PSA for NYC Homeowners: What Homeowners Insurance Does NOT Cover

I recently had an issue with my plumbing when the sewage backed up to my basement and wouldn’t clear even with a high power snake. Upon checking with a specialty camera we noticed there was a large crack in the sewage pipe. Fixing it end up costing me close to $6000 (I was first quoted $10’000+).

What I wish I would have known 2 months earlier:

1. Responsibility of the sewage and water pipe up until the main line, which is in middle of the street, is fully the homeowners.

2. Typical homeowners insurance won’t cover any sewage/water issues outside your home (this was not mentioned to me when signing the policy).

3. There is a simple and cheap insurance policy which does cover all of this. It takes minutes to sign up and only cost $15/month.
www.awrusa.com (Once enrolled the $15/month will be billed with your water bill).

4. You cannot sign up for this insurance once the issue arises, as a) they won’t cover pre-existing issues b) it takes 1-2 months for it to go into effect.

I mentioned this to some friends who own homes and most of them either did not know about this or did enroll only once they spent $1000’s like myself..