if the water originates from your home.You’ll usually have a deductible for water backup coverage. A deductible is the amount of a claim you’re responsible for. Your water backup deductible may be the same as your standard policy deductible or a separate amount.
Say a sewer backup causes $10,000 worth of damage and you have a $1,000 deductible on your water backup coverage. The insurance company would pay $9,000.
What does water backup insurance not cover?
Like all insurance, water backup coverage has limitations. Below are a few scenarios this endorsement typically won’t cover.
Flooding
Water backup coverage won’t pay for damage related to flooding. That includes tidal surges, overflowing rivers or lakes, or heavy rain. If you want coverage for these scenarios, you’ll need flood insurance.
Underground water
Water that seeps or flows into your home from underground isn’t covered. This could include a swimming pool leaking into your foundation or moisture seeping into your home through small cracks.
Negligence
Insurance is designed to cover sudden, unexpected problems, not lack of maintenance. If water damage happens because you’ve neglected to fix an issue that developed over time, your policy generally won’t cover it.
Burst or broken pipes
A standard homeowners, condo or renters policy typically pays for water damage from pipes that suddenly burst. You don’t need a water backup endorsement for this coverage.
Service lines
Say there’s a clog in the sewer line that links your home with your city’s municipal system, and water backs up into your house. Water backup coverage would pay for the damage inside your home. However, if the sewer line itself needed to be replaced, it wouldn’t be covered. Because digging up and replacing the line can get expensive, you may want to consider service line coverage.
Broken sump pump or other appliances
Water backup insurance can pay to clean up damage from a failed sump pump, but it won’t replace the device itself. For that, you could add equipment breakdown coverage to your policy.
If a water heater suddenly bursts, spewing water into your home, a homeowners policy should cover the damage. But again, it won’t pay to repair or replace the appliance itself. Equipment breakdown coverage can help with that, too.
Do you need water backup coverage?
We recommend adding water backup coverage if:
- You have a sump pump and/or a basement, especially a finished basement.
- You live in an older home with aging pipes.
- Your home has nearby trees with roots that could encroach on your septic or plumbing system.
- Your community has an older sewer system.
- You have an aging septic system.
Did you know...
Water and freezing damage is the second most common type of homeowners insurance claim in the U.S., according to 2023 data from the Insurance Information Institute (the most recent data available). The average water or freezing claim is more than $15,000.Another factor to consider is how much money you have available to pay for an unexpected water backup. If you have a healthy emergency fund, you might not need the coverage as much as someone who lives paycheck to paycheck.
If you’re a renter, keep in mind that your landlord’s insurance usually won’t pay for your belongings if they’re ruined by a sewer backup. Having water backup coverage can help you replace them. It can even pay for somewhere else to stay if your apartment is unlivable during cleanup.
How much water backup coverage do you need?
Water backup coverage limits often start around $5,000 per year. The upper limit may vary. We got quotes from three different insurers and saw upper limits ranging from $16,300 to the full replacement cost of the house.
To choose the right amount of coverage, consider how much you might have to fix or replace. A $5,000 limit might be enough if your basement is unfinished with only a few appliances that could face potential damage from a failed sump pump. But you might want to buy a lot more coverage if your basement is fully finished and furnished.
It’s not just basements that need coverage. For example, maybe you have a two-story house with several bathrooms on the second floor. If one of those sinks or toilets backed up, it could potentially damage the floor below, too.
How much does water backup insurance cost?
Water backup coverage can be surprisingly affordable. We got quotes for four houses in different states, and the lowest price we saw was just $7 a year for about $8,000 of coverage. For another house, we were quoted a rate of $17 a year for nearly $30,000 of coverage.
Prices can vary widely, depending on where you live and how much coverage you want. In general, water backup insurance can cost up to $250 per year. If your home is at risk, it’s a relatively small price to pay for coverage that could save you thousands.
» MORE: Compare home insurance quotes
Nerdy Perspective
When I insured my home, I made a point to add an endorsement for sewer and water backup damage. My home has a septic system, and I wanted to be fully covered in case anything went wrong with it. The endorsement costs $30 a year for $10,000 of coverage, which is a small price to pay for some peace of mind.
How to prevent water backups
Following these maintenance tips may help keep water backups from happening in the first place.
🚰 Be careful what you put down the drain. Grease, paper products and larger food items can easily clog pipes.
🌳 Manage tree roots. Avoid planting anything new near your sewer line. Consider having existing tree roots inspected periodically and cut as necessary.
💧 Install backwater prevention valves. A plumber can put these valves into lower-level drains to keep sewage from coming back into your home.
🪠 Flush your plumbing lines regularly. This can help prevent clogs from building up and keep your pipes healthy.
🔋Install a battery backup for your sump pump. This can keep your sump pump going during a power outage.
⚠️ Watch for warning signs. Gurgling sounds and foul odors are often early signs that a water backup may be developing. Slow draining in more than one fixture could indicate an issue in your main sewer line rather than a local clog.
What to do if you have a water backup
💦 Prevent further damage. As soon as you spot the problem, act quickly to keep it from getting worse — for example, by shutting off water or power.
🛡️ Decide whether to file a claim. If the damage is minimal, submitting a claim may not be worth it. The insurer will subtract your deductible from your payout and may raise your rates because you’ve filed a claim. You could end up paying more in future premiums than you’d get to repair a minor problem.
📸 Document the damage. If you do decide to file a claim, take photos of damaged belongings, flooring and other items. Contact your insurance company promptly so they can assign an adjuster to examine the damage.
🔨 Make quick fixes. You won’t want to do major work until your adjuster has done their inspection, but you can do things like getting rid of wet items to keep mold from growing. If sewage is involved, wear protective gear like rubber gloves and boots.
Explore more on
Article sources
NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary, trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's high standards for journalism by reading our editorial guidelines.
- 1.The Hanover Insurance Group. The Answers to All Your Questions About Water Backup Coverage. Accessed Jul 7, 2026.
