The City of Windsor has a new agreement to offer protection for city homeowners for the water and sewer lines that connect their homes to the city’s systems.

The deal is with Service Line Warranties of Canada.

The coverage is voluntary and available at affordable monthly or annual prices.

Launched in 2014, SLWC works with over 50 leading cities and municipalities in Ontario to provide repair service plans that offer peace of mind and convenience.

“Many homeowners do not know that damage to the service lines on their property are their responsibility to repair,” said Mark Winterton, Windsor’s city engineer. “In the event of a service line emergency, the homeowner is responsible for scheduling the repair and covering the associated cost."

Winterton says as Windsor homes age along with the infrastructure serving them, SLWC repair plans provide homeowners with an optional peace of mind solution so they can be better prepared in the event of this type of unexpected repair.

The SLWC Service Line Warranty Program protects against damage to pipes on homeowners’ property.

Repairs to these pipes are not covered by basic homeowners insurance or by the City of Windsor.

If a customer’s line is in need of repair, a call to the SLWC 24-hour hotline will dispatch a local, licensed contractor familiar with local code. There are no service fees or deductibles.

Many factors contribute to the life expectancy of a service line including the age, type of piping material, soil conditions and installation quality – all factors which are covered through the SLWC protection program.

This program is voluntary for residents and provided at no cost to the City of Windsor and no public funds are used to promote or administer the program.

“Our service plans not only cover the cost of the repair, they also provide homeowners with reputable, local contractors who will do the best possible job,” said John Kitzie, CEO of SLWC parent HomeServe NA.