Does renters insurance cover septic tank backup?

Answer 1

No, Normal and expected maintenance issues are not covered by your renters nor property owners insurance.

Maintenance issues are generally handled by the property owner, not the tenant, unless otherwise agreed to in your lease contract.

It's just like an oil change on your car. You wouldn't contact your auto insurance company about an oil change. It's just a normal part of vehicle maintenance. If you rent property that utilizes a septic tank, It's normal and expected that you have it emptied from time to time so that it does not overflow or backup.

Now if you have coverage for accidental water discharge damage on your policy. Although it will not pay to drain the septic tank, Once you have done that, your coverage will invoke if some of your covered property or belongings was accidentally damaged as result of this unintended water discharge. But first you have to fix the instigator, you have to have the septic tank drain and serviced back into working order.