More than half (51%) of Washington and Oregon residents worry something could happen to their home while they're away on vacation, according to a new PEMCO Mutual Insurance poll - but most are worried about the wrong thing. A separate PEMCO survey conducted earlier this year found that only 24% of Pacific Northwest residents correctly identified water damage as the cause of the most expensive home insurance claims in the region. Half incorrectly pointed to house fires instead.
The data tells a different story. Water causes 45% of all interior property damage in US homes, more than fire and burglary combined. Burglary, meanwhile, is a declining risk: the FBI recorded 779,542 burglary incidents nationally in 2024, down 8.1% from the prior year. Frequent travel is one of the top reasons homeowners give for investing in home security systems, but a burst pipe or failed water heater is statistically far more likely to generate an expensive claim than a break-in.
That risk perception gap is compounded by an adoption gap. Despite water damage being one of the most common and costly home insurance perils, less than 10% of US households have leak detection devices installed, compared with 99% with smoke detectors.
Insurers have been working to close that gap through pricing incentives. Major carriers including Farmers, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide and Progressive now offer homeowners discounts of roughly 5% to 20% for installing smart devices that protect against water leaks, fire or theft, with some offering free or subsidized devices. State Farm and Travelers now accept leak-event data from connected systems like Moen's Flo as proof for water-damage discount eligibility.
For PEMCO and other regional carriers, the survey results point to a clear opportunity: 51% of customers are anxious enough about home risk while travelling to be receptive to smart monitoring programs, but most aren't yet enrolled, and most don't know which peril actually drives their claims costs. That combination - high anxiety, low awareness, low enrollment - is exactly the gap renewal conversations are designed to close. Brokers have a specific opening ahead of peak summer travel season to correct the fire-versus-water misconception directly and pair that correction with the discount programs already available from major carriers. A policyholder who believes fire is their biggest risk has no particular reason to ask about leak detection discounts; a policyholder who understands water damage is the dominant claims driver has every reason to ask.
"Even with smart home technology, many Northwest travelers aren't fully unplugging while they're away," said Jennifer Hawton, spokesperson for PEMCO. "People have more tools than ever to monitor their homes remotely, but that also means many are checking in frequently instead of disconnecting completely."
The poll also found that 57% of residents rely on a trusted neighbor, friend or family member to check on their home while travelling - still the most common precaution despite the proliferation of connected monitoring tools, and a reminder that adoption of smart home technology remains partial even among households anxious enough to actively prepare before a trip.
