What is a home warranty?

What is a home warranty plan?

A home warranty is a year-long, renewable home service plan that keeps you protected should a covered breakdown occur. A home warranty helps cut the cost to repair or replace many of the systems and appliances in your home and complements your homeowners insurance by protecting things that your insurance doesn’t.

How does it work?

When one of your covered appliances or systems stops working properly (like a broken A/C, a roof leak, or a doorbell that doesn’t work), start a service request through your member account or by phone at 866.545.0139. (This is when you’ll pay your Trade Service Call Fee.) Then, we send out a service technician to your home to diagnose the issue. If it’s covered under your home warranty service plan, great! We’ll have the contractor repair or replace the item quickly so your home can get back up and running again.

How Repairs Work?

Once you’re covered with an American Home Shield warranty, you don’t have to worry should you need us. The repair process is straightforward and hassle-free. Here’s how it works:

1. Start a request online or by phone

When a covered item in your house warranty breaks or malfunctions, you can request service online or by calling us. Day or night, we’re here for you. Pay your set Trade Service Call Fee when you request service, and you’re all set. Log into MyAccount to easily check the status of your request.

2. We assign a professional contractor

We assign a qualified local contractor from our network to diagnose your covered item and offer a solution. Our network of 17,000 qualified contractors in 49 states covers every appliance and system we service.

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3. We cover the repair

Based on the contractor's diagnosis, we'll determine whether your problem is covered by your home warranty. If it is covered, the contractor will repair or replace your covered item (subject to limitations and exclusions).

4. We make sure your issue is resolved

You'll get a follow-up email to make sure your problem was resolved to your satisfaction. With our 30-day workmanship guarantee, if you have an issue with your completed repair within 30 days of service, we’ll send a contractor out at no additional cost.

Fees Explained

We believe transparency is key, so we make sure every penny you pay is fully explained. Here are some of the fees that will be included in your American Home Shield warranty:

Trade Service Call Fee: You'll pay a Trade Service Call Fee for each trade professional (plumber, electrician, etc.) who comes to your home to provide service. You get to choose the amount (either $75, $100, or $125, plus sales tax where applicable) when you purchase your home warranty service plan.

Depending on your plan, some coverage limits or exclusions may apply. For full coverage details, view our sample contract .

Plan Payments: American Home Shield offers several home warranty plans, which vary in cost and coverage. Compare home warranty plans to determine which plan is best for your household and your wallet.

How To Get A Home Warranty?

Managing a household can be challenging, but getting an American Home Shield® home warranty is easy. Take a look at our home warranty service plans and choose the coverage that best suits your home. Once you’ve decided on the best plan for your household, you’ll need to enter your address and zip code to make sure you get the most accurate pricing for where you live. We’ll contact you with prices and other important info, and you can set up your member account in minutes!

How Soon can you Use a Home Warranty?

Once you purchase a plan, you can start using your home warranty after the 30-day waiting period. After that time frame, you can start requesting home warranty services through your member account or by giving us a call. Learn more about why AHS has a waiting period for new members.

We hope we’ve answered your questions about what is a home warranty, but for more information, see our home warranty page.