WaterWorks warns about water service line maintenance contract

Newton WaterWorks has learned that a Des Moines-based company called HomeServe is distributing letters concerning a “water service line warranty,” and Newton WaterWorks officials are informing local residents that it did not solicit and does not endorse the company.

Newton WaterWorks Manager L.D. Palmer encourages WaterWorks customers in the following when considering any water service line maintenance contract or warranty:

• Know and fully understand what you, as a homeowner, are responsible for if a water line breaks between the city’s main and your home. In Newton, the property owner owns the water service between the city main and the meter.

• Review your homeowner’s insurance policy carefully to determine your extent of coverage and to identify coverage gaps.

• Understand all inclusions and exclusions that are listed in the fine print at the bottom of the Home Service letter. For instance, what is an “act of God” or a “preexisting condition,” does the warranty include landscape and concrete restoration, does the warranty cover “frozen pipes” and does the company cover broken outside shutoff valves.

Anyone with questions about the letter is invited to call Newton WaterWorks at (641) 792-2003.