Sean C. Morgan
The city of Sweet Home has been receiving calls from confused residents regarding an advertisement by a company called HomeServe USA Repair Management Corp., a company that has no ties to the city water and sewer utilities.
“We’ve had a lot of calls on it,” said City Manager Craig Martin. “It’s a private company that provides essentially maintenance coverage for their water lines at home.”
The advertisement is an official-looking document that asks residents to “please respond by” a specific date.
It is similar to advertisements in newspapers that are made to look like news stories, Martin said. Such newspaper advertisements typically have the words “paid advertisement” printed at the top of the advertisement to differentiate them from news stories.
The direct mail advertisement includes information about HomeServe and does indicate that it is not affiliated with the local utility.
The service offers up to $6,000 in annual coverage of water service lines, up to $3,000 per call and up to two calls per year. It also provides a 24-hour emergency repair hotline at an annual payment of $59.88.
The city is responsible for water lines up to and including the water meter, Martin said. Property owners are responsible for the laterals on their side of the water meter.
“There has been no change in what we take care of,” Martin said. “(Residents) are seeing it, and it’s looking kind of official.”
Identification of the company on the advertisement is minimal, and it includes an informational flier that looks similar to one the city distributes, Martin said.
Homeowners have been asking whether the city has changed its policies, Martin said. There may have been some confusion in association with the city’s work in the sewer system, which has included improvements and repairs on private sewer laterals.
Even those laterals repaired by the city remain the ongoing responsibility of the property owner.
In any case, the advertisement applies to water lines, not to sewer lines, Martin said.
The city does not know or endorse this company, but if property owners are interested, they should check into it and make their own decisions, Martin said.
For questions about the city’s policies regarding water lines, call City Hall at (541) 367-5128 or the city manager’s office at (541) 367-8969.