Every winter, somewhere, a rental pipe freezes. The plumbing repair is almost never the expensive part. The water is.
State Farm says its average frozen-pipe claim from 2024 through mid-2025 ran about $30,000, across more than 20,000 claims. That isn't a northern problem. Southern markets often get hit hardest during cold snaps, because homes here aren't built expecting them: pipes in exterior walls, plumbing in vented crawlspaces, uninsulated attic runs. Texas, Oklahoma, and the Carolinas all fit that description, and we manage in all of them.
How the damage happens surprises most owners. Researchers at the University of Illinois' Building Research Council found that ice first forms a plug inside the pipe, and pressure builds behind it until the pipe splits, often in a spot with little or no ice at all. That's why "it was only below freezing for one night" is no comfort. And the leak usually doesn't show until the thaw, when water starts running again, sometimes for hours before anyone notices.
Don't count on insurance to bail out a careless owner. The Insurance Information Institute draws the line between sudden damage like a burst pipe, which is typically covered, and damage that builds from poor maintenance, which typically isn't. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners notes that coverage can hinge on whether reasonable steps were taken to prevent the loss. A vacant unit with the heat shut off is the classic version of that story. Read your own policy's freeze and vacancy language before December, not after.
Here's the pre-freeze checklist every rental should get.
Vacant units get the most attention, because that's where the big losses live. Nobody is there to notice a pressure drop or hear water running. Heat stays on at a minimum setting, the unit gets checked during cold snaps, and when a unit will sit through a hard freeze, the water gets shut off at the main.
Residents get a pre-freeze notice. Keep the heat on, even when traveling. Open cabinet doors on exterior walls so warm air reaches the pipes. Let faucets drip during hard freezes. Disconnect garden hoses. And call immediately if water pressure drops or stops, because a frozen line caught early is a plumber visit, not a remodel.
Every unit file should have the main shutoff location. When a pipe lets go, minutes decide whether you're replacing a section of drywall or a kitchen. If the resident and the after-hours tech can't find the shutoff in the dark, you've already lost.
The exterior gets the cheap fixes: hose bib covers, foam sleeves on exposed pipes, crawlspace vents closed for the season. Most of this costs less than a tank of gas.
And the response plan should exist before the storm. After-hours line staffed, plumbers already called, a water mitigation company lined up. During a regional freeze, plumbers get booked fast. The owners whose vendors already have them on the list get served first.
Now do the math. A modest amount of prep per door, against a potential $30,000 claim, plus your deductible, plus a displaced resident, plus the rent you don't collect while the unit is dried out and rebuilt, plus a claim on your record that can push your premium up for years. It isn't close.
Winter damage is one of the most preventable losses in this business. It isn't bad luck. It's a checklist, and checklists are cheap.
Sources: State Farm claims data via WVIR 29 News: 29news.com/2026/01/28/extreme-cold-can-cause-frozen-pipes-costly-damage. MoneyTalksNews, citing State Farm, the University of Illinois Building Research Council, the Insurance Information Institute, and the NAIC: moneytalksnews.com/a-burst-pipe-averages-a-claim-fall-chores-stop-it.