Home Appliance Warranty Facts Every Homeowner Should Know

Home appliance warranty plans are increasingly popular among American homeowners, but the breadth of available plans across many home appliance warranty companies can be intimidating for the uninitiated.

In this article, we’ll unpack home appliance warranties and share some information you should keep in mind as you shop for a plan that suits your home and budget.

What Is a Home Warranty?

A home warranty is a service agreement to upkeep expensive home equipment. While a home warranty is distinct from homeowner’s insurance, you can think of a warranty as a kind of insurance for home appliances, systems, fixtures, electronics, and so on.

Homeowners pay home warranty companies a fixed premium to maintain coverage with a defined scope. If a covered item requires repair or maintenance service, the homeowner can file a claim with their provider. The home warranty company then covers the cost of service.

This model enables homeowners to save significant sums of money on expensive repair and home maintenance bills. Rather than paying for HVAC service out of pocket, for example, homeowners can file a claim, just as they would for costly medical or automotive expenses.

Does a Home Warranty Cover Appliances?

While it depends on the specifics of a given policy, it is very common for a home warranty to cover major home appliances.

Some home warranties cover only home systems. These generally include plumbing, electrical, heating, air conditioning, and ductwork. Other policies also provide home appliance warranty coverage in addition to systems coverage. The appliances covered in home warranty plans typically include the following:

• Clothes washers and dryers

• Kitchen refrigerators

• Built-in microwave ovens

• Dishwashers

• Garbage disposals

• Ovens, cooktops, and ranges

• Ceiling and exhaust fans

• Garage door openers

Appliance coverage is not limited to the items listed above. Many providers, Liberty Home Guard included, provide homeowners with the option to expand their policies with coverage for additional appliances. With Liberty Home Guard, these can include:

• Stand-alone freezers

• Second refrigerators

• Ice makers

• Wine coolers and wine refrigerators

• Water dispensers

• Water filters

• Swamp coolers

• Plumbing fixtures

• Lighting fixtures

• Home electronics

• Generators

• Trash compactors

It is less common to find coverage for smaller home appliances, such as toaster ovens or blenders, because these items are far less expensive relative to refrigerators, dishwashers, and other such equipment.

Comparing a Home Warranty Vs. Appliance Warranty

Now that we’ve covered home warranties, how do they differ from appliance warranties?

In some contexts, you can think of an appliance warranty as a kind of home warranty. As explained in the previous section, some home warranties cover important home systems, and some warranties cover a suite of systems and appliances.

There are also home warranties that exclude systems coverage and provide coverage only for appliances. This class of home warranty is sometimes referred to as an appliance warranty.

The term “appliance warranty” may also refer to a more narrow policy that would not be classified as a home warranty. A manufacturer’s warranty on a dishwasher, for example, could be understood as an appliance warranty. Similarly, some companies and big box stores offer extended protection plans on single appliances, such as refrigerators or televisions. These could also be deemed appliance warranties. 

What Do Home Warranties and Appliance Warranties Cover?

No home warranty or appliance warranty provides unlimited coverage. There are always exclusions that homeowners should keep in mind.

Specifics vary from policy to policy and company to company, but warranty coverage is usually limited to appliances that malfunction or break down in normal residential conditions. A plan is unlikely to cover misuse and abuse for obvious reasons. It is also unlikely to cover appliances that are used in commercial settings, as such heavy use shortens the lifespan of mechanical equipment.

Home warranty plans rarely cover damage sustained from fires, floods, earthquakes, or other disasters, as this is usually covered by a homeowner’s insurance policy. Likewise for theft.

A home appliance service contract is meant to cover normal wear and tear of components that are required for a unit’s functionality. This means that the average plan will not cover cosmetic damage, but it will cover the repair or replacement of internal mechanical components. Coverage of more specific components—such as the sealed refrigeration system in a refrigerator or freezer—are dependent on the appliance in question and can vary from plan to plan.

How Does the Claims Process Work?

Once coverage is active, a homeowner can submit a claim whenever repair or maintenance service is required.

With Liberty Home Guard, this is as simple as filling out a form on our website. We also offer homeowners the option of submitting a claim over the phone.

A claim requires a small service fee. This varies by plan, but it is usually in the range of $75 to $150. The warranty provider will then contact a licensed and insured technician and work with the homeowner to schedule a service call.

The technician will service the appliance and diagnose any problems. If the issue is covered under the homeowner’s policy, the warranty provider will authorize the appliance’s repair. A typical plan will cover the cost of both labor and replacement home appliance parts. If the appliance cannot be reliably repaired, the warranty provider can authorize a full replacement.

Why You Should Choose Liberty Home Guard

If you think an appliance warranty or more comprehensive home warranty is appropriate for your home, we hope you will reach out to us at Liberty Home Guard.

We have made a concerted effort to provide our customers with unparalleled service, and our work has earned recognition among consumers and advocacy groups alike. We have an A rating from the Better Business Bureau, making us the top-rated home warranty in America. More recently, U.S. News and WORLD REPORT named Liberty Home Guard as the best home warranty provider in the nation. 

You can use our website to explore our plans and coverage, but we invite you to call our team at (866)-435-0374 to talk things through. We’ll help you craft the idea plan for your home.