WEST SPRINGFIELD – Residents in West Springfield have a new option available to them in the fight to keep down home-repair costs with water and sewer line protection from Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA).

“The Town of West Springfield selected SLWA for water/sewer line and in-home plumbing coverage to provide homeowners with optional service plans to protect against the expense and inconvenience associated with emergency home repairs. This program is good for our residents and for the community,” the town of West Springfield announced in a press release.

SLWA offers insurance plans to cover damage to the water and sewer lines that connect resident’s homes to the town’s systems. They also cover in-home plumbing systems.

“The service lines that connect homes to the municipal systems are the responsibility of the homeowner to fix,” said Myles Meehan, public relations officer for SLWA’s parent company, HomeServe USA. “Repairs to these lines are not covered under typical homeowners insurance policies, or by the town and can be quite expensive to fix. Our national average to replace a water service line for example is $2,500.” Alternatively, he said, the plan SLWA offers for a water service line is $6 per month.

“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 HomeServe USA. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Town of West Springfield and look forward to the opportunity to provide West Springfield homeowners with the assistance they need when faced with a home repair emergency.”

The company said that service line problems are more common that residents realize, especially in a city with aging infrastructure. The coverage offered by SLWA is voluntary and the company has different plans without a deductible from which to choose. There is an SLWA 24-hour hotline to call service is needed and they will contact a local, licensed contractor, since work must be up to code for each municipality.

“SLWA provides two important benefits, first is education for homeowners on who has responsibility for what, and secondly it provides a solution for homeowners to protect themselves from the unexpected cost and inconvenience of a service line failure,” Meehan said.

For more information, residents can contact SLWA at 866-922-9006 or visit www.slwofa.com.