Whether you’ve lived in California for generations or you’ve moved in search of sandy beaches and striking vistas, you’ve worked hard to make your home a paradise. A home warranty can help you keep it that way by connecting you with licensed contractors in your area when an inevitable breakdown occurs due to normal wear and tear.
Our team has spent countless hours researching the home warranty industry by getting sample quotes, reading customer reviews, dissecting service contracts, and speaking with experts to choose the best home warranty companies in the country. Keep reading to find the best home warranty in California.
California’s Top 6 Home Warranty Companies
- American Home Shield
- First American Home Warranty
- Select Home Warranty
- Cinch Home Services
- The Home Service Club
- HomeServe
Note: All pricing information used in this article was gathered from a simulated quote process with each provider. We used a single-family home smaller than 5,000 square feet in Santa Rosa, California.
Compare California's Top Home Warranty Companies
American Home Shield
- Number of Plans: Three
- Service Fee: $75–$125
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
American Home Shield (AHS) offers three plan options for California homeowners: ShieldSilver, ShieldGold, and ShieldPlatinum. ShieldSilver covers a suite of built-in systems, while ShieldGold expands that coverage to 10 additional home appliances, such as your oven, garbage disposal, and laundry machines. ShieldPlatinum includes these appliances and systems while also offering coverage for roof-leak repairs, an annual HVAC tune-up, unlimited AC refrigerant, and code upgrades. One standout feature on all three plans is the absence of coverage caps for built-in systems.
ShieldSilver ($34.99–$49.99 per month): ShieldSilver covers built-in systems, such as your air conditioners, heating units, ductwork, built-in exhaust, vent and attic fans, main breaker and fuse panel box, doorbells and chimes, interior electrical lines, ceiling fans, garage door openers, interior plumbing lines, toilets, faucets and valves, whirlpool tub motor and components, and water heaters.
ShieldGold ($44.99–$59.99 per month): ShieldGold covers all the items in the ShieldSilver plan plus refrigerators, ranges, cooktops, ovens, dishwashers, built-in microwaves, garbage disposals, instant hot/cold water dispensers, clothes washers, and clothes dryers. Appliances are covered up to $3,000 with this plan, which means that any repairs that exceed this total will be your financial responsibility.
ShieldPlatinum ($64.99–$79.99 per month): ShieldPlatinum covers all the items in the ShieldGold plan, plus roof leaks, AC refrigerant, and more. This plan raises the coverage cap for appliances to $6,000.
First American Home Warranty
- Number of Plans: Two
- Service Fee: $85
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
First American Home Warranty offers two coverage plans: a Basic Plan and a Premier Plan. Its base plans don’t include coverage for electric air conditioning, but both can be added for an additional monthly fee. More than 60% of Trustpilot reviewers gave the company a five-star rating, with more than a dozen reviews highlighting the company’s quick reply and high quality of service.
Basic Plan ($33 per month): The Basic Plan covers your garbage disposal, dishwasher, oven range, cooktop, microwave, trash compactor, refrigerator, clothes washer, and clothes dryer.
Premier Plan ($45.50 per month): The Premier Plan covers all the items in the Basic Plan plus plumbing, plumbing stoppages, water heater, heating, ductwork, electrical, garage door opener, and central vacuum system.
Select Home Warranty
- Number of Plans: Three
- Service Fee: $75
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
Select Home Warranty offers three standard coverage options. The Bronze Care Plan covers only appliances, while the Gold Care Plan covers major home systems. The Platinum Care plan combines both plans for comprehensive coverage.
Bronze Care ($45.67 per month): Bronze Care covers your clothes washer, clothes dryer, garbage disposal, refrigerator, stove, oven, built-in microwave oven, cooktop, and dishwasher.
Gold Care ($45.67 per month): Gold Care covers your air conditioning, cooling, plumbing system, heating system, electrical system, water heater, and ductwork.
Platinum Care ($49.83 per month): Platinum Care combines the coverage of the two basic plans and adds coverage for garage door openers and ceiling fans.
Cinch Home Services
- Number of Plans: Three
- Service Fee: $75–$150
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
Cinch Home Services offers three plans: an appliances plan, a built-in systems plan, and a combination plan. Cinch stands out for its additional perks and benefits, such as its free water sensor (to detect potentially damaging leaks) and a $25 credit for a water or air conditioning filter.
Appliances Plan ($27.99–$43.99 per month): This plan covers clothes dryers, clothes washers, cooktops, dishwashers, built-in food centers, freestanding ice makers, built-in microwaves, ranges, range exhaust hoods, refrigerators, built-in trash compactors, and wall ovens.
Built-in Systems Plan ($32.99–$50.99 per month): This plan covers air conditioning, including ductwork, attic fans, ceiling fans, central vacuums, doorbells, electrical systems, garage door openers, garbage disposals, heating system including ductwork, instant hot/cold water dispensers, plumbing systems, smoke detectors, sump pumps, toilets, water heaters, and whirlpool tubs.
Complete Home Plan ($39.99–$57.99 per month): This plan covers all the items in the two earlier plans, plus a $500 allowance for your homeowners insurance deductible should you need to use it.
The Home Service Club
- Number of Plans: Two
- Service Fee: $95
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
The Home Service Club is one of the few providers in the industry that operates in all 50 states. Compared to other providers, the Home Service Club offers a shorter waiting period of 10 days at the start of your plan—20 days shorter than the typical waiting period.
You can choose from a Standard Plan and a Comprehensive Plan.
Standard Plan ($51.25 per month): This plan covers your air conditioning, ceiling fans, central vacuum, dishwasher, clothes dryer, electrical system, food center, garage door openers, garbage disposal, trash compactor, heating system, refrigerator ice maker, oven, microwave, oven, stove, cooktop, refrigerator, clothes washer, and water heater.
Comprehensive Plan ($62.50 per month): This plan covers all the items in the Standard Plan plus alarm wiring, doorbells, ductwork, gas leaks, hot water pumps, pest control, plumbing stoppages, smoke detectors, sump pumps, telephone wiring, hot water dispenser, water leaks, and whirlpool bathtubs.
HomeServe
- Number of Plans: Six
- Service Fee: $100
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
HomeServe operates differently than other home warranty companies by offering specific plans for specific utility providers. For this reason, your available plans and pricing will depend on your location and your utility provider. Based on our quote for a single-family home in Santa Rosa, California, customers will have six plans to choose from, covering plumbing, heating, cooling, and appliances.
Gas Line Plus ($4.99 per month): This plan covers up to $8,000 for your interior gas line, interior gas restoration, exterior gas line, and exterior gas line restoration.
Exterior Water Service Line Coverage ($7.95 per month): This plan covers up to $7,000 for your exterior water service line and exterior water service line restoration.
Exterior Sewer/Septic Line Coverage ($12.98 per month): This plan covers your exterior sewer/septic line and exterior sewer/septic line restoration up to $10,000.
Exterior Pipe Plan ($15.99 per month): This plan covers up to $10,000 for your exterior water service line, exterior water service line restoration, exterior sewer/septic line, and exterior sewer/septic line restoration.
Home Plumbing and Drainage Coverage ($21.98 per month): This plan covers your exterior sewer/septic line, exterior sewer/septic line restoration, interior plumbing, interior drainage, and drain cleaning up to $12,000.
TotalHome Warranty Appliances ($48.33 per month): This plan covers your refrigerator, clothes washer, clothes dryer, range, dishwasher, built-in microwave, trash compactor, and garage door opener up to $1,500 per appliance.
Our Recommendation
While we recommend requesting a quote from as many providers as possible, this list is a great place to start your search. Every homeowner will have their own priorities and needs, so it’s important to think about the specific coverage you want before you take the leap.
American Home Shield leads the pack in longevity in the industry, with Cinch Home Services coming close behind. Both providers offer a wide variety of licensed and insured contractors, which may be more established than a newer home warranty company. Both companies provide additional coverage for cranes, debris removal, permits, and code upgrades.
HomeServe is another good choice due to the specific nature of its coverage. When you request a quote, you can choose as much or as little coverage as you need. So if you’re most worried about your gas line but not worried about other components of your home, this plan structure allows for more freedom of choice.
How are home warranties regulated in California?
All home warranty providers in California must be licensed by the state’s insurance department before they can lawfully market their services and conduct business. Compared to other states, California takes regulating the home warranty industry very seriously.
Before a license is approved, the company must submit a letter to the Insurance Commissioner and go through an approval process. According to the California Department of Insurance, “the process is necessarily quite detailed and time-consuming.”
All in all, home warranty providers undergo a 20-step process that includes disclosing conflict of interest procedures, functional staff organization, financial reporting, operating plans, and several other aspects of the business.
For this reason, many nationally known home warranty companies don’t operate in California and several others have been issued cease and desist orders for failing to live up to the state’s stringent requirements.
How to Choose a Home Warranty in California
Due to the aforementioned regulations, choosing a home warranty in California is a little easier on consumers. With that said, it’s still important to do your own research before picking a home warranty plan. Below you’ll find some helpful tips to consider while shopping for California home warranty plans.
- Take inventory of your home systems and appliances. Before shopping for a policy, it’s a good idea to figure out what elements of your home are most important to you and set coverage for those as priorities. For some homeowners, air conditioning may be a top priority, while others may be most focused on their kitchen appliances. Many home warranty companies offer optional add-on coverage for items such as well pumps, septic systems, and more.
- Request as many quotes as possible. After determining your priorities, it’s important to see what coverage is available to you. Requesting quotes will allow you to see your plan options, view the number of items covered, and compare prices.
- Read sample contracts. To avoid misunderstandings and denied claims, it’s a good idea to read each provider’s service agreement thoroughly. You can typically find a sample of the contract on the provider’s website. While it’s vital to read all sections of the agreement, it’s especially important that you understand the exclusions and coverage limits for your plan.
FAQs: California Home Warranty Companies
How We Chose the Top Home Warranty Companies
Our team reviewed and researched dozens of home warranty providers, thoroughly analyzed sample agreements, and identified customer pain points based on customer-review analysis and interviews with industry experts.During this process, we determined that the most critical aspects of a home warranty company include available service plans and add-ons, depth of coverage, plan cost, industry reputation, customer support infrastructure, and additional features. We also focused on the ability to choose your own contractor; upgrade your coverage package; transfer your plan to another owner; and cover roof leaks, high-end appliance brands, ceiling and exhaust fans, and faucets and fixtures.
Our research supported that plan coverage should carry the most weight, with customer support as the second-most important factor. Industry reputation, plan availability, and additional features were rated equally. Therefore, we determined that price range, while worth considering, should not be the primary basis for choosing a home warranty provider for your home’s needs.