8 Best Home Warranty Companies in Maryland for 2023

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According to real estate and home economy experts, you can prepare for the expenses of home maintenance and home repairs by allocating 1% to 4% of your home’s value annually. To help cover these costs, some property owners opt for home warranties. Although home warranties do not cover normal upkeep like gutter cleaning, they provide financial protection against unexpected repairs to your home appliances and systems.

Home warranties can be complex agreements. Our guide to the best home warranty companies in Maryland is designed to clarify how they work and help you choose the best plan for your specific home and budget.

We provide home warranty reviews for 8 companies to help you find the best Maryland home warranty plan. The prices we quote are for a single-family home in Annapolis measuring fewer than 5,000 square feet. But if you live in Baltimore and buy a home warranty, you can expect your monthly costs to be similar. For all quotes, we selected the highest deductible offered by the company to show you the lowest available premiums with each plan we discuss.

Table of Contents

• Our Top Picks for the Best Home Warranty Companies in Maryland in 2023
• Best Home Warranty Companies in Maryland Guide
• Best Home Warranty Companies in Maryland FAQs
• How We Evaluated the Best Home Warranty Companies in Maryland
• Summary of our Guide to the Best Home Warranty Companies in Maryland

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Our Top Picks for the Best Home Warranty Companies in Maryland in 2023

Choice Home Warranty

Choice Home Warranty offers two comprehensive plans — Basic and Total — which combine coverage for both systems and appliances. Unfortunately, the company does not provide the option to purchase coverage for either systems or appliances separately. Furthermore, the plans only offer a single deductible option, limiting your choices. Despite these limitations, both plans provide solid coverage for a reasonable cost.

The Basic Plan offers protection for cooktops, ovens and built-in microwaves, dishwashers, and garbage disposals. However, refrigerators, clothes washers, and dryers are not included in the coverage. The plan also covers heating, electrical, and plumbing systems, as well as water heaters, but excludes air conditioners and air conditioning systems.

If you’re willing to spend a few more dollars each month, the Total Plan provides coverage for the missing items in the Basic Plan. This plan includes coverage for clothes washers and dryers, as well as air conditioning systems. Given the choice between the two plans, the Total Plan is a better value due to the added coverage it provides.

American Home Shield

American Home Shield, a well-established home warranty company in the US, boasts over half a century of experience in the industry. Known for its reputable service, AHS provides two types of plans — one that solely covers home systems and two plans that cover both systems and appliances. The company’s home systems plan includes protection for 14 systems such as heating and air conditioning (ductwork covered), electrical, and plumbing. It also covers water heaters.

While many home warranty companies limit coverage to issues that are caused by normal wear and tear, American Home Shield is one company that covers appliances and systems that have not been well-maintained.

The comprehensive appliance coverage under AHS’s combination plans encompasses both major systems and kitchen and laundry room appliances.

With the ShieldGold plan, you get systems coverage, plus protection for many common appliances in the kitchen and laundry room, including refrigerators, ovens,cooktops, and ranges, dishwashers, and built-in microwave ovens. If you step up Platinum coverage, the company adds in limited roof leak coverage, free HVAC tune-ups, unlimited AC refrigerant top-ups, and coverage for code violations, permits, and modifications. If you just use one of these benefits, it will justify the extra $30 per month you have to pay for the company’s most comprehensive coverage.

AFC Home Club

AFC Home Club provides four plan choices for homeowners to help them find the most suitable coverage to their properties. The company’s Silver plan, which provides protection for household appliances, is an attractive option for homeowners on a budget, with coverage for refrigerators, washing machines. The only drawback is that it does not include built-in microwaves, which are typically covered by competitor’s appliance plans. It also doesn’t include coverage for clothes dryers.

AFC Home Club’s Systems plan is very comprehensive and includes coverage for heating systems, plumbing, and electrical systems, and hot water heaters. Ductwork is not covered, which is an important consideration if your home features forced hot air heat of central air conditioning. In addition, the company makes a distinction between plumbing system repairs generally and plumbing stoppages.

The company’s Gold plan includes coverage for a mix of systems and appliances. Ductwork is included in its heating system coverage. Clothes dryers are covered under this plan. Again, the plan does not offer protection against plumbing stoppages, nor does it cover your microwave.

Oddly, in order to get coverage for built-in microwaves, homeowners must opt for the Platinum plan, FC Home Club’s most expensive option, which covers up to 18 household systems and appliances. Only then do homeowners get coverage for plumbing stoppages, as well. But with a cost of just $57.75 per month the Platinum plan is still moderately priced when compared to other whole-home plans.

AFC Home Club allows homeowners to choose a service fee of $75, $100, or $125, offering a commendable level of flexibility.

Additionally, the company offers optional coverage for 11 items, including home electronics, inground pools and spas, septic systems, double ovens, stand-alone freezers, central vacuuming systems, and more. You can get a discount off of any plan if you sign up for a 3-year contract.

Liberty Home Guard

Liberty Home Guard offers three customizable plans to meet a wide range of customer needs. The plans have sensible, self-explanatory names, which can be a real help to homeowners when trying to compare home warranty coverage from different companies and under different plans.

Liberty Home Guard distinguishes itself with a comprehensive list of additional coverages that can be added, including uncommon household features such as swamp coolers, professional series kitchen appliances, and reverse osmosis water filtration systems.

The Systems Guard plan provided by Liberty covers crucial components in your home such as your HVAC system, plumbing system, and electrical system. The Appliance Guard plan, on the other hand, covers regular appliances such as clothes washers and dryers, built-in microwaves, as well as less expensive items such as garbage disposals, ceiling fans, and garage door openers. The Total Home Guard plan from Liberty Home Guard offers a combination of both systems and appliances coverage for a competitive price.

Overall, Liberty Home Guard offers relatively warranty  premiums. That cost may be offset by its standard service fee of $125. It all depends on how many times you file a claim.

Select Home Warranty

Select Home Warranty offers its customers the ability to pick and choose the coverage they want with options for just systems, just appliances, or complete home protection.

The company’s Bronze Care (appliances-only) plan covers the most important kitchen and home appliances. Some companies exclude washers and dryers from their least expensive plans, but Select is not one of them.

The company’s Gold Care plan covers systems only, but the coverage is pretty comprehensive. It covers heating, cooling, electrical, and plumbing systems, and water heaters. HVAC coverage includes ductwork. However, plumbing stoppages are excluded from its plumbing system coverage.

The Platinum plan, priced at $47.75 per month is a cost-effective solution for complete home coverage. The plan included plumbing stoppages among its covered items.

That being said, it can be hard to evaluate the actual value of any of the company’s plans, as service call fees are not provided on their website. High deductibles may greatly increase the actual cost of the coverage offered by the company, rendering it less valuable.

First American Home Warranty

First American Home Warranty presents homeowners with three plan options, all of which offer protection for a mix of systems and appliances.

The company’s Starter plan offers affordable premiums in comparison to similar plans, but its coverage is, at the same time, fairly limited. This plan does not include protection for laundry appliances or air conditioning systems, common fixtures in American homes. However, it does cover heating, plumbing, and electrical systems. The Starter plan also lacks coverage for water heaters, another modern necessity.

If you opt for First Home Warranty’s Essential or Platinum plan, you’ll benefit from more extensive coverage. Both plans cover clothes washers and dryers, garbage disposals, air conditioning, and ductless mini-split systems, which are becoming more popular for their energy efficiency. Window air conditioners are also included.

Homeowners have the flexibility to choose their deductible at $75, $100, or $125. First Home Warranty also offers eight optional coverage options, including pools and spas, septic systems, well pumps, and more.

Cinch Home Services

Cinch Home Services offers three different plans to choose from — a systems-only plan, an appliances-only plan, and a combination plan. The standout feature of all these plans is their low starting monthly premiums. To get the best rates, you have to opt for a plan with a $150 deductible, which is relatively high. However, Cinch does give homeowners the flexibility to customize their service call fee. While choosing a lower service call fee may result in higher premiums, the three protection plans from Cinch remain reasonably priced, even when the lowest deductible is selected.

Customers with homes with certain special features may not find what they are looking for in the company’s selection of add-on coverage. Cinch’s list of additional coverable items is relatively short, including only pools and spas, septic tanks, well pumps, and repairs due to code violations.

Cinch offers a couple of standout benefits. To start, the company provides a very generous workmanship guarantee. If a technician makes a repair in your home, the work is guaranteed for 180 days. Many home warranty companies only guarantee their technicians’ work  guarantees for 30 days. This can lead to multiple service call requests—and the frustration that comes with that—and end up costing homeowners a lot of money. Cinch’s 180-day guarantee can prove to be cost-effective in the long run. And it’s nice to see a company that has the confidence to stand behind its work.

Another benefit of a Cinch Home Services warranty is that if you make a home warranty claim for a repair that is due to something covered under your homeowner’s insurance then proceed to make a homeowner’s insurance claim for damages caused by a problem with a covered item, Cinch reimburse you for a portion of your homeowner’s insurance deductible. Let’s say a pipe bursts in your bathroom and you need to have a ceiling replaced. Cinch won’t cover the ceiling repair. But if you claim the damaged ceiling under your homeowner’s insurance, Cinch will reimburse you for up to $500 towards your deductible. When you take a look at the numbers, you’ll see that this reimbursement benefit has the potential to cover the entire cost of an annual Cinch Home Services plan.

ServicePlus Home Warranty

The true value offered by any warranty plan can be determined by considering the answers to four questions:

1. What’s covered by the plan?
2. What are the dollar limits on the various coverages included?
3. What are the monthly premiums?
4. How much is the service call fee (deductible) per claim?

On three of these accounts, Service Plus fares well. The company makes it easy to understand what’s covered under each of its plans. Monthly premiums are fairly low and the company has one low, fixed deductible on all claims: $75. However, when we read the service agreement provided by Service Plus on its website, it did not include its coverage limits on individual systems or appliances, nor did it provide an aggregate coverage limit for all covered items. So while we’re inclined to say that the company offers good coverage for the money, we can’t say for certain. Before you sign a contract with the company — or any home warranty company — learn about its coverage limits. That’s the only way to know.

Service Plus offers two combination appliance-and-system plans. The Gold plan covers some home systems and popular appliances, but excludes some important ones: refrigerators, clothes washers, and dryers. It also doesn’t cover heating and cooling systems. But the company’s Platinum Plan covers those missing items.

Service Plus also offers quite a few ways to customize your plan to mirror the features of your home. Optional coverages are reasonably priced, ranging from $2.08 for central vacuums to $12.50 per month for combination pool/spa systems. Limited roof leak coverage costs $4.17 per month, which can turn out to be very important if you own an older home. Coverage for second refrigerators, stand-alone freezers, sump pumps, and septic systems are also among the ways you can tailor your plan to your specific needs.

Currently, Service Plus is offering $200 off with the purchase of an annual plan and two free months of coverage, extending actual coverage to 14 months. Promotions like this are fairly routine in the home warranty business, so be sure to check for promotional pricing from any home warranty provider you’re considering.

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Guide to the Best Home Warranty Companies in Maryland

Main things to know before purchasing a home warranty in Maryland

Home warranties are a type of service contract that covers the repair or replacement of specific systems and appliances in a home. Usually issued for a one-year term, they typically cover systems and appliances such as heating and cooling systems, electrical systems, plumbing systems, and major appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, and dishwashers.

If a covered system or appliance fails, the homeowner files a claim with the home warranty company, which then dispatches a contractor to diagnose and repair the issue. Homeowners are responsible for paying a service call fee, also known as a deductible, when a claim is submitted and a technician is dispatched to the home.

It’s important to keep in mind that all home warranties have limitations and exclusions, such as not covering routine maintenance or pre-existing conditions. It’s crucial to thoroughly review the terms and conditions of your contract to understand what is and is not covered. When choosing a home warranty company, it’s important to research different companies and compare their services, terms, and pricing. The cost of a home warranty varies depending on the type of coverage and the specific terms of the contract, and it’s important to budget for this cost along with other home maintenance expenses.

What does a home warranty company in Maryland cover?

In many ways, that’s up to you. All home warranty plans are a little different. But typically a home warranty covers either major systems, appliances, or both. Homeowners start by choosing a foundation plan that suits their home features well, then add optional coverages for such items as septic systems, well pumps, pools and spas, second refrigerators, and many other items as needed. All home warranties have service call fees that customers must pay out-of-pocket. And all have coverage limits. So even if you have coverage for a particular appliance or system, your home warranty may not cover the full cost of repairing it or replacing it.

How much does a home warranty cost in Maryland?

The answer to that question isn’t straightforward, either. Home warranty costs vary depending on the company and plan you choose. You choose coverage for either home systems or appliances or select a plan that covers a combination of both. Different home warranty companies have various exclusions in their policies, and they also set limits on the maximum amount they are willing to pay for the repair or replacement of any single appliance or system in your home.These details aren’t always plainly spelled out on a home warranty company’s website, but they are contained in the home warranty contract. It’s essential to thoroughly read and understand the terms and conditions of your contract before selecting a home warranty plan.

Who regulates home warranty companies in Maryland?

Unlike builders’ or construction warranties, there is no specific government agency that regulates optional home warranties in Maryland. As a Maryland resident, if you have a problem with a home warranty company, you can contact the Maryland Attorney General’s office to see whether they can help you reach a settlement.

How does a home warranty work?

A home warranty is an agreement between a homeowner and a home warranty firm that provides coverage for the fixing or replacement of selected home systems and appliances. These agreements typically have a one-year duration. If a homeowner experiences problems with a covered system or appliance, they submit a claim (service request) to the home warranty company. The company will then send an experienced service provider to the home to assess and fix the issue, as long as the item and problem falls is mentioned in the terms and conditions of the contract. The homeowner is responsible for paying a service fee, also referred to as a deductible, and the home warranty company covers the remaining cost.

How We Evaluated the Best Home Warranty Companies in Maryland

In our Guide to the Best Home Warranty Companies in Maryland, we used the same evaluation process to examine all of the companies we reviewed. The top-rated companies offered a variety of base plans, including coverage for major appliances, systems, and comprehensive whole home protection. We gave extra points to appliance plans that covered both laundry room appliances and a full range of kitchen appliances, as well as systems plans that included air conditioning and water heaters. Additionally, we looked for companies that offered customers flexibility, such as the ability to customize their deductibles and choose from a wide selection of additional coverage options. We also evaluated the online customer experience provided by home warranty companies. We excluded companies that didn’t offer free quotes or a simple way to compare coverage across plans.

Summary of our Guide to the Best Home Warranty Companies in Maryland

Maryland homeowners have a plethora of options when it comes to selecting a home warranty provider and plan. On one hand, this offers the advantage of being able to tailor your coverage to your home’s specific needs and find a plan that fits within your budget. On the other hand, it requires homeowners to do a significant amount of research to determine which plan provides the most value. Each company we evaluated provides the opportunity to obtain a free quote and compare plan options. Some even provide a sample contract, which can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the agreement. Our Guide to the Best Home Warranties in Maryland is a great resource to start with. However, to ensure you’ll be satisfied with your home warranty, it’s important to thoroughly examine the details of each plan under consideration. Investing in a home warranty plan can bring peace of mind. But misunderstanding one can be a nightmare.