Windsor announces program to offset homeowner flooding costs

An initiative that started in Hamilton, Ont. is coming to Windsor.

Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens announcedWindsor is the latest in a line of 57 other municipalities to join the Service Line Warranties of Canadaprogram, which will help offset costs associated with flooding.

"This is a warranty which works in coordination with a backflow valve," said Dilkens.

The program covers damage fromtree roots, and it also includes frozen water line coverage.

Responsibility for water and sewer service lines running from the home to the public main rests with the homeowner, which City of Windsor engineer Mark Winterton said most homeowners don't know.

"In the event of a service line emergency, the homeowner is responsible for scheduling the repair and covering the associated cost," said Winterton.

According to the company, scheduling and choosing a company to fix the damage will be coveredwith the warranty program.

In the last five years, 40,000 homeowners across Ontario have enrolled in the program. More than 6,000 claims have been made so far.

According to Service Line Warranties' Jeff Olson, the program costs the same as a 'fast food lunch.'

The water service line warranty plan costs$5 a month, with the in-home plumbing repair plan costing $6.50a month. The sewer line warranty is almost $9 a month. There are no service fees or deductibles and there is a 24-hour emergency line to call for service.

Tecumseh, Ont. first made an arrangement with Service Line Warranties in July 2016 and plan to renew the contract this September. Forty-eight homeowners have signed up for the program in Tecumseh, with 59 total plans:

• 46 water service line plans.
• 10 sewer septic line plans.
• 3 in-house plumbing plans.

In Tecumseh the water service line plan costs $4.58.

"We look forward to the opportunity to provide Windsor homeowners with the assistance they need," said company CEO John Kitzie.

The company hasn't denied a claim from an Ontario homeowner in the last five years and said they have paid more than $90 million in claims across North America.