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They even cover old items that end up breaking down due to age or regular wear and tear. Unlike homeowners insurance, home warranties do not cover damage from so-called acts of God, like house fires and natural disasters. Instead, home warranties offer coverage for essential home items and systems to lower a homeowner’s financial burden when the item eventually fails and requires costly repairs or a full replacement.
This depends on whether a service person can repair an item and/or can find a replacement. Sometimes the home service cost may exceed the dollar amount of contract liability and American Home Shield will refund the difference. American Home Shield will fix or replace your covered items and systems, including systems or appliances that break down or malfunction due to age or wear and tear. American Home Shield will also cover items even if they haven't been maintained properly or contain rust or corrosion. However, unlike American Home Shield, which offers a service fee range, Choice Home Warranty requires a set $85 service range fee.
Industry Tip
Boris improperly stored pool chemicals with his A/C, which damaged the condensing unit and caused the system to stop cooling. Because the failure was caused by hazardous chemical exposure — not normal wear-and-tear — American Home Shield did not cover the cost of repair. If you’d like protection for your home, then you’re in the right place. Finding the right home warranty company means comparing plans and choosing the home warranty that best suits the needs of your home. Our Shield Assurances are always included, even in our base plans. In some areas, you may be able to choose a video diagnosis so your contractor can virtually inspect the issue and order parts prior to the in-home visit.
If you are looking for a standard, established home warranty provider, AHS could be a good choice. However, you may be able to find a better deal if you shop around. When checking out online, homeowners can select the plan they prefer first, then select the add-on coverage that fits their needs. American Home Shield’s coverage plans cover a wide variety of items through its ShieldSilver™, ShieldGold™ and ShieldPlatinum™ plans.
American Home Shield At a Glance
They often don't know what's going on with their service providers. Not everything is covered enough for the required cost to bring the appliance or other items to a usable condition. This doesn’t count if you’ve bought or received your warranty as part of a real estate transaction, in which case, coverage starts when your deal is closed. If you renew your cover, it will roll over with no waiting period. From electronics to swimming pools, we offer protections that go beyond typical home warranties — and you can add them to any American Home Shield plan. Whether you’ve been in your home for years, just closed 90 days ago or are currently buying or selling a home, we offer a variety of warranty plans for every stage of homeownership.
The company’s plans also cover items not usually included in standard home insurance. A home warranty is a one-year service contract that helps pay the repair and replacement costs when parts of covered systems and appliances stop working. A home warranty complements homeowner’s insurance by protecting things insurance doesn’t, like normal wear-and-tear and improper maintenance. Each of the company's 1.8 million members has access to a nationwide network of 17,000 local, licensed contractors and comprehensive coverage for essential home systems and appliances. Coverage for electronics and select maintenance services are available as separate add-ons. However, your homeowners insurance company isn't on the hook for the repair or replacement of home systems and appliances that fail such as HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems and appliances.
Research Your Options
As we can see, your location doesn’t appear to make any difference to the price of these plans. This would make it easy for AHS to provide these prices on their website, but they do not. This is a mark against the company when it comes to price transparency, a feature valued by home warranty customers.
There are other costs involved with this type of policy, though. All home warranty providers charge a service fee, and the industry-wide average service fee is about $82. This is due each time you call out a technician to fix an appliance. When you take out a policy with AHS, you can choose the level of service fee you’d like to pay – $75, $100, or $125 – and this will affect the cost of your plan. If you expect to make frequent calls for service you should choose the lower service fee in order to limit your out-of-pocket costs. American Home Shield offers 12-month warranties that cover various systems and appliances.
Budget Protection
Other important factors include service fees (63%), speed of response (48%), and pricing information being available online (46%). Our reviews thoroughly consider all these factors, as well as exclusions and payout caps, to help you make an informed decision when choosing a home warranty company. Choice Home Warranty offers fewer coverage options compared to American Home Shield – just a total plan and a basic plan.
It also doesn’t cover malfunctions due to lightning strikes or fire; for protection from these events, you need homeowners insurance. AHS covers almost every state in the US, so it might be a good choice for homeowners not covered by other providers. American Home Shield is the oldest, largest home warranty provider in the US today. As such, it represents the standard by which other home warranties are judged. First American Home Warranty offers just two plan options plus add-ons; American Home Shield offers more plan options. The ShieldSilver™ plan serves homeowners who need coverage for basic systems, including heating and cooling systems, electrical systems and plumbing systems.
In addition, we simulate the process of reaching out to each company’s customer service team to evaluate their level of helpfulness and ability to solve problems. American Home Shield Review offers a wide variety of coverage options and to a degree, customizable pricing. Homeowners can choose from three different protection plan levels and three different service fee cost levels from this company with extensive industry experience. Customers will also pay a $125 service fee each time they call a contractor to visit their home and repair, replace or inspect their damaged item. The company allows customers to choose the amount of their service fee. Those who choose higher service fees can lower their monthly plan cost and vice versa.
We don't care how old your home, systems, or appliances are - our home warranty protection will cover them. Repair/replacement costs are the eightieth percentile of U.S. costs according to a nationwide survey of homeowners conducted in 2019 by ClearVantage for American Home Shield. Repairs or replacements are typically initiated within 48 hours of submitting your service request. AHS does expedite services that are deemed an emergency but examines your case before determining whether or not it meets the emergency criteria. The quote process will require you to submit your property address and contact information so the company can provide you with a personalized quote.
Showings, walk-throughs, and inspections are important steps in the buying and selling process, but even the most thorough home professionals don’t always uncover every potential issue. Including an HSA home warranty in your real estate transaction can help sellers protect their home during the listing period and give buyers a solution for handling covered breakdowns after closing. Samantha is an editor who covers all topics home-related including home improvement and repair. She edited home repair and design content at websites like The Spruce and HomeAdvisor. She also has hosted videos on DIY home tips and solutions and launched multiple home improvement review boards staffed with licensed pros. In addition to what the ShieldSilver plan offers, the ShieldGold plan also includes kitchen and laundry appliances like refrigerators, washers, dryers and more.
When comparing home warranty companies, you may find a wide variety of options. Apply online for expert recommendations with real interest rates and payments. If you would like to view a sample contract from AHS before signing a real contract yourself, they have made one available on their website.
Every homeowner needs a plan for system and appliance breakdowns. AHS won’t reimburse you for services conducted prior to the company’s approval. American Home Shield has been around a long time and is well-known in the home warranty industry. We recommend the best products through an independent review process, and advertisers do not influence our picks. Members can log in to American Home Shield's website to see additional discount opportunities.
For that extra level of protection, our ShieldPlatinum plan covers additional systems and appliances while also allowing you to save money on your trade service call fee. American Home Shield is an experienced home warranty provider that offers a variety of flexible plan options that cover necessary repairs and replacements to major appliances and home systems. The company has generous coverage limits, multiple service fee options and a free cancellation period, making it our top home warranty company. A couple of drawbacks are that the provider isn’t available in Alaska and the company only guarantees service repairs for 30 days. Compared to other home warranty companies, American Home Shield offers only average pricing. Customers are able to manage costs by choosing from multiple policies, adding on coverage, and opting for higher service fees.
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