Choice Home Warranty review

About Choice Home Warranty

Choice Home Warranty is a home warranty carrier. A home warranty is a service contract that covers major home systems and/or appliances. Choice Home Warranty has been around for almost 12 years. According to Choice Home Warranty, it has covered more than one million homes across the U.S. and handled more than three million service requests.

In October 2019, Arizona’s Attorney General Office filed a lawsuit against Choice Home Warranty, alleging that the Choice Home Warranty made false promises to clients by frequently not following through on their advertised promises. More details about the lawsuit is available here.

What types of homes are covered?

Choice Home Warranty covers single-family homes (including manufactured homes), new construction homes, condominiums, townhomes, and mobile homes under 5,000 square feet. Coverage is for occupied, owned, or rented residential properties. Properties used for commercial and business purposes are not covered. Choice Home Warranty follows the industry standard for the types of homes it covers. Shared appliances with other home units are not covered.

Available plans

Choice Home Warranty offers two plans: a Basic plan and a Total plan.

Basic plan

The Basic plan includes coverage for the following:

• Heating system
• Electrical system
• Plumbing system
• Plumbing stoppage
• Water heater
• Whirlpool bathtub
• Oven/range/stove/cooktop
• Dishwasher
• Built-in microwave
• garbage disposal
• Ductwork
• Garage door opener
• Ceiling and exhaust fans

Total plan

The Total plan includes coverage for everything in the Basic plan and the following:

• Air conditioning system
• Refrigerator
• Clothes washer
• Clothes dryer

What add-ons are available?

Choice Home Warranty offers some items that you can add to your plan at an additional cost. You can add coverage for:

• Pool and/or spa
• Well pump
• Sump pump
• Central vacuum
• Limited roof leak
• Septic system and septic tank plumbing
• Second refrigerator or standalone freezer

Note: commercial grade equipment, systems or appliances are not covered.

How much does Choice Home Warranty cost?

Choice Home Warranty’s pricing varies by your plan type (Basic plan and Total plan). Choice Home Warranty’s Basic plan pricing is $43.75 per month. Its Total plan pricing is $52.50 per month. If you pay for your warranty in one single payment, Choice Home Warranty offers you one month free in coverage by extending your agreement term to 13 months from the typical 12 months. If you sign up for the monthly payment plan, then Choice Home Warranty will charge a $30 surcharge.

Choice Home Warranty plan pricing summary

Note: these prices do not include taxes. They are also just estimates. Check for actual pricing on Choice Home Warranty’s site.

How’s the service contractor network?

Choice Home Warranty has over 15,000 contractors in its network.

You may request service by calling Choice Home Warranty’s customer service or by logging into your online account through the Choice home Warranty site.

What types of malfunctions are covered?

Choice Home Warranty covers malfunctions of covered systems and appliances due to “normal wear and tear” during the contract term; however, Choice Home Warranty does not provide any definition of what “normal wear and tear” constitutes. Review the types of malfunctions and situations it doesn’t cover below to get a sense of what Choice Home Warranty may cover.

What types of malfunctions are not covered?

Choice Home Warranty does not provide coverage for covered systems and appliances that:

• Have known or unknown pre-existing (before the coverage date begins) conditions, deficiencies, and/or defects
• Have conditions or malfunctions caused by chemical or sedimentary build up, rust or corrosion, mildew, mold, misuse or abuse, failure to clean or maintain as specified by the manufacturer, missing parts, structural changes, fire, freezing, electrical failure or surge, water damage, lightening, mud, earthquake, soil movement, soil settlement, settling of home, storms, accidents, pest damage, acts of God, or failure due to excessive or inadequate water pressure
• Are inadequate and have lack of capacity, improper installation, mismatched systems, oversized systems, undersized systems, or previous repair, design, and any modification
• Have been recalled by the manufacturer or have defects determined by the Consumer Product Safety Commission or the manufacturer

Note: the above may not be the full list of what’s not covered by Choice Home Warranty. Review your agreement for the full list.

Also, dismantling and removing of defective equipment is not included. Those costs will be an additional cost to you.

What coverage amount limits are there?

Most home warranty plans have maximum amounts that the carrier will pay out to you for repairs and/or replacements of certain covered systems and appliances per covered item per contract term.

Choice Home Warranty pays up to $1,500 for repairs and replacements per covered item per contract term with the exception of some items. See below for those exceptions.

Covered system limits

For covered systems, Choice Home Warranty will only pay up to the following:

• Electrical system: $500

• Plumbing system/stoppage: $500
• Ductwork: $500

Covered appliance limits

For covered appliances, the total limit for all professional series or like appliances with brand names such as Sub Zero, Viking, Wolf, Bosch, Jenn-Air, GE Monogram, and Thermador, etc. is $1,000.

Covered add-on limits

For covered add-ons, Choice Home Warranty will only pay up to $500 for pool and/or spa, well pump, and septic system and $200 for septic tank pumping.

Available discounts

When you pay for your warranty in one single payment, you will get your first month free.

When does coverage start?

You may start requesting services 30 days after you enroll and have paid applicable contract fees. In other words, there is a 30-day waiting period. This is the industry standard. Your coverage start date will also be on your contract. If you are able to provide proof of prior coverage through another carrier and show no lapse of coverage, Choice Home warranty allows you to start your new coverage when your old policy expires.

What’s the cancellation policy?

You may cancel your contract at any time. Cancellation requests must be submitted in writing. (Many other carriers also allow you to cancel by calling in.) If you cancel within the first 30 days after you purchase your plan, you’ll get a full refund. After the 30 days, you’ll receive a pro-rated refund based on the months not used in the plan minus any service or claim costs incurred and a $50 cancellation fee. Some states have differing cancellation rules as well. See Choice Home Warranty’s sample agreement for details.