Who Pays for Your Utilities Repairs?

[Halo]

I always thought the electric, gas, phone, cable, water, and sewer companies would pretty much pay for any repairs up to the house.  Now I'm not so sure.

The local water and sewer company, which has had a running feud for years with the county supervisors who deny or reduce their persistent attempts to raise fees, just issued a letter reminding their customers that customers, not the utility, are liable for any repairs in their yards.

That's right, in their yards.  

The water and sewer company recommended that its customers elect to add about $12 a month insurance to their water and sewer bills to cover any repairs if ever needed.

I asked my home insurance company about that.  The representative said utility companies used to cover most repairs leading up to dwellings, but now some are passing that cost along to customers.

The insurance company said, for example, that homeowners' insurance probably would pay for water or sewer line damage caused by something like a tree uprooting and falling over, but would not pay for things like roots clogging the lines.

I understand homeowners being liable for their plantings' roots that damage utility lines, but if the lines just generally deteriorate from age or are damaged by acts of nature, I would think first the utility companies would be liable, and second the homeowners' insurance companies.

This is just a little reminder to take another look at your liability and insurance coverage for utility lines leading to your dwelling.  You might find some disconcerting surprises like this one.  

This issue can vary widely from location to location so, as always, it's buyer beware.  Have any of you ever become aware of such issues and gotten them back to responsibility of the utilities instead of the dwelling owners?

[eskimo2]

Thanks

[lazs2]

If you want to know how much of your sewer line is your responsibility you need to go to your city hall and ask for a copy of the city code.

lazs

[storch]

most folks here have something called a utilities easement that runs the length of the block they live on.  in the old days the utilities were granted easements running from the rear of the property with a drop running to each individual home to provide the service.  

this rear fed approach creates problems because most folks either erect fences or plant hedges in the back, less so in the front.  there are big conflict issues here because the utilities install their lines underground and often right on the property line even though they are required to maintain a two foot wide swath in the easement clear to allow for fences and hedges.

in newer subdivisions the county required the utilities to provide service from the front or the street side of the property.  this creates far less hassles for homeowners but twice the maintenance and equipment requirements for the utilities.  consequently front fed homes pay a little extra for their utlities.

 typically you have power, telephone, cable TV, gas and water.  the easements commence from the property line into your property anywher from six feet to as much as 25 feet but six to ten feet is the most common.

the easement is there to provide the town with the necessary services the above noted provide.  the utilities companies also retain the right of ingress and egress to provide repair and maintenance service to their facilities.

some towns have a paved alley that runs along the rear of the homes and the easements are there.

in any event any time the utilities suffer a hit in the easement they attempt to collect from the responsible party or as the last desperate stroke the homeowner.

if you are planning to dig it's a good idea to call the central locating service in your area.  in florida that is an outfit called call sunshine 1-800-432-4770.  at no fee to the caller the underground locating service will dispatch personnel to locate and mark any underground utilities anywhere on your property.

if you plan on landscaping of erecting any fences.  it's a safer to call ahead.  digging in your yard can potentially be fatal and if not then expensive.

 you can determine if there are any utilities easements on your property by referring to your property survey.  that is a document prepared by a registered land surveyor and shows a planform of the property, any improvements to the property and any encroachments.  it is usually found with your closing documentation and is one of the last documents in the pile.

[BTW]

Where I live, the utility company will repair the damage but the owner has to repair the cause first . So if a tree is breaking sewer lines or power lines, the company will do a disconnect, allow the owner to remove the tree, then repair the damage to the lines.

[Halo]

Yes, utility easements are a crucial part of home management.  We have a Miss Utilities telephone number that can be called to get all utility companies to come out and mark their lines whenever homeowners are planning any significant yard work or modification, including landscaping, fences, drives, parking pads, and walks.  

In our subdivision, all utilities are underground, which is great for reliability and refuge from severe weather.  Our development is about 40 years old.  Infrastructure maintenance, repair, and sometimes replacement eventually becomes a concern in all areas; it's merely a matter of time.

The issue still is who should pay for general utility upkeep up to dwellings.  Seems to me that should be the utilities' responsibility.  Using the water and sewer company's latest "dig" at homeowner bills, I'm going to check how that plays with all the other utilities too.  

If it still seems unfair after more research, I'll ask my local county representative to get involved and if necessary begin a legislative redress.

Again, if this seems applicable in your area, you might want to review your utility maintenance policies as well as your homeowner insurance policy.

[Maverick]

When we had our house in Tucson the repairs were covered as far as the line up to the meter for water. For electricity it's up to the property line and to the meter for gas. Water meters are set on the curb so if there is a leak or break you have a bit of a distance to trench. The phone company would go to the property line, then it was up to you except for the box itself

[Mini D]

Here it's to the meter for most utilities and you own the sewer line up to the connection (3 feet in on your property line). We paid for the sewer line to be installed, the city paid to have the street repaved afterwards and then we had to individually contract to be connected to the sewer and have our septic tanks decommissioned (the sewer connection was required).

[DREDIOCK]

Gas & electric - up to point of  entry is the utility company

sewer-- Homeowners problem from the home to the street

Least thats my understanding where I live.

Seems to make sense to me

[Meatwad]

Around here this is the rules

Electric - From pole on the street to the meter and beyond is the customers responsibility

Water - After the water meter belongs to the customer

Sewer - Anything off the main line is the customer

Telephone/cable - company owns from the pole to the customer box. Anything after the box is the responsibility of the customer

[BlueJ1]

My first set of utilities were "free", now I have to pay a good chunk out of my paycheck for new ones. I get an allowance for new ones each year.  Im not a big fan of putting the creases in them tho. And their sorta ugly. Good thing were switching to digis soon.

[Nilsen]

Over here they pay for everything up to the house except for sewer and water. The sewer and water we have to pay for from our house and up to the main lines. That can be expencive if you choose to build a house far from a main line. We had to dig and put it down ourselves and it was just under 100 meters. Phone, power and cable are payed for by them all the way up to the house wall and then you pay for any installation inside the house (doh).