5 Best Home Warranty Companies in Massachusetts (2024 Guide)

After a review of the AHS sample contract, we learned that the company includes roof-leak coverage in its highest plan. Typically, home warranty companies offer roof-leak protection as an add-on only. AHS also includes the add-on option for its other two plans: ShieldSilver and Shield Gold. In addition, AHS offers a generous $5,000 cap for essential home systems, including plumbing and HVAC, at every plan level. All plans include a 30-day workmanship guarantee.

Here’s an overview of each American Home Shield plan below:

• ShieldSilver: The lowest plan covers essential home systems, such as cooling, heating, and plumbing. You receive a $5,000 cap for each system. 
• ShieldGold: This plan offers comprehensive coverage for systems and appliances. Coverage includes the same $5,000 system cap and adds a $2,000 limit for appliances
• ShieldPlatinum: The highest plan tiers include the ShieldGold protections and include additional perks, such as roof-leak protections and discounted HVAC tune-ups. System coverage remains the same, but appliance coverage doubles to $4,000.

Unlike other home warranty providers that offer monthly and annual premiums, AHS limits homeowners to monthly options only. The company does offer a choice of a $100 or $125 service call fee, which is slightly higher than other providers. When we chose the $125 service fee for our sample quote, our monthly premium decreased. Choosing the $100 fee raised our monthly rate.

Here’s a breakdown of American Home Shield’s monthly pricing:

AHS offers only six add-on options, one of the smallest catalogs in this review. On average, most providers offer eight to 10 options. Pricing ranges from $5–$26 per month for added coverage. Adding roof-leak coverage to the ShieldSilver or ShieldGold plan will increase your premiums by $10. Additional add-on options include the below items:

• Electronics protection plan
• Guest unit 
• Pool and spa
• Septic pump
• Well pump

Our team member has AHS as his home warranty provider and tested the claims process to repair a leaky bathroom pipe. We’ve detailed his experience below:

• After filing an online claim, he received a text and email confirmation.
• Five minutes later, a service contractor contacted him to set a next-day appointment.
• Our team member noted that AHS uses its own network of preapproved service repair technicians to complete its service calls.
• Repairs took less than two hours and he was only charged for the service fee. 

After reading through the LHG sample contract, we learned that the company offers protection for up to 5-ton heating systems under its standard coverage. Typically, home warranty companies require an add-on for this extended coverage. LHG offers $2,000 for most items, with the exception of plumbing and electrical. These systems receive only $500, well below the $2,000 industry standard. LHG makes an excellent choice for Massachusetts homeowners who need HVAC protection and appliance coverage.

We’ve detailed LHG’s coverage plans below:

• Appliance Guard: The lowest plan protects nine major appliances, including dishwashers, garbage disposals, and cooktops. Each appliance receives a $2,000 coverage limit. 
• Systems Guard: The system-only plan includes six home systems, such as cooling, heating, and water heaters. Most items receive a $2,000 limit, except plumbing and electrical, which include a $500 cap. 
• Total Home Guard: This comprehensive plan combines the coverage of the Appliance Guard and Systems Guard plans. All coverage caps remain the same.

LHG offers monthly and annual premium options. When we generated a sample quote online, we received two free months of coverage with an annual option. After speaking with an LHG representative, we learned that service call fees are based on your location, coverage plan, and add-on selections. Most home warranty companies offer the same set of service call fee options for every customer.

Here’s an overview of LHG monthly pricing below:

LHG offers 38 options, one of the highest add-on catalogs of this review. Add-on costs range from $3.00–$35.99 per month, which is midrange for home warranty companies. To receive roof leak coverage on any plan, you must select the $11.99 per month add-on option. When we used LHG’s online quote tool, the company provided popular add-on recommendations based on other homeowners in our area. Below are the most popular options for Massachusetts homeowners:

• Limited roof-leak coverage
• Pool and spa
• Pro-Series dishwasher 
• Pro-Series range/oven/cooktop
• Septic system pumping

Our team tested LHG’s customer support options to determine the most efficient process. Here’s an overview of our experience:

• Calling LHG’s customer support yielded the best results. We connected to a representative in under 30 seconds and had all of our questions answered. 
• Using the live chat feature, which is a rare feature, worked best for general questions since the chat connects to an automated bot. If you need a live representative, ask the bot twice to get connected.
• LHG is one of the few companies to offer an app for claims processing and tracking. You can also submit claims through the online portal and 24/7 claims line. 

When reviewing the Elite Home Warranty sample contract, we discovered that Elite includes a $15,000 annual limit for all plans. This means you are limited to $15,000 worth of claims per contract period. This breaks down to $8,000 for systems and $7,000 for appliances. Unlike other providers that offer the same cap for their systems and appliances, Elite varies its caps per item. We recommend getting a quote through the customer support team to verify your coverage limits.

Here’s an overview of Elite Home Warranty’s coverage plans:

• Elite Appliances: The appliance-only coverage plan includes eight major appliances, such as cooktops, washing machines, and dishwashers. Coverage amounts differ by appliance but cannot exceed $7,000 total over the plan term.
• Elite Systems: The next plan covers eight major home systems, such as HVAC, heating, and electrical. Coverage maximums differ by system but cannot surpass an annual limit of $8,000.
• Elite Complete: The highest plan offers the combined protection of the Elite Appliances and Elite Systems coverage. Coverage caps remain the same.

According to sample quotes, Elite Home Warranty’s monthly premiums range from approximately $44 to $58. They charge a standard $70 service call fee. The company charges $150 for repairs on high-end appliances as well as for service calls taking place after normal business hours or on weekends.

Here’s Elite coverage pricing and service fees:

Elite Home Warranty provides 27 add-on options, the second-largest catalog of this review. Elite’s add-on coverage limits vary by item but include a $5,000 total limit per term.

Here’s a sample of Elite’s add-on options below:

• Annual maintenance
• Drainage, sewer, and water service lines
• Pool and spa equipment
• Geothermal heating and cooling systems
• Septic system

Our team member used his Elite Home Warranty plan to repair his broken high-end dishwasher. We’ve summarized his experience below:

• He received a call from a claims specialist 30 minutes after submitting his online claim. 
• He received a next-day appointment with one of their preapproved technicians, 
• The technician couldn’t complete the repair due to a part he needed that was out of stock. 
• The technician made an initial service visit on Tuesday evening and then came back with the necessary part on Monday morning.
• He completed the repairs in an hour and Elite waived the service call due to the delay.

After reading the AFC Home Warranty sample contract, we learned that AFC Home Warranty is one of the few companies to offer a plan-length workmanship guarantee. Most companies offer 30-day guarantees, the industry standard. AFC Home Warranty offers $3,000 for appliances but applies a depreciated value restriction for items five years or older.

AFC Home Warranty offers the following coverage plans:

• Silver Plan: This appliance-only plan includes nine essential home appliances, such as cooktops, garage door openers, and kitchen refrigerators. Appliances receive a $3,000 cap. 
• Gold Plan: This comprehensive plan covers 15 appliances and systems, such as heating and cooling. The appliance receives the same $3,000 limit, while the system gets unlimited protection. 
• Platinum Plan: This plan extended coverage to 20 systems and appliances, adding items such as plumbing stoppages, built-in microwaves, and faucets. All caps remain the same.
• Diamond Plan: The highest plan includes the previous coverage and adds electronics (including smartphones) and exterior sewer and water lines. All caps remain the same.

AFC Home Warranty offers monthly and annual rates and includes special bonuses for its annual plans. When we completed a sample quote, we received a $100 annual discount for a one-year plan and $250 for a three-year option. Service call fees range between $75–$125 per claim.

The pricing for AFC Home Warranty’s plans is as follows:

AFC Home Warranty provides 13 different add-on options, priced between $25–$150 per year. You can add roof leak protection to any plan at no additional cost.

AFC Home Warranty offers these additional add-on options:

• Double ovens
• Hot water dispensers
• In-ground pools and spas
• Septic systems
• Sump pumps

Unlike most home warranty providers that only use in-network technicians, AFC Home Warranty allows you to choose your own service technicians. Through secret shopping, we found that AFC Home Warranty offers unique membership benefits to customers, including dental, vision, and pet insurance, free credit and identity monitoring, and more.

After reading through the Select Home Warranty sample contract, our team learned that HVAC systems receive a $3,000 cap, while other items max out at $500 or lower. These limits fall below other reviewed providers and the industry standard of $2,000. Select is one of the few companies to include free roof-leak coverage with every plan option. We recommend Select for homeowners who need HVAC coverage at an affordable price.

Here’s more info on Select Home Warranty’s coverage plans:

• Bronze Care: This appliance-only plan covers eight essential items, including cooktops, stoves, and washers. All appliances receive a $500 cap. 
• Gold Care: The system-only plan covers six essential systems, including heating, cooling, and plumbing. HVAC receives a $3,000 cap, while other items receive the standard $500 limit. 
• Platinum Care: Its comprehensive plan covers systems and appliances and adds other items, such as garage door openers and plumbing stoppages. All coverage limits remain the same.

Select offers monthly and annual premium options. Our sample quote included $150 off and two free coverage months when we selected an annual option. Select charges a $60–$75 service call fee but doesn’t let you choose your preferred rate.

Here are Select’s monthly costs and service fees:

Select offers the lowest add-on rates in this review, with pricing ranging between $3.33 and $8.33. However, the company only offers nine options. Based on your sample quote, we learned that you must add the free roof-leak add-on to receive coverage.

Additional add-on protection includes the following items: 

• Central vacuum
• Lawn sprinkler system
• Pools and spas
• Septic system
• Sump pump

During our secret shopping experience, we learned that calling Select offers the best rates and service. We received an exclusive over-the-phone deal that included the lowest service call fee. When speaking with the Select representative, we also learned that the company prefers processing claims and resolving account issues over the phone.