Home Warranty Terms Explained

Home warranty plans

Home warranty plans offer different types of coverage because we know that no two homes are the same and have different coverage needs. Our three plan options are:

• ShieldSilver Plan™: This is our most basic plan, which covers parts of 14 major systems in the heating and cooling, electrical, and plumbing categories. 
  

• ShieldGold Plan™: This is our everyday plan, which offers all the benefits of the ShieldSilver™ plan but adds coverage for parts of 9 different laundry and kitchen appliances. 
  
• ShieldPlatinum Plan™: This plan offers the ultimate protection. You get coverage for parts of 23 systems and appliances, as well as perks like roof leak repair coverage, a complimentary HVAC tune-up per plan agreement term, unlimited refrigerant and more. 
  

Members

We use the term “members” because we think of our customers as a community. When you have a home warranty from American Home Shield, you are part of the AHS family. We’ve provided stellar service to our members for more than 50 years. 

Modifications

Sometimes, modifications must be made to repair or replace a home system or appliance properly. For ShieldPlatinum™ members, modifications (like gas or plumbing line extensions) will be covered up to $250 per plan agreement term. Non-ShieldPlatinum™ members will be responsible for the cost of any required modifications.

Permits

If modifications or upgrades to meet codes are needed when repairing or replacing a covered system or appliance, American Home Shield will cover the cost of the permits for ShieldPlatinum™ members up to $250 per plan agreement term. For ShieldGold™ or ShieldSilver™ members, the cost of permits will rely on your pocketbooks. 

Real estate plans

If you are in the homebuying process, ask your real estate agent about including an American Home Shield® home warranty. They may be able to help negotiate a home warranty plan when you purchase the house. That means the seller would pay for a one-year real estate home warranty plan, which can help your household budget as you get settled into your new home. Consult your real estate agent to learn more.

Service request

When a covered item breaks down in your home, you’ll submit a service request online through MyAccount, pay your Service Fee, and we’ll assign a Pro to come to your home and diagnose the issue.

Shield Assurances

Rest easy. With our Shield Assurances, we take care of things other home warranty companies might not, like:

• Breakdowns caused by normal wear-and-tear, no matter the age of a covered item
• Unknown, pre-existing breakdowns
• Items without maintenance records
• Duplicates of the same item, like that extra AC unit
• Removal of defective equipment
• Refrigerant recapture, reclaim and disposal
• Breakdowns caused by improper installations or repairs, insufficient maintenance, rust, corrosion and sediment and mismatched HVAC systems

See the plan agreement for coverage details, including service fees, limitations and exclusions. Coverage limits and charges for non-covered items may apply. 

Service Fee

The Service Fee is a preset amount you pay when you submit a service request for a Pro to come to your home and diagnose your issue. This type of fee is standard with most home warranty plans in the industry. You will only pay the service fee once per service request, even if the Pro has to come out multiple times to diagnose and repair the issue.

At American  Home Shield we let you choose the amount of your Service Fee when you purchase your plan. You can choose a higher fee to lower your monthly payment or a lower one so you pay less when you request service.

Waiting period

When you purchase your plan, there is a 30-day waiting period before you can submit a service request. Once the waiting period is complete, there is no limit to the number of service requests you can place during your plan agreement term. 

Wear and tear

Unlike traditional homeowners insurance, a home warranty is designed to help cover the cost of the inevitable—when your home systems and appliances succumb to normal wear and tear. Your home warranty plan won’t cover issues caused by storm damage, fire damage, or floods—that’s what homeowners insurance is for. Instead, we cover malfunctions that occur due to everyday wear and tear. You use your home systems and appliances daily, so it only makes sense to have home warranty coverage to help protect your budget.

Learn more about a home warranty vs. home insurance.

Workmanship guarantee

With our workmanship guarantee, you have 30 days to contact us regarding an issue with a completed repair. We’ll send a Pro back out at no cost to you.