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7 Best Home Warranty Companies in Vermont
By James F. Trumm MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
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- Covers Major Home Systems, HVAC & Appliances
- Free Roof Coverage, No Inspection Needed
24/7 support whenever your appliances fail
- Large network of independent prescreened contractors and qualified technicians
- In business for over 30 years
- Good coverage on home systems
- Does not cover pre-existing issues
- They will replace items that fail if they can't be fixed regardless of age, make or model
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- Industry leader since 1971
- More than $2 Billion in claims paid in last 5 years
- More than 2 Million customers served
- No inspection or maintenance records required
- 30-day workmanship guarantee
A home warranty is a contract between a homeowner and a corporation that offers financial coverage for the repair or replacement of various home appliances and systems. Generally, they cover items that malfunction due to normal wear and tear. Home warranties serve as a safeguard for homeowners, protecting them from large out-of-pocket expenses due to unexpected breakdowns in their homes.
If you’re a homeowner in Vermont considering the purchase of a home warranty for your property, we offer the following guide to help you make the right choice. There’s a lot to know about home warranties, as they differ considerably from one home warranty provider to the next. And choosing the best value in a warranty requires consideration of a number of important factors.
Our Top Picks for Best Home Warranty Companies in Vermont
Best Overall: Home Warranty of America
Best for Less Common Coverages: The Home Service Club
Best for Low Service Fees: American Home Shield
Best for Homeowners Insurance Claim Reimbursement: Cinch Home Services
Best for Promotional Discounts: ServicePlus
Best for Add-On Options: Liberty Guard
Best for Technician Choices: AFC Home Club
Best Home Warranty Company Reviews
Best Overall: Home Warranty of America
- Low premiums on combo plans
- Moderate $75 service call fee
- No option for systems-only or appliances-only coverage
- Can't customize your deductible
- Fewer add-on coverage options
Home Warranty of America offers two modestly priced combination systems-and-appliances plans. Their Select plan costs $46.04 per month and their Select Plus plan comes in at $57.92 per month.
The Select plan offers coverage for all major systems, excluding air conditioning. For customers with forced hot air systems, duct work is included in the plan’s heating system coverage. It also includes coverage for many appliances — such as burglar and fire alarm systems, central vacuums, ceiling and exhaust fans, doorbells, and garage door openers — but excludes clothes washers and dryers. The Select Plus plan does away with those exclusions and constitutes a whole-home protection choice.
HWA offers seven add-on coverage options, including pools and spas (including salt water pools, which is unusual), well pumps, and septic system and septic tank pumping. This is a narrower range of optional coverages than many companies offer. Common add-ons, like second refrigerators and stand-alone freezers are missing from their optional coverage.
Best for Less Common Coverages: The Home Service Club
- Opening price point plan includes washers and dryers
- Coverage available for less common issues like gas leaks, smoke detectors and alarm system wiring
- Offers optional roof coverage
- Separate coverage not available for systems or appliances
The Home Service Club offers homeowners two combination systems/appliances plans. Both include coverage for some, but not all, systems and appliances. Depending on how your home is equipped, one of their coverage combinations may well be attractive to you.
The company’s Standard plan, which costs $50.41 in Vermont, includes coverage for major home systems such as plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling. It also covers washers, dryers, and dishwashers, which are not included in many base price plans.
If your home is equipped with a forced hot air system and central air conditioning, you should note that ductwork is excluded from the Standard plan. Plumbing stoppages are also excluded from plumbing system coverage with the standard plan.
Home Service Club’s Comprehensive plan, available for $62.91 in Vermont, builds on the Standard plan by adding in protection for ducts, gas and water leaks, telephone and security system wiring, and pest control. Pest control is a service many Vermont homeowners purchase separately. If you’re one of them, Home Service Club’s pest control coverage may represent a significant value.
Best for Low Service Fees: American Home Shield
- Choose your deductible
- Free hauling service for replacing systems/appliances
- Covers items that haven't had proper maintenance
- Publishes sample contract on its website
- Low coverage limits on heating and air conditioning ($1,500)
- One of the most expensive home warranty companies
American Home Shield plans are expensive —no two ways around it. But the company has been around for close to 20 years, which is usually a good indicator that they’re doing something right.
The company’s least expensive plan, ShieldSiver is a systems-only plan, It’s available in Vermont for $79.99 per month. Considering that some competitive systems plans are available for $30 to $40 a month, that’s a steep price to pay.
American Home Shield’s ShieldGold plan is a combination systems-and-appliances plan that comes in at $99.99 for Vermont residents. It covers everything included in the company’s ShieldSilver plan plus kitchen and laundry room appliances.
If you’re looking for whole home protection, the company’s ShieldPlatinum plan may be right for you. It covers everything in the SilverShield and GoldShield plan, plus roof leak repairs, free HVAC tune-ups, unlimited AC refrigerant top-ups and coverage for code violations, permits, and modification. Still, it comes with a hefty price tag: $129.99 per month.
The company does offer customers the opportunity to choose their own deductible. In addition, with the ShieldPlatinum plan, it offers high coverage limits on appliances — up to $6,000. That’s an important consideration if your home is equipped with “gourmet” appliances.
Best for Homeowners Insurance Claim Reimbursement: Cinch Home Services
- Coverage starting at just $44.99 (appliances only)
- Choose your own deductible ($100, $125 or $150)
- Add-on coverage available for well pumps, septic systems, and pools and spas
- Fewer add-on coverage options than some companies
- Lowest deductible is $100
Nowadays, warranty companies often offer customers combination systems-and-appliance plans. Cinch Home Services affords homeowners the option of selecting coverage for either systems or appliances, while also offering a combo plan.
Cinch Home Services offers homeowners who want only kitchen and laundry appliance protection a moderately-priced option. In Vermont, their appliances-only plan costs $44.99. It offers plenty of coverage for kitchen and laundry room appliances, including built-in food centers, free-standing ice makers, trash compactors and built-in microwaves.
Customers who want to protect their homes’ built-in systems exclusively will also find a Cinch plan that meets their needs for $49.99. For customers who want more comprehensive coverage, Cinch’s Complete Home plan is available for $59.99 per month. The Complete Home plan stands out as the company’s best value and includes a unique feature: the company will reimburse you for $500 of your homeowner’s insurance deductible if you file a homeowner’s claim. That feature may represent an additional cost savings should disaster strike your home.
Cinch is one of many companies that afford customers the option of choosing from three service call fees (deductibles). In Cinch’s case, your choices are $100, $125, and $150. Some companies offer deductible choices of $60 or $75, so Cinch’s options are a little on the pricey side. But that’s one way Cinch keeps homeowners’ monthly payments in the moderate range. It’s always a balance: low monthly payments usually come with high deductibles.
Cinch Home Services offers a relatively small number of add-on coverage options. These include pools, spas, and pool and spa heaters (available as separate options and in combination), well pumps, and septic systems. They also offer something called a Premier Upgrade Package, which will cover you for building permits and code upgrades.
Best for Promotional Discounts: ServicePlus
- Two combination plans to choose from
- Get two months free and $200 off an annual plan (limited time offer)
- Limited roof leak coverage with the purchase of an annual plan
- No opportunity to customize your deductible
- Systems-only or appliances-only coverage not available
- Some optional coverages are standard in other home warranties
ServicePlus offers two combination plans: Gold and Platinum. The company’s Gold plan is available for $43.25 per month and includes coverage for eight home appliances and five home systems. Notably absent from the plan’s appliance coverage are refrigerators, washers and dryers. On the systems side, the Gold plan excludes coverage for heating and air conditioning systems.
All in all, ServicePlus’ Platinum plan is a better value. For $49.92 per month, it covers everything the Gold plan covers and fills in the gap for those critical appliances and systems.
The company also offers 18 options for add-on coverage, with prices ranging from $2.08 for central vacuums and sump pumps to $12.50 per month for pools and spas. For an additional fee, you can also add coverage for septic systems, second heating systems and refrigerators.
With its low premiums and modest $75 service call fee, ServicePlus is a good choice for homeowners on a tight budget.
Best for Add-On Options: Liberty Home Guard
- Customize your plan with a very wide range of add-on coverages
- Offers systems-only, appliances-only and combination plans
- Moderately priced for Vermont homeowners
- Some customers have reported slow response times for service requests
- More than 500 complaints made to the Better Business Bureau
Liberty Home Guard offers a choice of three home warranty plans with self-explanatory names: Appliance Guard, Systems Guard and Total Home Guard. It may sound funny, but with so many companies giving their plans meaningless names —precious metals are favored by most— we appreciate Liberty Home Guard’s efforts to keep things simple and transparent.
In Vermont, the company’s Appliance Guard Plan costs $49.99 per month and includes coverage for nine common kitchen and laundry room appliances. Garbage disposals, ceiling and exhaust fans, and garage door openers are among the items covered by the plan.
Liberty Home Guard’s Systems Guard plan is available for $54.99 per month. It covers heating, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical systems and hot water heaters. Ductwork is included in the company’s HVAC coverage.
Liberty Home Guard’s Total Home Guard plan costs $59.99 per month. It includes coverage for all items in their two lower-priced plans. All plans reflect a service call fee of $125, but the company does allow you to opt for a lower service call fee — as low as $65.
Liberty Home Guard stands out for its very wide range of optional coverages: we counted about thirty. They include some very popular add-ons —second refrigerators, well pumps and septic pumping — and a few obscure items, too. Notably, you can purchase coverage for pro-series appliances, which are often excluded under home warranties, and even some maintenance services, such as carpet cleaning and exterior power washing. You can also purchase coverage for your electronic devices.
Best for Technician Choices: AFC Home Club
- Choose your own service technicians
- Systems-only, appliances-only and combination plans available
- Choose your own deductible, starting at $75
- Some standard coverages are considered optional add-ons under AFC Home Club's plans
AFC Home Club offers homeowners a somewhat wider range of plan choices than other home warranty companies. The company offers a choice of appliances-only coverage, built-in systems-only coverage, and two combination plans that cover up to 15 or 18 covered items respectively.
If you have local contractor connections —service providers that you already trust — you’ll be pleased to learn that those relationships are still valuable when you buy an AFC Home Club plan. Homeowners have the option of using their own licensed technicians to perform necessary repairs.
AFC Home Club offers customers another freedom, too. They can select a service call fee (deductible) that works well within their budget. Available deductibles are $75, $100 and $125.
You can further customize your home warranty with optional coverage for such home features as inground pools and spas, septic systems, double ovens, stand-alone freezers, central vacuums, home electronics and more. Some of these coverage options, for which you’ll pay an additional fee, are standard in competitive plans. You’ll have to do the math to learn whether a more inclusive plan would represent a better value than an AFC Home Club plan with add-on coverages.
The company’s Silver plan, which covers 9 appliances, including washers and dryers, refrigerators, garbage disposals, and all manner of cooking appliances, costs $33.00 per month in Vermont — which is quite reasonable for an appliances-only plan. But it excludes built-in microwave ovens, a notable deficit. The company’s Systems plan costs $39.58 per month and covers five major home systems. However, it excludes ductwork — an important consideration if your home features forced hot air heating or central air. AFC’s Gold plan covers everything in the two previously described plans for $45.83 per month and includes ductwork. The company’s Platinum plan adds in coverage for plumbing stoppages, faucets, ice makers, and ceiling and exhaust fans for $50 per month. Overall, these are some of the lowest premiums we have seen across our home warranty review process. All prices quoted reflect a $125 deductible.
Our Guide to the Best Home Warranties in Vermont
Home warranties are complicated. But this guide should provide you with a fund of home warranty knowledge for you to base your home warranty purchase decision on.
What is a home warranty?
A home warranty is a service contract that covers the repair or replacement of home systems and appliances that may break down due to normal wear and tear. It is an optional service that homeowners can purchase to protect themselves against unexpected expenses as they try to keep their homes in good working order.
What’s the difference between a home warranty and homeowners’ insurance?
Homeowners’ insurance and home warranties are not the same thing. Home insurance covers damage to your home caused by unexpected events such as fire, theft and natural disasters. A home warranty, on the other hand, covers the repair or replacement of home systems and appliances that may break down due to normal wear and tear.
What does a home warranty cover?
The specific coverage of a home warranty varies depending on the company and the plan that you choose. Some plans cover major home systems only and others cover home appliances exclusively.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s covered under most major systems plans. Coverage can vary depending on which of a company’s plans you select:
- Plumbing systems, including leaks and plumbing stoppages
- Heating systems
- Air conditioning systems
- Duct work
- Electrical systems
- Water heaters
Here’s a summary of what’s covered under major appliance plans. Coverage can vary depending on which of a company’s plans you select:
- Stoves, ovens and cooktops
- Exhaust fans
- Refrigerators
- Built-in microwave ovens
- Dishwashers
- Clothes washers and clothes dryers
- Ceiling fans
- Garage door openers
Most home warranty companies afford homeowners to customize their plans with optional coverage for less common systems and appliances. Depending on how your property is equipped, you may want to add coverage for:
- Second refrigerator
- Stand-alone freezer
- Trash compactor
- Garbage disposal
- Ice maker
- Well pump
- Septic system
- Sump pump
- Pool/spa equipment
- Limited roof leak coverage
How much is a home warranty?
The cost of a home warranty varies depending on the company and the plan that you choose. Basic plans can start as low as $30 per month, while enhanced or whole-home coverage plans can cost up to $60 per month. Additionally, some home warranty companies charge a service fee for each service call, which can range from $75 to $125.
Are home warranties worth it?
Whether or not a home warranty is worth it depends on your individual situation. If you have older appliances or systems that may be prone to breaking down, a home warranty can provide peace of mind and protection against unexpected expenses. However, if your appliances and systems are relatively new and in good working condition, a home warranty may not be necessary.
Should condominium owners have a home warranty?
Home warranty policies are not required for condominium owners, but they can be a good idea to have. These policies typically cover the cost of repairs or replacements for appliances and systems within the unit that break down due to normal wear and tear. Since the owner is responsible for these items in a condominium, a home warranty can provide peace of mind and financial protection. It’s always a good idea to review the policy and understand what is covered and what is not covered before purchasing it.
What voids a home warranty?
One of the most common reasons a home warranty can be voided is if the homeowner fails to maintain the covered appliances and systems according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This includes failing to schedule regular maintenance, not performing regular cleaning, or not keeping the appliances and systems in good working condition.
Another way a home warranty can be voided is if the homeowner makes unauthorized repairs or modifications to the covered appliances and systems. This includes attempting to fix the appliance or system yourself, hiring an unlicensed contractor to perform repairs, or making any changes to the appliance or system that are not approved by the manufacturer.
Home warranty policies also exclude certain appliances, systems or damages from coverage, such as pre-existing conditions, damages caused by natural disasters, damages caused by lack of maintenance, damages caused by misuse or abuse and some others.
In conclusion, it’s important for homeowners to understand the terms and conditions of their home warranty policy and take steps to maintain the covered appliances and systems according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Failure to do so can result in the policy being voided and the homeowner being responsible for the cost of repairs or replacements.
How to choose the best home warranty for you
When choosing a home warranty, it’s important to consider the specific coverage that you need, the cost of the plan, and the reputation of the company. It’s also a good idea to read customer reviews to get a sense of the level of service and customer satisfaction provided by the company.
How We Chose the Best Home Warranties
When evaluating home warranty companies, we considered a variety of factors, including coverage options, pricing, customer service and reputation. We also looked at customer reviews to get a sense of the level of satisfaction among homeowners who have used the service. Ultimately, we narrowed down our list to the top seven companies that we believe offer the best combination of coverage, value and customer service.
Summary of the Best Home Warranties in Vermont
Vermont homeowners have a variety of home warranty companies to choose from, each offering different plans and coverage options.
Every home is unique and your needs for coverage under a home warranty may not mirror your neighbor’s. We encourage homeowners to shop around and really dig down into the details of any plan. That includes reading sample plan policies. If a company doesn’t provide one on its website, take the time to request one by phone. The company should accommodate you. It’s only by comparing coverage limitations, exclusions, and prices that you’ll find the best value for your home.
