A home warranty can be a great investment for your New York
home. However, the industry is fraught with lackluster companies and subpar service, often making the service contract more expensive than beneficial. Homeownership has its ups and downs, and unfortunately, a big down is the cost. Home maintenance is a forever kind of deal, and owning a home in New York can be expensive.
Depending on where you live, your home in New York may be subject to flooding
, severe storms, and pesky critters
—all of which impact the cost of owning your home. To help ease your mind, Jerry
, the super app
designed to save you money on home
and car insurance
, has created a guide for home warranties in New York. In this article, you’ll learn exactly what a home warranty is and how to find the best home warranty in New York.
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What is a home warranty?
A home warranty is a home service contract or plan designed to cover the repair and replacement of your home’s appliances and systems. A home warranty is typically valid for one year, and you can expect a home warranty to cover:
Heating and cooling systems
When you purchase a home warranty, you’re paying for the repair and replacement service for your home’s appliances and systems at a reduced rate.
Home warranty vs. home insurance
When you purchase a home insurance policy, you’re protecting your home and its contents from the damage a covered peril
causes. Damage from wear and tear or regular use is specifically excluded in a home insurance policy. Should a wind storm cause a tree to fall through your kitchen and demolish your dishwasher, your home insurance would likely cover it. But, if your dishwasher randomly stops working after ten years of constant use, you’re out of luck. With a home warranty, your appliances and home systems have coverage, even if they break from regular use. That said, home warranty companies have specific guidelines for coverage. If they believe you’ve intentionally damaged something or it’s broken due to owner negligence—you may be denied coverage.
Do you need a home warranty in New York?
As a New York homeowner, you may be required to carry home insurance, but a home warranty is optional. While having additional coverage may ease your financial anxieties, often home warranties aren’t worth the cost
. If it’d be a financial burden to replace or repair your home appliances, you may want a warranty until you can save some extra cash. But if you have room in your budget or can easily save, consider using the money you’d spend on the premium as an emergency repair fund.
How to choose a New York home warranty
If you are seriously considering purchasing a home warranty, do your research. Compare rates and coverages from at least three companies before making any decisions. Things you should consider are:
Types of coverage options
Cost of premium and service fees
Good customer service and responsiveness
Coverage caps and payout amounts
While ideal, it’s unlikely you’ll find a company that meets all your needs. The table below is a comparison of five of the best home warranty companies in New York. Should you find a company you like, ensure you read the fine print and contract carefully. You don’t want to be surprised by an unexpected bill when you need service.
| | | | | | | |
---|
| | | | | | | 30-day work guarantee, high coverage caps, reputable business |
| | | | California and Washington | | | Set service fee, 90-day repair guarantee, 48 hour guaranteed response time |
America’s 1st Choice Home Club | | | | | | | Ability to choose your own contractor, affordable plans |
| | | | Washington, Wyoming, and Wisconsin | | | 24/7 customer service, affordable plans |
| | | | | | | Free perks, reputable company |
The pros and cons of home warranties
If you’re a first-time homebuyer in New York
, you’ve likely received a ton of unsolicited advice—especially around things like home insurance and home warranties. While everyone has their own opinion, there are pros and cons to home warranties, depending on your financial situation, your preferences, and your needs as a homeowner.
Pro: A home warranty can take the guesswork out of hiring contractors
Finding a repair person or contractor after something breaks is one of the more stressful parts of homeownership. If you choose the wrong person, you may end up spending even more to fix it.
Since home warranty companies work with specific technicians and contractors, they immediately have someone to call if you need service.
Pro: No need for an emergency fund
By paying a monthly or yearly premium, you have a general idea of the cost to repair something if it breaks.
On average, an air conditioner repair can cost anywhere from $150 to $2,500. The wide range of costs makes saving hard. A home warranty reduces that stress and your costs.
Con: You often won’t deal directly with contractors
While not having to think about who to hire in a crisis is a relief, it also comes with its unique challenges. Since everything is going through your home warranty company, there’s potential for slow service, miscommunication, or additional costs.
If you prefer to be more hands-on, skip the warranty.
Con: Low coverage limits and high service fees
Coverage caps vary between companies, but most average between $500 to $6,000. However, if the repair or replacement exceeds your coverage limit, you still have to shell out some cash.
Service fees are also common across all home warranty providers, meaning every time you call for help, you’re charged a fee—typically ranging from $65 to $150.
Con: Warranty companies can deny coverage
Denial of coverage is one of the biggest complaints from homeowners with home warranty coverage. Even if you believe your claim meets their requirements and you’ve done everything you can to take care of your home and appliances, companies can still deny claims.
Even if at signing you thought the terms were amazing, actually getting a payout may be another story.
How to find affordable homeowners insurance in New York
Whether you’re a homeowner in the Big Apple or Buffalo Bills territory, there’s a lot to consider when deciding whether to buy a home warranty. While a home warranty may not be essential for every homeowner, home insurance
definitely is! Luckily, Jerry
, a licensed insurance broker
, is here to make comparison shopping for insurance stress-free. Jerry does all the hard work of finding cheap quotes from the top name-brand insurance companies and buying new home
insurance. Jerry will even help you cancel your old policy. And to ensure you always have the lowest rate, Jerry will send you new quotes every time your policy comes up for renewal, so you’re always getting the coverage you want at the best price. This level of service is why Jerry earned a 4.6/5 rating on the App Store and made it the top insurance app in the country.
“Jerry
was wonderful! I used it for my auto and renters policies. I trusted it so much that I signed up my homeowners insurance under Jerry as well. All of the agents are amazingly nice and knowledgeable.” —Mary Y.
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