Home warranties can cover the repair or replacement in the event that your home’s cooling system or your pool goes bust. The key is to find the right plan from a top home warranty company that understands the unique needs of Arizona homeowners.
The 4 best home warranty companies of 2019
- Platinum Home Warranty – Best in-house staff
- OneGuard Home Warranty – Best service selection
- HomeLife Warranty Protection – Best value
- American Home Shield – Best personalized plan
|
Provider |
Basic Plan Cost | Upgrades | Better Business Bureau Rating |
| Platinum Home Warranty | Gold Plan costs $779 per year
Silver and Bronze Plans are $599 per year and $479 per year respectively |
Refrigerators and ice makers are $75 add-ons as are washers and dryers
Built-in pool and spa coverage is $179 |
A+ |
| OneGuard Home Warranty | All service calls are $69 Guardian plan costs $599 annuallyThe Centurion plan is $499The Sentinel plan costs $399 per year |
A la carte upgrades are not available
There are separate plans for existing homeowners HomeGuard costs $50 per month SystemGuard and Appliance Guard are $38 per month and $29 per month, respectively |
A+ |
| HomeLife Warranty Protection | Service calls for the basic plan are $150
Service calls for the prestige plan are $65 Basic Plan costs $295 per year Prestige Plan is $395 annually |
Add-ons abound with this company
The Elite Upgrade is $85 Pool Equipment is $185 |
A+ |
| American Home Shield | Prices vary according to zip code and house size
Combo Plan costs $39.99 per month AHS offers a Build Your Own Plan for $34.99 a month The Systems and Appliances Plans are both $29.99 |
Add-ons include a $18 per month electronics plan and a $13.33 per month pool plan | B, not accredited |
The 4 best home warranty companies of 2019
Platinum Home Warranty – Best in-house staff
“A big difference with Platinum is our in-house technician team,” said Platinum Home Warranty CEO Carol Perry. “Instead of farming all claims out to third party contractors, which is the norm in our industry, we hire our own techs. This allows us to provide a better experience from start to finish and make sure that the person who shows up at your door is trustworthy. When hiring techs, I like to ask — would I trust them in my own daughter’s home?”
In addition to working with their own techs, Platinum does one other thing that clients love: phone calls are answered by a real, live support person who dispatches your service technician and calls to check in on how the service went after it’s been completed.
OneGuard Home Warranty- Best service selection
This Phoenix-based company’s full name is OneGuard Home Warranty + Service Plan, which tells a lot about what this company offers. Yes, it provides cost-effective home warranty plans. Service calls are a flat $69 and the cheapest plan is about $30 a month. What it provides that others don’t are additional, often overlooked services that preserve your home’s value.
The least expensive plan, ApplianceGuard, includes pest control, termite treatment, weed killing, yard maintenance service, carpet cleaning, window cleaning, re-key and garage remote re-program and pool maintenance. The mid-range and high-end plans, SystemGuard and HomeGuard, add garage door tune-up service and A/C and heating system tune-ups to that long list of offered services.
HomeLife Warranty Protection – Best value
HomeLife Warranty Protection offers, hands down, the most affordable home warranty plan on the market. For the basic plan, homeowners pay $295 a year. That covers your home’s plumbing, standard appliances, electrical, central vacuum, fans and garage door opener.
The next most expensive option, the Premium Plan, only costs $395. It includes all of the covered items in the basic option as well as your heating and cooling systems. What really sets HomeLife Warranty Protection apart from its competitors, however, is its array of à la carte upgrades and add-ons. Master tune-up service is $50; control board module repairs are $375. Limited roof leak repair costs $150. The list goes on.
American Home Shield – Best personalized plan
American Home Shield (AHS) is arguably the most well-recognized name in home warranties and certainly the largest company on this list. Working with a major home warranty plan provider like AHS has a few key benefits. It’s easier to move and keep your coverage, and it gives you access to a wider network of contractors. Depending on the plan, it also can be more cost-effective.
That being said, the most attractive benefit to Arizona homeowners is AHS’s Build Your Own Plan. With this personalized coverage, you get to pick and choose which systems, electronics, appliances and electronics you want covered on your property.
What is a home warranty plan?
A home warranty plan is a year long service contract. Homeowners pay a monthly fee in order to have their major appliances, such as their refrigerator, dishwasher and washer/dryer unit repaired when they break down.
Home warranty plans, in addition to covering major appliances, also cover different systems within the house, such as electrical, heating and cooling systems. Prices range according to what the homeowner wants to have covered. It also may vary according to the size, type and location of the home.
The plan holder will need to pay a service call fee in order to initiate a repair. That fee and the cost of the repair goes towards the plan’s deductible. After the deductible is met, the plan holder no longer pays any fees.
How should I choose the right home warranty company?
It’s not uncommon for realtors to negotiate a home warranty plan into closing for the buyers they represent. Realtors may have a working relationship with a particular home warranty company, which can result in the home buyer getting a better deal on their plan.
Consumers and existing homeowners can purchase their own home warranty plans directly from a home warranty company. In the event that you’re shopping around for a plan, first compare how much it would cost to repair your home’s major appliances and systems versus how much it would cost to pay each year for a home warranty plan. Once that’s calculated, you can go with whichever option will cost you less.
The bottom line
If your home relies on a cooling system or has a pool, the high cost to repair those justifies purchasing a home warranty plan. If you’re relying exclusively on window units for cooling and you don’t have major appliances, it might be more cost-effective to repair them on your own than it is to pay for a home warranty plan.
