A compiled reference of 37 verified statistics on water leak detection and property insurance, covering water damage as an insurance peril, the published loss-correlation studies behind sensor and shutoff devices, the discounts and free-hardware programs carriers actually run, and how few homes have a detector installed. Every figure is drawn from a named public source (the Insurance Information Institute, Verisk, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Parks Associates, the US EPA, and carrier and manufacturer disclosures from Nationwide, State Farm, Phyn, Moen, PEMCO, Amica, and Ondo InsurTech) and independently checked before publishing.
Key statistics
6 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
Water is the second most frequent homeowner peril and, unlike wind or fire, it is the one carriers have found a way to intervene on before the loss happens. The published loss studies are unusually strong, the carrier programs have moved from premium discounts to giving hardware away, and household adoption is still in the single digits. That gap between proven effect and actual installation is the whole story of this dataset.
Water damage and freezing were 27.6% of homeowners insurance claims in 2022.
In-line water shutoff correlated with 96% fewer escape-of-water claim events.
Only 5% of US single-family homeowners own a smart water leak detector.
26% of US internet households have experienced water leak damage.
Non-weather water claim severity rose 63.16% from 2019 to 2025.
Carrier-issued Ting sensors now protect more than one million homes.
How we built this report
Every figure below was compiled in July 2026 from named public sources and verified against the original document before publishing.
- Compiled from primary sources
Insurance Information Institute cause-of-loss tables built on ISO data, Verisk and LexisNexis Risk Solutions claims reports, carrier program pages and agent materials, manufacturer and carrier press releases, US EPA WaterSense figures, and syndicated market research from Parks Associates.
- Only explicitly stated figures
We include only numbers a named source states directly, and attribute each one inline at the point it appears. Nothing here is derived, extrapolated, or averaged across sources by us.
- Disagreements shown, not averaged
The average water claim is quoted at $13,954, roughly $15,400, and $17,059 by three different named sources covering three different periods. All three appear below, with their vintages, rather than a blended number that belongs to nobody.
- Vendor claims labelled as vendor claims
Some of the strongest loss-reduction numbers come from device makers reporting on their own products. Where a figure is an internal or sponsored study, we say so on the card so you can weigh it accordingly.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
Scope caveat: these are published industry aggregates, carrier program terms, and vendor-reported loss correlations, not an audited experiment. Loss-correlation studies show association, not proven causation, and self-selection matters (households that install a shutoff valve are not a random sample). Discounts, device availability, and program terms vary by state and change often. Confirm any figure against the specific named source before relying on it commercially.
Water leak detection and insurance, by the numbers
All 37 figures, grouped into four themes, each drawn from a named public source and independently verified against the original in July 2026.
Water as an insurance peril
Water is the peril that shows up constantly and costs moderately, which is exactly the profile that makes prevention worth funding. According to the Insurance Information Institute, drawing on data from ISO, a Verisk Analytics business, water damage and freezing accounted for 27.6% of homeowners insurance claims in 2022, second only to wind and hail at 40.7%, with an average claim severity of $13,954 across 2018 to 2022. Verisk's own Q1 2026 Quarterly Property Report, as reported by Risk & Insurance, put water at the top: 31.1% of US property claim volume for the quarter. And according to the 2026 LexisNexis U.S. Home Trends Report published in July 2026, severity for the non-weather water peril has risen 63.16% since 2019, which the report attributes to inflation and rising material and labor costs for remediation.
Statistic 1
Water damage and freezing accounted for 27.6% of homeowners insurance claims in 2022.
Insurance Information Institute, using ISO, a Verisk Analytics business (2018 to 2022 data)
Statistic 2
The average water damage and freezing claim was $13,954 across 2018 to 2022.
Insurance Information Institute, using ISO (five-year average)
Statistic 3
About one in 60 insured homes files a water damage or freezing claim each year.
Insurance Information Institute, using ISO (2018 to 2022)
Statistic 4
Fire and lightning claims averaged $83,991, about six times the average water claim, but hit only about one in 425 insured homes a year.
Insurance Information Institute, using ISO (2018 to 2022)
Statistic 5
Water claims led all loss types at 31.1% of US property claim volume in Q1 2026.
Verisk, Q1 2026 Quarterly Property Report, as reported by Risk & Insurance (2026)
Statistic 6
Severity for the non-weather water peril increased 63.16% between 2019 and 2025.
2026 LexisNexis U.S. Home Trends Report (July 2026)
Statistic 7
From 2024 to 2025, non-weather water loss cost fell 6.4% and frequency fell 7.8%, while severity still rose 2.5%.
2026 LexisNexis U.S. Home Trends Report (July 2026)
Statistic 8
Nationwide tells its agents that water damage accounts for nearly 23% of insurance claims and that the average water damage claim costs $17,059.
Nationwide, Smart Home Program: Information for Agents (2026)
Statistic 9
Parks Associates and Johnson Controls put water damage and freezing at 22% of homeowner insurance losses, with an average claim of approximately $15,400 over 2019 to 2023.
Parks Associates and Johnson Controls, Flooding the Market: Scaling Up Smart Water Management (March 2026)
What this means: The three published averages for a water claim sit between $13,954 and $17,059, and the spread is mostly vintage rather than disagreement, since severity has climbed steadily. The structural point is that water is high-frequency and mid-severity while fire is the reverse, and high-frequency mid-severity is precisely the profile where a cheap always-on detector can move a loss ratio.
What the loss studies actually found
The single most-cited number in this field comes from a third party rather than a device maker. According to LexisNexis Risk Solutions, whose May 2020 loss correlation study measured 2,306 homes with a Flo by Moen smart water shutoff against an uninstalled control group in the same geolocation, installing an in-line water shutoff correlated with a 96% reduction in water claim events, and when a claim did still occur, severity was down 72%. Over the same window, the control group's water claim events rose 10%. Device makers report similar magnitudes on their own data: according to Phyn, cited in Nationwide's December 2024 partnership announcement, Phyn-protected homes are 99% less likely to have a non-weather water leak claim, based on an internal study across 13,500 homes over three years. According to Ondo InsurTech, LeakBot is proven to reduce water damage claims costs by 70%, a figure the company attributes to independent research by Consumer Intelligence.
Statistic 10
In-line water shutoff devices correlated with a 96% reduction in escape-of-water home insurance claim events.
LexisNexis Risk Solutions loss correlation study (May 2020)
Statistic 11
When a claim did still occur at a protected home, its severity was 72% lower.
LexisNexis Risk Solutions loss correlation study (May 2020)
Statistic 12
The study covered 2,306 homes with a Flo by Moen smart water shutoff, measured one year before and after installation against a control group in the same geolocation.
LexisNexis Risk Solutions loss correlation study (May 2020)
Statistic 13
Over the same period, water claim events at homes without a shutoff device increased 10%.
LexisNexis Risk Solutions loss correlation study (May 2020)
Statistic 14
Phyn-protected homes are 99% less likely to experience a non-weather water leak claim, per an internal Phyn study across 13,500 homes over three years.
Phyn internal study, cited by Nationwide (December 2024). Vendor-reported.
Statistic 15
Phyn's system analyzes fluctuations in water pressure 240 times per second to identify and categorize every water fixture in a home.
Nationwide and Phyn partnership announcement (December 2024)
Statistic 16
LeakBot is stated to reduce water damage claims costs by 70%, attributed to independent research by Consumer Intelligence.
Ondo InsurTech (2026). Vendor-reported, third-party research.
Statistic 17
PEMCO Mutual Insurance cites 96% fewer water damage claim events at homes with a Flo device installed as the basis for its 2026 Moen partnership.
PEMCO Mutual Insurance and Moen (June 2026)
Statistic 18
Ondo InsurTech states that domestic water leaks cause $17 billion of insurance claims each year across the USA and UK combined.
Ondo InsurTech (2026), citing the Association of British Insurers and the Insurance Information Institute
What this means: A 96% reduction is an extraordinary claim and deserves the caveat that it is a correlation study, not a randomized trial: homeowners who install a shutoff valve are not a random sample of homeowners. That said, the LexisNexis result is the rare case where the study was run by a claims-data firm rather than the manufacturer, the control group moved in the opposite direction, and three separate vendors report the same order of magnitude. Carriers have clearly read it that way, since the programs in the next section are the operational consequence.
Carrier programs, discounts, and free hardware
Published discount percentages are surprisingly scarce, because the economics pushed carriers past discounting and into giving the hardware away. According to Nationwide's own program pages, its Smart Home program applies a 10% discount to water nonweather, water weather and theft coverages in California and a 5% discount to fire, a flat 5% on all perils in Washington, and pairs the discount with a free LeakBot water leak detection device, with the discount discontinued if the device is not ordered and activated within 55 days of enrollment. According to Nationwide's December 2024 announcement with Phyn, new policyholders with high-value homes also get a 15% discount on Phyn hardware. On the fire side, which is the closest analogue for how these programs scale, State Farm said in April 2024 it was offering free Ting sensors to two million homes, and by February 2026 Nationwide committed to a further 500,000 Ting sensors over two years. According to Habitat Magazine's May 2025 report on New York co-op and condo buildings, Chubb offers an 8% discount on homeowner policies in buildings with comprehensive water leak detection systems, up from an earlier structure of 3% for detection plus 5% more for an automatic shutoff valve.
Statistic 19
In California, Nationwide's Smart Home discount is 10% on water nonweather, water weather and theft, and 5% on fire.
Nationwide, Smart Home program page (2026)
Statistic 20
In Washington, the Nationwide Smart Home discount is 5% and applies to all perils.
Nationwide, Smart Home program page (2026)
Statistic 21
The Nationwide smart home discount applies to fire, theft and water coverages, and is discontinued if an eligible device is not ordered and activated within 55 days of enrollment.
Nationwide, Smart Home Program: Information for Agents (2026)
Statistic 22
Nationwide's two named program devices are a free LeakBot water leak detection device and a free Ting electrical fire sensor.
Nationwide, Smart Home program page (2026)
Statistic 23
Nationwide offers new policyholders with high-value homes a 15% discount on Phyn's product suite, launched in California in December 2024.
Nationwide and Phyn partnership announcement (December 2024)
Statistic 24
Chubb offers an 8% discount on homeowner policies in buildings with comprehensive water leak detection systems.
Habitat Magazine, Smart Water Leak Detectors Cut Insurance Costs, Boost Financial Gains (May 2025)
Statistic 25
PEMCO Mutual Insurance offers eligible homeowner policyholders up to $1,000 annually toward covered plumbing repairs alongside Moen leak detection.
PEMCO Mutual Insurance and Moen (June 2026)
Statistic 26
Amica names four leak-detection partners (Phyn, StreamLabs, Flume and Moen) but publishes no discount percentage, stating only that discounts are not available in all states and may vary.
Amica, Leak Detection Discounts page (2026)
Statistic 27
State Farm offered free Ting sensors to more than two million homes, with nearly 700,000 already equipped and about 50,000 more going out each month.
State Farm newsroom (April 2024)
Statistic 28
The State Farm Ting offer includes a $1,000 credit toward professional remediation when a hazard is found.
State Farm newsroom (April 2024)
Statistic 29
Nationwide committed in February 2026 to deliver 500,000 more Ting sensors over two years, having already protected nearly 80,000 member homes and prevented more than 1,100 electrical fires.
Nationwide newsroom (February 2026)
Statistic 30
Carrier-distributed Ting sensors now reach more than one million homes through over 40 insurance carriers, with more than 30,000 fire hazards prevented since inception.
Ting Labs, formerly Whisker Labs (July 2026)
Published carrier program terms
What each carrier states publicly. Blank means the carrier does not publish a figure, not that no benefit exists.
| Carrier | Published discount | Hardware | Extra benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | 10% water and theft, 5% fire (CA); 5% all perils (WA) | Free LeakBot, free Ting | 15% off Phyn for high-value homes |
| Chubb | 8% for buildings with comprehensive detection | StreamLabs devices | Reported by Habitat Magazine, not a Chubb page |
| State Farm | Not published | Free Ting to 2 million homes | $1,000 remediation credit |
| PEMCO | Not published | Moen Flo partnership | Up to $1,000 a year toward covered plumbing repairs |
| Amica | Not published | Phyn, StreamLabs, Flume, Moen | Device purchase discounts, varies by state |
What this means: Follow the money and the direction is unmistakable. A 5% to 10% premium credit is small change against a $14,000 to $17,000 average claim, so the leading carriers stopped trying to price the behavior and simply started buying the hardware. Nationwide, State Farm and PEMCO all now pair free or subsidized devices with a repair credit, which converts a claim into a service call. That is the same economic logic behind everything RapidEye does: catching a small problem in documentation is orders of magnitude cheaper than adjusting a large one later.
The adoption gap
The awkward fact under all of this is that almost nobody has a detector. According to Parks Associates and Johnson Controls, in research published in March 2026 as the white paper Flooding the Market: Scaling Up Smart Water Management, 26% of US internet households report having experienced water leak damage, yet only 5% of single-family homeowners own a smart water leak or humidity detector. Professional operators are far ahead of consumers: the same research found 57% of multifamily owner-operators have deployed smart water leak detection somewhere in their portfolio. Meanwhile the underlying waste is enormous. According to the US EPA's WaterSense program, household leaks waste nearly one trillion gallons of water annually nationwide, and the average household's leaks account for more than 9,300 gallons a year.
Statistic 31
26% of US internet households report having experienced water leak damage.
Parks Associates and Johnson Controls (March 2026)
Statistic 32
Only 5% of US single-family homeowners own a smart water leak or humidity detector.
Parks Associates and Johnson Controls (March 2026)
Statistic 33
57% of multifamily owner-operators report deploying smart water leak detection in part of their property portfolio, and 29% are implementing it at their largest property.
Parks Associates and Johnson Controls (March 2026)
Statistic 34
Household leaks waste nearly one trillion gallons of water annually nationwide.
US EPA WaterSense (2026)
Statistic 35
The average household's leaks account for more than 9,300 gallons of water wasted every year.
US EPA WaterSense (2026)
Statistic 36
Nine percent of homes have leaks that waste 50 gallons or more per day.
US EPA WaterSense (2026)
Statistic 37
Fixing easily corrected household water leaks can save homeowners about 10 percent on their water bills.
US EPA WaterSense (2026)
What this means: A five-to-one gap between households that have suffered water damage and households that own a detector is the clearest arbitrage in residential risk right now, and it explains why carriers are shipping free hardware rather than waiting for consumers to buy. For managed portfolios the multifamily number is the relevant benchmark: 57% of professional operators have already deployed detection somewhere, so an operator with none is now behind their peer group, not ahead of the curve.
What a leak sensor cannot see
A flow sensor or shutoff valve watches one system: the pipes. That is the right system to watch, because it is the one that floods a building at three in the morning. But a whole category of property condition sits outside its field of view. A slow appliance leak behind a dishwasher, a shower pan failing into subfloor, staining on a ceiling from the unit above, a supply line already weeping at the connection, and the entire non-plumbing surface of a property (finishes, furniture, hardware, appliances) never register on a water meter until they are already a claim.
For managed properties there is a second data stream that already exists and mostly goes unread: turnover documentation. Cleaners and inspectors photograph these units after every stay, which means most operators are sitting on a continuous visual record of interior condition and reviewing almost none of it. That is the problem automated damage detection exists to solve, and it is the interior counterpart to a leak sensor rather than a replacement for one. Sensors catch what moves through the pipes; condition monitoring catches what shows up on a wall.
Insurance carriers and damage waiver providers are increasingly interested in that second stream for the same reason they fund leak sensors: verified condition evidence at a known point in time shortens claim cycles and removes disputes. RapidEye works with insurance providers and damage waiver providers on exactly that. For the operator-side mechanics of documenting a water loss well enough to get paid, see our guide to water damage documentation and claims in short-term rentals.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
What percentage of home insurance claims are water damage?
Water damage and freezing accounted for 27.6% of homeowners insurance claims in 2022, according to the Insurance Information Institute using ISO data. Verisk's Q1 2026 Quarterly Property Report put water at 31.1% of US property claim volume in that quarter, the largest share of any loss type. Nationwide's own agent materials cite a figure of nearly 23%. The spread reflects different years, different definitions of water, and different underlying books of business.
Do insurance companies give discounts for water leak detectors?
Yes, though published percentages are rare and vary by state. Nationwide's Smart Home program applies a 10% discount to water nonweather, water weather and theft coverages in California and a 5% discount to all perils in Washington. Chubb offers an 8% discount on homeowner policies in buildings with comprehensive water leak detection systems, according to Habitat Magazine. Several carriers, including Nationwide and State Farm, give the hardware away instead of discounting the premium.
How much do water leak detectors reduce insurance claims?
The most-cited figure is 96%. A 2020 LexisNexis Risk Solutions loss correlation study of 2,306 homes found that installing a Flo by Moen in-line water shutoff correlated with a 96% reduction in escape-of-water claim events, and a 72% reduction in severity when a claim still occurred. Phyn reports that Phyn-protected homes are 99% less likely to have a non-weather water leak claim, based on an internal study of 13,500 homes over three years. Ondo InsurTech states that LeakBot is proven to reduce water damage claims costs by 70%.
How many homeowners actually have a smart water leak detector?
Only 5%. Research from Parks Associates and Johnson Controls published in March 2026 found that just 5% of US single-family homeowners own a smart water leak or humidity detector, even though 26% of US internet households report having experienced water leak damage. Adoption is far higher on the commercial side, where 57% of multifamily owner-operators report deploying smart water leak detection in part of their portfolio.
What is the average water damage insurance claim?
Between roughly $13,954 and $17,059 depending on the source and period. The Insurance Information Institute puts the 2018 to 2022 average for water damage and freezing at $13,954 using ISO data. Parks Associates and Johnson Controls cite approximately $15,400 for the 2019 to 2023 period. Nationwide's agent materials cite $17,059. Non-weather water severity rose 63.16% between 2019 and 2025, according to the 2026 LexisNexis U.S. Home Trends Report, so newer figures run higher.
Data sources
Every figure in this report traces to one of these named public sources, each checked against the original before publishing. We name each source and show its domain as plain text rather than linking out, so this page stays the citable reference.
Insurance Information InstituteFacts + Statistics: Homeowners and Renters Insurance (using ISO, a Verisk Analytics business)iii.org
VeriskQ1 2026 Quarterly Property Report, as reported by Risk & Insuranceriskandinsurance.com
LexisNexis Risk SolutionsNew Loss Correlation Study Reveals Use of In-Line Water Shutoff Reduces Escape-of-Water Home Insurance Claims by 96% (2020); 2026 LexisNexis U.S. Home Trends Reportrisk.lexisnexis.com
NationwideSmart Home Program: Information for Agents; Nationwide and Phyn Partner to Offer Advanced Water Damage Protection for Homeowners (2024); Nationwide and Whisker Labs Expand Strategic Initiative (2026)nationwide.com
Parks AssociatesFlooding the Market: Scaling Up Smart Water Management, with Johnson Controls (2026)parksassociates.com
US Environmental Protection AgencyWaterSense: Fix a Leak Weekepa.gov
State FarmState Farm Expands Ting Fire Safety Program to 2 Million Homes (April 2024)statefarm.com
Ting Labs (formerly Whisker Labs)Whisker Labs Becomes Ting Labs, Reflecting the Name More Than One Million Homes Already Trust (2026)whiskerlabs.com
PhynInternal study of 13,500 homes over three years, as cited in the Nationwide partnership announcement (2024)phyn.com
MoenFlo by Moen Smart Water Shutoff, the device evaluated in the LexisNexis loss correlation studymoen.com
PEMCO Mutual InsurancePEMCO Mutual Insurance Partners with Moen to Help Homeowners Prevent Costly Water Damage (2026)pemco.com
Ondo InsurTech (LeakBot)Sustainable Risk Reduction, corporate site figures citing the Association of British Insurers and the Insurance Information Institute (2026)ondoplc.com
Amica InsuranceLeak Detection Discounts: Save with Leak Detectionamica.com
Habitat MagazineSmart Water Leak Detectors Cut Insurance Costs, Boost Financial Gains (May 2025)habitatmag.com