Does a Home Warranty Cover HVAC systems?
An HVAC unit is one among the most important and complicated systems in a home. Therefore, it is vital to continue on top of HVAC preservation. It is quite natural that every homeowner buying a home warranty plan may have a big question in his or her mind, does a home warranty cover HVAC. The answer is “YES”, provided the system should be in good working condition before signing the contract. If it is maintained appropriately, you can rest guaranteed that any home warranty company would offer the necessary coverage for HVAC breakdown, as well. Usually, a home warranty plan is designed to minimize the costly expenses when an appliance or a system in a home suddenly fails.
What kind of Home Warranty plan covers HVAC?
Nearly all homeowners' policies safeguard your home and its items from losses that may happen because of a disaster such as windstorm or a fire, but not the appliance and systems, including the HVAC system in your home. On the other hand, home warranty policies picks up where the homeowner's insurance policy leaves off and it covers automatic breakdown of the appliances and systems in your home, including the HVAC system.
However, each home warranty plan is different. Basic plans may offer the necessary coverage to your furnace, HVAC and major home appliances, but coverage may be restricted to certain conditions, as well. Of course, the main goal of a home warranty company is to persuade you to upgrade to a higher premium plan that will offer better coverage, so naturally, the price will swell considerably.
How can an HVAC be included in an affordable home warranty plan?
Some Home Warranty companies offer customers affordable plans without the coverage for their HVAC system. Even though coverage differs by state, these companies offer customers an option to buy coverage for supplementary systems, such as HVAC and other major items within the initial 30 days of the effective date of their contract.
However, no home warranty company will assume the responsibility for usual maintenance services, like replacing the condenser or filter in your HVAC system. In addition, failure to carry out the basic maintenance of your HVAC things will damage your system. If your system is not maintained properly, naturally, no home warranty company will offer the coverage for a broken down HVAC system.
Hiring your own repairman
Most home warranty companies offer their customer an option to hire their own HVAC technician to fix their HVAC system, but those contract holders should contact their customer care center for approval. If it is not done so, homeowners will not be compensated for the service performed without earlier authorization. Almost all home warranty providers may have a wide list of service providers in their network and they will assign a provider to the claim.
How the replacement or repair of a HVAC system is determined?
There are several factors a home warranty company may consider while determining if the covered HVAC system should be replaced or repaired. The two major factors include:
- If repairs of the system will cost in excess of 50% of the price of a new system of similar type, they may advise the replacement of the system.
- They may consider the average life expectation of the covered HVAC system, and if it approaches the end of its lifetime, they may recommend replacing the system.
Conclusion
A home warranty plan which includes HVAC can range anywhere between $250 and $600 per year, according to the echelon of coverage. Several states have no rules administering Home Warranty companies. The shrewd shopper will verify which government organization controls Home Warranty businesses in their state and verify for registered complaints earlier than signing the home warranty contract.
Jessica is a home warranty expert with a passion for writing. She has a Master's Degree in Business from Oklahoma University.
