BOWIE MARYLAND HOME BLEEDS SEWAGE 

An eye-catching title or living a nightmare, depending on whether it's your house or someone else's.  

The same people I introduced to you a few weeks ago in another blog - Tenants Faced With Foreclosure - Lives Turned Upside Down - are now renting a nearby home in Bowie, Maryland, that is literally bleeding sewage:  Sewage seeping up between the planks of wood flooring, sewage coming out of the walls, sewage backing up through the toilets and drains, sewage seeping outside between the slab foundation and structure of the house.

So much for the hoped-for blog about everything turning out fine for this family - it hasn't yet.

Mom and the kids have evacuated with the clothes on their backs to a hotel, and Dad hasn't slept in over 24 hours, as he's been tied up communicating with the landlord, the property manager, and the City of Bowie, and overseeing plumbers, Bowie Public Works Department employees, and insurance adjusters.

 

Do you or your clients ever question the need or value of a limited home warranty at the time of a home sale?

• The landlord purchased this property within the past year, and their American Home Shield Warranty (AHS) is in effect, providing a plumber who worked at the house six hours before concluding that the cause of sewage flooding was NOT internal plumbing or even exterior sewage lines on the property.

The plumber then consulted with his supervisor and City of Bowie Emergency Services employees at 3 a.m. before leaving the property, with sewage still bleeding from the floors and walls.  (And the Supervisor of the Public Works Department saying they'd get to it during the normal business day, six hours later - so much for emergency response by the City of Bowie.)

Do you or your tenants/landlords ever question the need or value of renters' insurance?

• The tenants' State Farm Renters Insurance, will cover the cost of the hotel room last night, replacement clothes and shoes for those that have been contaminated, and temporary lodging until the home is habitable again.  

The tenants could not find enough ways to say "Thank God for Renter's Insurance" and "I Love Alicia Popham!", their State Farm Agent.

I spoke with Alicia this afternoon, and she told me that coverage for sewage backup and flooding is an optional rider for renters insurance, one she always recommends.  She also indicated it is the most frequent item for which she sees claims in the Bowie area, due to many old trees whose roots have a magic way of finding and penetrating the water and sewer lines.

It turns out to be a blockage in the city sewer; I was there when they reached the sewer pipe and cut it.  Nothing came from the street end, but raw sewage gushed in a fountain for 10 minutes from the pipe that ran from the house - it had been backed up into the house where a pipe finally burst, under all this pressure, in the wall between the living room and family room.  I will spare you the photos I took inside and around the foundation because they might ruin your appetite.

It remains to be seen what the total extent of the damage will be, and how the City of Bowie and the landlords' insurance will come through in addressing the collateral damage.  Truth is, this seems to be only the second episode of an on-going soap opera.  (The first being when their previous landlord was foreclosed upon.)

UPDATE 4/18: 

• State Farm (Renters Insurance) has been to the property, cut the tenants a check to purchase replacement clothes and shoes for the short-term, and told them to call when they need anything else.
• Allstate (Landlord's Insurance) has been to the property and said, in effect, we won't cover repairs because the cause of the problem was city sewer.
• City of Bowie:  Big Yawn.  Even though their adjustor was out yesterday (photo to the right), while the work was ongoing and while the City of Bowie Public Works Supervisor was there AND reported blockage was in the middle of the street, they are completely unresponsive.  They won't authorize any clean-up.   If you live in Bowie, you need to know this is how your city responds.

ServiceMaster has been to the property and reports that it is a bio-hazard, that they can't do anything without authorization from City of Bowie; they say property needs at least 2 feet of wallboard and all flooring removed to see how much further the "water" damage extends. (not to mention the bacteria)

In the meantime, Agents, PLEASE encourage your buyers/sellers and renters/landlords to buy good insurance and a home warranty.   With a picture-perfect house like this, one could never have anticipated this problem -but it happened. 

If you're a Bowie homeowner or tenant, take note - do you have a rider for sewage backup?  If not, you should know that statistics indicate this is more likely to happen to you than a fire, theft, vandalism or other event covered under the standard policy.  The on-site representative from the City of Bowie Public Works Department confirmed there is a sewer back-up about three times every week.

The next chapter:  A Happy Beginning - At Last!