Home warranty plans
Home warranty plans come in three basic shapes: systems-only (heating, cooling, electrical, plumbing) at roughly $400 to $600 a year, appliance-only at roughly $400 to $500, and combined plans at roughly $450 to $900. Every plan adds a service call fee of about $75 to $125 each time a technician is dispatched, and every plan caps what it will pay per item.
- 8Home Warranty servicesCovered on this site
- CheckedLicence & insuranceVerified against the issuing body
- 1-to-1MatchingOne pro, not five callbacks
- FreeTo homeownersContractors pay us, you never do
What home warranty services actually cover
Systems plans cover the built-in infrastructure of the house. These are the expensive failures, which is why systems coverage is usually the version that makes financial sense if any version does. Basic protection plans run roughly $35 to $50 a month or $400 to $600 a year.
Appliance plans cover things you could otherwise replace outright. Appliance protection runs about $35 to $45 a month or $400 to $500 a year. Compare that against the replacement cost of your actual appliances before buying - for a kitchen full of budget appliances, a year or two of premiums plus service fees can approach the price of just replacing the one that dies.
Combined plans ("total protection") run about $40 to $75 a month or $450 to $900 a year. More coverage is not automatically better value; it is more surface area for exclusions and caps to operate on.
Buyer and seller coverage are the versions attached to a real estate transaction. Note one legal detail: in California, furnishing a home protection contract without charge is itself a violation - the contract must involve consideration, whether paid up front or on transfer of title. So a "free" warranty in a transaction is being paid for by someone; ask who and how much.
All home warranty services
Each one covers what the job involves, what moves the price, and when it is the wrong call.
Home Warranty Plans
Systems Coverage
Appliance Coverage
Combined Coverage
Seller Coverage
Buyer Coverage
Optional Add on Coverage
Claim Filing Support
Picking the right home warranty job
The judgement calls that decide the bill, before anyone quotes you.
Buy systems, skip appliances, if you buy at all
Systems failures are the ones that produce bills you can't absorb. A dishwasher is not that.
Add the service fees to the premium
Three claims a year at $75 to $125 each adds $225 to $375 on top of a $400 to $900 premium. That's the real annual cost.
Ask what 'covered' means for your specific equipment
Age limits, code-upgrade exclusions, and per-item caps all apply. Get it confirmed in writing for the units you actually own.
In a real estate deal, ask who's paying
A contract provided at closing is being paid for by a party to the transaction. Find out which one and what it cost.
Never buy on a phone call
Get the sample contract by email, read the exclusions, then decide. Nothing about this product is time-sensitive.
The wrong service call is the expensive one
Most people booking home warranty work are buying a diagnosis, not a job - and the trade you pick decides what diagnosis you get. Book the wrong specialist and you pay a call-out fee to be told it is somebody else's problem.
- Describe the symptom What you can observe, and when it started. Not what you think it is.
- Ask what the visit includes Whether the diagnostic fee is credited against the work is a question with a real answer.
- Get the scope in writing A number with no line items cannot be compared to a second number.
Where these figures come from
Sources last checked
- Fixr - Home Warranty Cost · retrieved 2026-07-26
- California Insurance Code § 12740 - definition of home protection contract · retrieved 2026-07-26
- California Insurance Code § 12761 - consideration and inspections · retrieved 2026-07-26
We don't do home warranty work. We match you with pros who do.
HomeMatchup is a matching service, not a home warranty contractor. Your job goes to a few local pros who take this work - not a cold-call list.
-
You tell us the job
ZIP plus a short description. About a minute.
-
We match, you don't chase
Routed to licensed local pros who take work like yours.
-
You compare and decide
Compare quotes and hire, or walk away. No fee either way.
Free to you · No obligation to hire · Only your matched pros get your details · How we vet pros
You know more than the last homeowner they quoted.
That is worth something only while you are still choosing. Tell us what is going on and we will match you with a few home warranty pros whose licence and insurance we have already checked - free, no obligation.
Free · No pressure · Only your matched pros get your details