Homes in older parts of Tulsa — midtown, north and west — tend to have more problems with their pipes. Home inspectors say there is a monthly subscription service with the City of Tulsa that can help cover thousands of dollars in repair costs, should the need arise.
The City of Tulsa has partnered with the Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA) on these pipe repair plans for years. You may have even received a flyer in the mail with the city’s logo.
“It gives our customers an option,” said Matt Vaughan, deputy director of Tulsa’s water and sewer department. “Maintaining these pipes, whether the mainline pipes or even the private service pipes, it could be costly to make repairs.”
Andy Cheatham, owner of Parker Inspections of Tulsa, says this program is especially helpful for homeowners who don’t have a lot of money saved up for unexpected costs. When it comes to fixing iron pipes and galvanized piping, it adds up fast.
“They actually got the program and used it within a month or so of owning the home, and it saved them roughly, I think, $10,000 to $12,000 on their home,” Cheatham said of one of his clients.
SLWA has helped 11,188 Tulsa homeowners save more than $12 million in costs, according to Myles Meehan, a spokesperson for HomeServe. SLWA is the municipal utility segment of HomeServe.
What do these plans cover and how much do they cost?
When a leak or break happens, call the SLWA 24/7 line. Then, SLWA sends a licensed local contractor to your home and pays them for the repairs.
The water service line plan costs $4.58 each month. It covers up to $12,000 in repairs per call. The sewer line plan is $11 per month with up to $8,500 in coverage per call.
Both plans allow for unlimited calls each year, and repairs covered by the plans are guaranteed for a year.
“A lot of the homes in Tulsa are older, and as homes age, these kinds of problems crop up more frequently,” Meehan said. “I don’t have to open up my wallet to figure out how to pay for it. It’s solved, the problem’s solved. That’s the real benefit of this program.”
Meehan says the plans are for people who don’t have $4,000 or $5,000 earmarked to fix their water line or clear their sewer line.
For each customer who buys a service plan, Vaughan says the City of Tulsa earns a royalty. Some of those dollars are now being put into a new fund specifically for helping low-income residents afford home service line repairs.
SLWA handles all the contracting, says Vaughan, while the City of Tulsa allows them to put the city’s logo on marketing materials.
If you have concerns about public pipes or are struggling to afford your home’s private line repairs, you can call the City of Tulsa’s help hotline 311.
“A lot of times these utilities are out of sight and out of mind until a problem occurs,” Vaughan said. “Everyone handles that risk a little bit differently … But (SLWA) does give them another option, which we’re appreciative to be able to provide.”
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