Below are some questions and scenarios regarding hot tub claims and an insurance company’s response to whether each incident is covered or not. Please keep in mind that Homeowner’s Insurance policies vary from one provider to the next and so does their respective coverages so it is always best to contact your insurance provider and ask questions about your personal homeowner’s policy and hot tub coverage.
Scenario #1
Question from Insured (client): Unknown to the client, their hot tub had a failure of the pump or heater (during the winter). The failure caused the plumbing and pipes to freeze. It also caused the water in the tub to freeze. The hot tub and plumbing cracked. Homeowner wants to know if there is coverage for this loss?
Answer from Insurance Provider: What happened with the hot tub is mechanical failure which then led to the freezing that caused the damage. The freezing of the hot tub is a resulting loss to the mechanical failure. Consequently, the mechanical failure is excluded, but the damage to the hot tub (pipes, plumbing, etc) itself would be covered.
Scenario #2
Question from Insured (client): Insured has a hot tub. It is a portable unit (self-contained) located in an dwelling separate from the home. It has a hard-wired electrical line running from it to the home’s main electrical panel. There was a recent power outage and the water in plumbing and pipes froze and cracked causing the hot tub to leak. Is the tub covered under the homeowners policy?
Answer from Insurance Provider: Because the hot tub is hard-wired to the home’s main electrical panel it allows for coverage under “other structures”. The hot tub is separated from the home but is attached by a utility line or like connection which provides coverage. Also, because the home is heated then the freezing of the tub is covered even though it isn’t actually located inside the house.
It is also important to note that a self-contained hot tub or swim spa is not a swimming pool so the typical exclusions for freezing to a pool do not apply.
For more information you can visit our brands pages, buyers guides, or simply fill out our “Free Local Hot Tub Quotes” form to get competitive prices on hot tubs and swim spas in your local area.
It’s interesting to know that having a hot tub can actually influence the price of homeowners’ insurance. I’d like to know more about that because I’m close to finishing a deal on a house that I’d like to buy. Getting it insured will be the next thing to think about once that’s done.
Thanks for also talking about the kinds of seasonal problems that I should also look into when planning to buy a homeowner’s insurance plan. I want to look for a provider soon because I recently found a nice home that I could buy someday. Being able to get it insured as soon as possible would be quite important.