Comparing Home Warranties: Companies, Plans & Coverage

Choosing a home warranty can be difficult when companies offer different plans, coverage limits, service fees, and contract terms. A home warranty comparison helps you look beyond the price and see what each plan actually covers. Coverage varies by provider and plan. Some plans focus on appliances, others cover major home systems, and comprehensive plans may include both.

The right choice depends on your home, budget, and the appliances and systems you want to protect. In this guide, we’ll explain how to compare home warranty companies, plans, and coverage, including costs, covered items, exclusions, service fees, and contract terms. By comparing these details side by side, you can make a more informed decision about which home warranty plan fits your needs.

How Do I Compare and Pick the Right Home Warranty Company?

Choosing the best home warranty provider starts with looking beyond the monthly or annual price. You want a provider that offers reliable service, clear coverage, and terms that fit your home.

Start by comparing a few providers rather than choosing the first company you find. Pay attention to these key factors:

• Company reputation: Look for established providers with a track record of serving homeowners and handling service requests.
• Customer reviews: Read reviews across multiple sources to understand common experiences with claims, repairs, and customer service.
• Coverage options: Check whether the company covers the appliances and home systems you want to protect.
• Plan costs: Compare premiums, service fees, coverage limits, and potential out-of-pocket expenses instead of focusing only on the advertised price.
• Contract terms: Review exclusions, waiting periods, repair or replacement limits, and conditions that could affect claim eligibility.

Awards and positive ratings can provide useful signals, but they should not be your only deciding factors. The goal is to find a provider whose reputation, coverage, and costs make sense for your situation.

Your location can also influence which coverage makes sense. For example, in cities like Brookings, homeowners often depend on both everyday appliances and seasonal home systems throughout the year. Comparing local home protection plans in Brookings can help you find coverage that better matches those needs.

Once you have a few names worth considering, compare their plans side by side to see which offers the right level of protection.

What should I look for when comparing home warranty plans?

Once you have narrowed down a few providers, the next step is comparing the plans themselves. Look beyond the price and ask a more practical question: Which plan covers the appliances and systems you rely on most?

Every home warranty company offers its own series of plans. These plans are often laid out in unique tiers, offering different degrees of coverage. This benefits customers like yourself, enabling you to choose whichever plan is most appropriate for your needs and budget.

At Select Home Warranty, we have three home warranty plans to choose from, plus add-ons to expand coverage (more about this later). This ensures the unique systems and appliances in your home are completely protected at a reasonable price.

See for yourself! Here’s our home warranty coverage comparison as of Spring 2022:

1. Bronze Care: Appliance-focused coverage

If your main concern is protecting everyday appliances, Bronze Care provides coverage for key kitchen and laundry equipment. It can be a practical starting point if your major home systems are newer or already protected elsewhere.

Covered items include:

• Refrigerator
• Stove/oven
• Cooktop
• Built-in microwave
• Dishwasher
• Garbage disposal
• Clothes washer and dryer

2. Gold Care: Systems-focused coverage

Gold Care focuses on major systems that keep your home comfortable and functional. This option may make sense when system breakdowns are your bigger concern.

Coverage includes:

• Heating and cooling systems
• Water heater
• Plumbing system
• Electrical system
• Ductwork

3. Platinum Care: Broader protection

Platinum Care brings appliance and system coverage together in one plan. It includes the items covered under Bronze and Gold, providing broader protection for the major components of your home. It also includes your plumbing stoppage, garage door opener, and ceiling fan, which the other two plans do not cover. Naturally, if you are looking for the most complete coverage, the Platinum plan is for you!

What other appliances and systems benefit from coverage?

There are a few parts of the home you might not know can be covered under a home warranty. In many cases, you can include these in your plan as an add-on.

Add-ons include coverage for your septic system, pool, spa, roof, well, second refrigerator, sprinkler system, and more. Coverage for these appliances and systems can be effortlessly added to your Bronze, Gold, or Platinum plan, protecting all the most essential aspects of your home.

Optional add-ons are chosen when signing up for a free quote, this way you have a total estimate before you ever sign for service.

Don’t have any of these supplementary appliances or systems? No need to pay for additional coverage!

How do I know which home warranty plan to choose?

Choosing the right plan starts with understanding what your home actually needs. Instead of choosing the most expensive option automatically, make a quick inventory of the appliances and systems you rely on every day.

Then, compare that list against each available tier. Look for coverage that matches your priorities, while also checking service fees, coverage limits, exclusions, and any optional protections.

Before enrolling, take a few minutes to read the terms and conditions. Pay particular attention to limitations, exclusions, and requirements that could affect a service request later.

What do I need to know about home warranty coverage limits?

Home warranty coverage applies to mechanical damage on your home appliances and systems. The age of your appliance or system doesn’t matter when purchasing coverage and is not part of a coverage limit.

That said, there are two items you should be aware of before submitting your claim:

1. Prepare to have all maintenance records available for when the technician arrives, especially when placing a claim for older appliances and systems.
2. You will owe a modest service fee on the day your technician comes out to your home.

When choosing your home warranty plan, make sure you find coverage for all essential parts of your home. Think about what matters most to you and your family. For example, if you take pride in your lawn, you’ll want to include sprinkler system coverage. If you live in a colder climate, you need to be confident your heating system is protected.

Note that there may be specific coverage limitations. For instance, when placing a claim on plumbing stoppages, your claim will cover stoppages in the home’s drain, vent, and sewer lines up to 100 feet from the access point except if caused by roots.

As mentioned earlier, it’s essential that you take a look at all coverage limits as specified in your terms and conditions.

What home warranty coverage options are most popular?

If you’re considering a home warranty, it’s important to understand how it might help you down the line. Here are some of the most common reasons someone chooses a home warranty for their house or rental property.

HVAC Coverage

A home’s cooling and heating systems are among the most popular justifications for a home protection plan. Depending on where you live, the climate can reach extreme temperatures, so searching for HVAC coverage is nothing short of common sense.

An HVAC system is essential to the comfort of your home, and downtime can be very difficult to endure. Keeping an active home warranty for HVAC can minimize downtime and save you from costly repairs (and even a replacement) if something goes wrong with your system.

Plumbing Coverage

The second most common system homeowners seek to cover is their plumbing system. When your toilet is backing up and you’re unsure of the problem, a warranty can get you a repair technician to fully assess the problem.

Major Appliances

Washers and dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers; it’s easy to take the appliances we use daily for granted. While many of these appliances will work for years without issue, those unexpected failures are when we realize how much we rely on them. Fortunately, a home warranty can help you avoid unexpected expenses, costly replacements, and devastating downtimes.