You may have received a letter in the mail from Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA) offering water/sewer line service warranties. SLWA is a private company that provides optional water and sewer service line warranties to homeowners. The City of South St. Paul has partnered with SLWA in order to provide an educational opportunity to homeowners on their responsibility for service lines on their property and options available should a homeowner want to purchase a warranty to help offset cost of repairs, if needed.
Why did the City decide to partner with SLWA to offer a Service Line Warranty Program?
- Many residents are not aware that buried water or sewer lines on their property and out to the main are the property owner's responsibility. A broken or blocked water or sewer line can cost thousands of dollars to repair or replace and many times residents are not prepared for this unexpected expense. The City felt providing a service line warranty option was a way to educate residents about this responsibility as well as to provide a possible solution.
- The City has water and sewer mains that are over 100 years old. That means service lines connected to those mains can also be that old.
- City Staff estimates that at least 50 properties deal with water or sewer service line repair issues and another 15 to 20 water services that are susceptible to freeze up on an annual basis.
Why align with Service Line Warranties of American (SLWA)?
- SLWA is endorsed by the National League of Cities and the League of Minnesota Cities and possesses a strong customer satisfaction rating (97%).
- Over 550 cities throughout the United States and Canada are offering this program, this includes 20 Minnesota cities.
- Over 500,000 homeowners are participating on a national basis with 12,000 of them in Minnesota.
- Other service line warranty programs exist, but the City is unaware of how reputable they are and has not endorsed them.
What is the City's role in this program?
- The City is not involved in the marketing or administration of this program.
- The City receives $0.50 per month per subscriber.
- The City is not involved in coordinating repair work. SLWA and the property owner make all arrangements for any repairs to be undertaken.
Other Key Questions
- Why are they using the City's logo? Per our agreement, SLWA can use the City's logo in marketing material to let homeowners know the program is legitimate.
- Who performs the repair work? SLWA uses licensed, local contractors and follow City codes when making repairs.
- Why does SLWA have complaints on the BBB site? SLWA has had 300 complaints over the last 3 years, out of 3 million customers and 1.1 million repairs over the same time frame. They are rated A+ by the BBB.
- Am I required to use this program? No, the program is completely voluntary and there is no obligation to sign up.
What if I want more information? If a water or sewer service line warranty interests you, the City encourages you to educate yourself on available programs and you may also want to contact your insurance agent to see if your homeowner policy offers similar coverage.
For more information on the SLWA Program, you can:
- Call SLWA at 1-844-257-8795
- Return the bottom of the letter you received utilizing the self-addressed stamped envelope
- Visit SLWA's consumer website at www.slwofa.com
To view this information in a .pdf document, click here.