Your insurer says fix the corroded toilet supply lines by March. Should you?

The homeowner posted the notice in r/Plumbing. Selective inspected the house and set a March 2027 deadline to correct what it called hazardous conditions, among them toilet supply lines it described as partially corroded. The owner called the demand absurd and suggested cleaning the buildup off instead.

Insurers have numbers behind requests like this. In a study by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, cited by Tower Hill Insurance, toilet water damage cost $2,000 to $10,000 per incident, and 78% of the incidents traced to bad supply lines, flanges, fill valves or a toilet that overflowed. A standard homeowners policy pays for sudden, accidental water damage but will not pay to replace pipes that are starting to corrode, according to NerdWallet. A claim can also be denied for negligence if the owner saw a problem and left it. A written inspection notice puts the problem on record.

Ignoring the notice has a price. After a failed inspection, insurers more often decline to renew than cancel, because canceling mid-term requires narrow grounds such as misrepresentation, Insurance.com reported. An Iowa insurance regulator told the site that owners will most likely need to make the requested repairs to keep their coverage, and the site advises sending the insurer detailed proof before the deadline.

The fix is cheap. Supply lines cost $10 to $20 each, and replacing every one in a house can come in under $100 in materials, according to Ullrich Insurance Agency. The agency says even braided stainless lines should be replaced every 5 to 10 years because the inner liner deteriorates. Scrubbing the outside of a line does nothing for the liner inside.