Old Republic Home Warranty Review – Plans & Cost
Founded in 1974, Old Republic Home Protection (ORHP) has carried an A+ Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating for over 20 years. ORHP expanded its coverage breadth in 1995 and now covers 24 states and provides some of the most comprehensive plans in the home warranty industry. ORHP is a big name in the home warranty space and has a good reputation.
We have done extensive research to vet hundreds of home warranty providers for your consideration. We hold ourselves to the highest research standards and review companies based on factors like plans, pricing, customer reviews, customer ratings, response times, and more. In this Old Republic home warranty review, we’ll discuss the company’s plans, pricing, and coverage to help you decide if ORHP is the best home warranty for you.
Pros and Cons of Old Republic Home Warranty
Pros
- Allows customers to view status of service requests via portal
- Provides multiple plan options tailored to region
- Has a transparent claims process
Cons
- Isn’t available in all states, while most competitors are nationwide
- There’s a 10% cancellation penalty in some states
- Coverage and pricing varies based on where you live
Old Republic Home Protection Plans and Coverage
System/Appliance | Essential | Standard | Ultimate | Platinum |
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary Gas, Oil, or Electric Heater | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Air Conditioner/Cooler | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Ductwork | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Drain Line Stoppages | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Plumbing Pipe Leaks (including polybutylene) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Toilets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Water Heater | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Built-in Jetted Bathtub Motor and Pump | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Recirculating Pump | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Instant Hot/Cold Water Dispenser | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Garbage Disposal | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Water Pressure Regulator | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Sump Pump | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Electrical System | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exhaust, Attic, Ceiling, and Whole-House Fans | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Garage Door Opener | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Central Vacuum | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Rekey Service | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Dishwasher | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Trash Compactor | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Kitchen Exhaust Fan | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Oven/Range/Cooktop | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Built-in Microwave Oven | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Washer/Dryer/Kitchen | N/A | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Refrigerator | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Ultimate Enhancements | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Refrigerant | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Recapture, Reclaim, and Disposal | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Code Upgrades | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Permits | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Haul-Away Services | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Cranes | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Mismatched Systems | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Improper Installation | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Increased Coverage for Plumbing Items/Stoppages | ✓ | |||
Increased Coverage for Manufacturer’s Warranty | ✓ | |||
Modifications (with additional code upgrades) | ✓ | |||
Increased Coverage for Zone Controls and Specific HVAC Systems | ✓ |
Old Republic Home Protection plans are available in 24 states and coverage options and limitations will vary based on your state of residence. Across the covered states, there are four home warranty plans and optional coverage add-ons available.
In addition to the items covered under each plan, customers have the option to include additional items, such as:
- Pre-season HVAC tune-up
- Swimming pool/spa equipment
- Ornamental fountain
- Limited roof leak repair
- Outdoor kitchen
- Additional refrigeration units (not available with the Essential plan)
- Water softener/reverse osmosis and water filtration system
- Well pump
- Booster pump
- Enhanced slab leak limit/external plumbing
- Septic tank pumping/septic coverage
- System/sewage ejector pump
In most cases, items are covered only if they are in proper working condition at the date on which your service agreement starts. This is true of all providers, which is why there’s typically a wait period when you start your coverage. For more information about when items are covered and when they are not, please reference your sample service agreement.
Old Republic Home Protection covers a variety of home types, including:
- Single-family homes
- Multi-units
- Duplex
- Triplex
- Fourplex
- New construction homes
The annual cost of your home warranty depends on the type of property that you’re looking to cover, the coverage plan you choose, and how many add-ons you include with your plan.
Here’s a cost breakdown for home warranty plans for Louisiana residents:
Old Republic Home Protection Pricing
Type of Home | Essential | Standard | Ultimate | Platinum |
---|---|---|---|---|
Single-Family Home | $410–$525 | $550–$615 | $650 | $775 |
Duplex | $800 | $950 | N/A | N/A |
Triplex | $1,100 | $1,300 | N/A | N/A |
Fourplex | $1,600 | $1,900 | N/A | N/A |
New Construction | $700 | $850 | N/A | N/A |
Service Fees
In addition to paying a monthly premium, you’ll also be expected to pay a trade call fee, or deductible, when a contractor comes out to your home to assess the broken item. Here’s the breakdown for each plan:
Plan | Essential | Standard | Ultimate | Platinum |
---|---|---|---|---|
Service Call Fee | $75–$100 | $75–$100 | $100 | $100 |
If you choose to add optional items to your home warranty coverage, here’s the list of items and their related costs.
Optional Coverage Pricing
Additional System & Components | Price |
---|---|
Premier Upgrade Package | $99.00 |
Premium appliances | $299.00 |
Each additional sump pump | $60.00 |
Each additional water heater | $50.00 |
Each additional refrigerator | $25.00 |
Outside gas line | $60.00 |
Outside water line | $60.00 |
Pool | $205.00 |
Spa | $205.00 |
Combo pool/spa (shared equipment) | $205.00 |
Septic tank/pumping | $45.00 |
Water softener | $50.00 |
Well pump system w/ booster pump | $150.00 |
Because plan pricing will vary based on where you live and the coverage you select, we recommend calling Old Republic Home Protection for an accurate and personalized quote specific to your home.
Old Republic Home Protection Reviews
Old Republic Home Protection is BBB-accredited with an A+ rating. As with any good home warranty company, Old Republic has a mix of positive and negative customer reviews.
- Old Republic Home Protection customers generally express satisfaction with the company’s friendly and professional service, timely repairs, and knowledgeable staff.
Here’s a sampling of BBB reviews from ORHP customers:
“Very pleased with the overall Old Republic Home Protection service – from creating a claim, assigning a contractor, the contractor’s professionalism, courteousness, and availability.” — Art K. on April 19, 2023
“My pool filter needed to be replaced. The authorization took a few days to be approved after the contracted person submitted it but then the job was done timely. The person taking my initial call was nice and understanding. The technician took care of the problem and all worked out.” — April E. on April 13, 2023
Amazing company, friendly, professional and very knowledgeable, I would have given 5 stars and this was not really their fault, but my first experience with them was with an extremely terrible plumbing company, that did nothing but made things worse, It was my hot water heater and I was out of hot water for over a month or more. I would be wise if they would make sure that the contractors could actually do the job. Overall great company. — Wanda W. on April 6, 2023
Old Republic Home Protection Claims Process
To submit a claim, log in to Homeowner Central, Old Republic Home Protection’s portal for customers. Claims are accepted 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Here’s what the claims process looks like:
- Place your claim on the Old Republic Home Protection portal.
- Old Republic Home Protection will notify a contractor in your area. That contractor will contact you directly to schedule an appointment during normal business hours.
- Service efforts will be initiated in 48 hours and be guaranteed for 30 days. At the time of service, you’ll pay the trade call fee to the contractor.
If there’s an emergency, repairs or replacements can be made within 24 hours. An emergency is defined as no electricity, gas, water, or toilet facilities to the entire home, a condition that immediately endangers health and safety, a condition that interferes with the healthcare support of occupants, or a system malfunction that is causing ongoing damage to the home.
If you should request non-emergency service outside of normal business hours, you will be responsible for additional fees, including overtime compensation.
In addition to letting customers make service requests, the ORHP portal provides a variety of options for homeowners to manage their service agreements, including:
- Registering and managing your plan
- Accessing the name and phone number of your service provider
- Checking the status of service requests at your convenience
- Viewing service history
- Renewing your plan
- Making credit card payments and updates (for monthly payment plans)
- Paying trade call fees
Our Final Old Republic Home Warranty Review
We rate Old Republic 4.2 out of 5 stars. In our Old Republic home warranty review, we found that the company’s competitive pricing and plan coverage make it a major contender in the home warranty industry, but it is not available to residents in most U.S. states.
ORHP is ideal if you want protection for your newly built home or you manage a multi-family unit. If you’re looking for a home warranty provider similar to Old Republic Home Protection, but with more nationwide coverage, we recommend Liberty Home Guard.
Related Resources on Home Warranties
Our Rating Methodology
We back up our home warranty ratings and recommendations with a detailed rating methodology to score each provider objectively. We conduct research by speaking with company representatives, requesting quotes, analyzing sample contracts, and conducting focus groups and consumer surveys.
We score each provider against our review standards, which include four comparison categories: coverage, value, trust and transparency, and availability and service. We rate each provider across 31 factors within these categories. Each factor is assigned a point value based on its importance to a homeowner, totaling 100 points. We then convert the final scores to a 5-star rating.
Here’s a breakdown of our weighted factors:
- Coverage (40%): We scored coverage based on included home systems and appliances, add-on options, and unique benefits. We also compared coverage caps and policy exclusions.
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- Additional coverage items
- Annual coverage cap
- Home systems coverage
- Major appliances coverage
- Obstructed wall coverage cap
- Value (30%): We compared the coverage level received to monthly pricing to determine plan value. We considered premium pricing, service fees, and flexibility in customizing plan costs.
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- Average monthly cost
- Cost flexibility
- Lowest service fee
- Trust and Transparency (16%): We evaluated each company’s reputation using the Better Business Bureau ratings and customer reviews on third-party review sites. We read through plan change policies, workmanship protections, and sample contract availability.
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- Brand reputation
- Policy change flexibility
- Sample contract availability
- Workmanship guarantee length
- Availability and Service (14%): We award higher scores for faster claim processing and response times. We also considered service technician policies, including options to choose your technician.
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- Claims process
- Guaranteed response time
- Service flexibility
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.