Best Home Warranty Companies in California (2021)

Although the Golden State is beautiful and warm, California is one of the most expensive states to be a homeowner. Real estate pricing in California tends to be quite a bit higher than any other state in the nation. With increased home pricing comes high home expenses and high mortgage payments. Therefore a home warranty can be necessary to help save money and budget against unexpected expenses that could arise.

In our guide featuring the best home warranty companies in California, we will give you information on:

• How to choose the best California home warranty 
• Why do California residents need a home warranty 
• What the best companies in California are for home warranties 

A home warranty will protect you from repair and replacement-related expenses on your home’s systems and appliances. Home warranties can cover everything from refrigerators to sump pumps. The most important thing is to find the best home warranty company for the needs of your home. If you are looking for some guidance as to what California has to offer for a new home warranty, keep reading. 

California’s Top 5 Home Warranty Companies

California residents are lucky to have the option of more than 50 home warranty companies to choose from. The problem becomes narrowing down the individual coverages and plan choices of each one. We have gone through all of these companies and narrowed the list to the top four. These home warranty companies were analyzed by looking at things like coverage caps, pricing, workmanship, service fees, customer reviews, contract simplicity, and more. Here are how the top four in California ranked. 

1. American Home Shield: Best Customizable Plans 
2. Select Home Warranty: Most Cost-Effective Plans 
3. First American Home Warranty: Best Appliance Coverage 
4. Cinch Home Services: Best Workmanship Guarantee 

1. American Home Shield

American Home Shield is the most customizable plan in California. American Home Shield has more than 50 years in the industry and is known for their premium coverage and excellent customer service. Even after 50 years in a challenging industry, AHS still retains a BBB rating of B. The customizable plans from American Home Shield allow California homeowners to build out a home warranty that works specifically for their home. If you have a second refrigerator, a new HVAC unit, or simply don’t need your laundry room appliances on your plan, American Home Shield will help you customize the policy to your needs. 

The three basic plans from American Home Shield include one system plan and two comprehensive options. The plans comprehensive options tend to get a bit more attention as they cover both systems and appliances. In addition, American Home Shield offers some great add-on coverage choices; one of the most important for California homeowners is the pool and spa coverage. 

Some of the add-on coverage that you can get with American Home Shield includes.:

• Electronic extended warranty
• Pool and spas
• Well pump
• Septic pump
• Guest unit
• PC and TV

The American Home Shield plan allows you to choose your service fee. The fee can be anywhere from $75 to $125. The higher the service fee, the lower your monthly payment will be. When you switch to the higher monthly payments, your service fee goes down. 

As you can see, American Home Shield has learned how to address the homeowner’s needs for affordability and thorough coverage. This is a premium California warranty that will serve your home and give you true peace of mind that you are protected.

To get a free quote from American Home Shield, you can fill out this form or call 888-365-2839. 

For more information, read our American Home Shield review.

2. Select Home Warranty

Select Home Warranty is the most cost-effective option for California homeowners. As we mentioned earlier, it is expensive to live in California. Finding a home warranty that can help you save a bit of money will be a welcome change. Select Home Warranty has been in the market for almost ten years. They are known for their impressive standards when it comes to workmanship and quality of repairs. In addition, Select Home Warranty allows California residents free roof leak coverage when they purchase any of the plan choices. 

Select Home Warranty has three plans for California homeowners. The plans are relatively straightforward, offering a systems plan, appliance plan, and then a combo plan. The combo is the best value that California residents will find. In addition, Select will offer a wide variety of additional coverage choices to help ensure the plan is a perfect fit. 

The add ons or options coverages from Select Home Warranty are:

• Pool
• Spa
• Septic system
• Well pump
• Sump pump
• Lawn sprinkler system
• Roof leaks
• Central vacuum
• Stand-alone freezer

The Select Home Warranty has one of the lowest service fees in the business. At just $60, you will feel confident in your ability to pay for a service technician or repair. 

Not all California homeowners have the extra money to spend on a home warranty or protection plan. However, when you compare the costs of the plan with the costs of paying full price for repairs or replacements, you will quickly see that these home warranty plans make quite a bit of sense to have in place. This is one of the most affordable and easiest to work with companies on the market.

Select Home Warranty will give you a free quote after filling out this form or calling 888-370-3953.

For more information, read our Select Home Warranty Review.

3. First American Home Warranty

First American Home Warranty is the best option for appliance coverage in California. If you feel confident in your home systems and do not think they need coverage, First American allows for a very strong and affordable appliance-only plan. First American has been in the business for more than 37 years. Even after all this time, they have a BBB rating of B+. The First American Home Warranty is known for having excellent coverage options, easy-to-understand contracts, and impressive customer service. 

There are only two plan choices from First American, yet this can make your plan purchasing quite a bit easier. If you want your appliance coverage but just a few systems, the add-on choices could be a good fit for your needs. One thing to pay attention to is that central air conditioning coverage is only found as an add-on to this policy. 

The optional coverage choices from First American Home Warranty includes:

• Central air conditioning (electric)
• Additional refrigeration
• Pool/Spa equipment
• Well pump
• Septic/septic tank pumping
• First Class Upgrade (Fees associated with the use of lifting equipment, Up to $250 per local building permits, Haul away services, Appliances, and systems that have been insufficiently installed or modified)

The $85 service fee from First American Home Warranty is one of the more fairly priced options on the market. When you combine this with the low price per month, First American offers customers great value. 

Starting a home warranty by covering just the appliances is a great way to start protecting your home. If you find this is a smart investment, you can always upgrade to the Premier plan with First American.

To get a free quote from First American Home Warranty, you can fill out this online form or call 833-204-7164. 

Visit our First American Home Warranty review to learn more.

4. Cinch Home Services 

The Cinch Home Services Plan has the best workmanship guarantee for the California homeowner. Having a home warranty in place is excellent when you need a repair to an appliance or system. However, if the repair is unsuccessful, the repairs can get costly. Luckily with Cinch Home Services, you will have a 180-day workmanship guarantee that comes with the policy. To provide a workmanship guarantee like this, Cinch had to create an impressive network of qualified service technicians and contractors. With over 40 years in the industry, this has been quite the process. Along the way, Cinch has been able to retain an A- rating with the BBB. 

The Cinch Home Services plan options are relatively standard. There is an appliance plan, a systems plan, and a comprehensive plan that covers both systems and appliances. The comprehensive plan, known as the Complete Home Plan, tends to offer the best value because of the combination of coverage. In addition to the three main choices, Cinch Home Services customers can also choose from many optional coverages. 

The add ons or optional coverages from Cinch Home Services are:

• Pool (includes heater)
• Spa (includes heater)
• Septic tank/plumbing
• Well pump
• Pool with spa (includes heater)
• Premier Upgrade Package*

The Cinch Home Services plans have service fees that range from $75 to $150. To keep the monthly payments as low as above, you will have to opt for the $150 service fee. This takes a bit of preparation for budgeting, but with the workmanship guarantee, you won’t be responsible for the service fee on a failed repair. 

The Cinch Home Services plan ranks up there with First American and American Home Shield for time spent in the industry. If you want to ensure that your has great coverage and reliable customer service, this is a perfect choice.

Cinch Home Services will give you a free quote after filling out this form or calling 877-589-0505.

For more information, read our Cinch Home Services review.

California Home Warranty Buying Guide

These top four choices will give any California homeowner a great base to choose from. However, the plan options eventually need to be narrowed down to just one. There are some important features and plan benefits to consider when you make your final decision. Three of the most important are plan pricing, company reputation, and coverage caps. 

• Plan Pricing: The pricing of a California home warranty can range from around $40 a month to over $80 a month. Make a list of the items you need coverage for and choose a plan that most closely matches those coverages for the best price. 
• Company Reputation: BBB ratings, customer reviews, and word of mouth are great ways to check in on a company’s reputation. The more time in the industry, the easier it is to see the value. 
• Coverage Caps: Coverage limits or coverage caps will be issued for each item of the plan. For some plans, the coverage caps are $500, and for others, they are $3500. If you have newer or high-end appliances and systems, pay attention to these coverage caps.  

Top Home Maintenance Problems in California

Depending on where you live in California, several issues can cause maintenance problems in your home. Some areas of the state have mild climates, while others can have some extreme heat and cold. Three home maintenance problems that California residents tend to deal with are plumbing stoppages, electrical system outages, and heating and cooling repairs. Let’s take a look at these issues and how your home warranty can help. 

• Plumbing Stoppages: The plumbing systems in the home can become blocked. To call in a plumber and have this repaired can cost hundreds of dollars. Finding the stop, clearing it, and protecting against others can all be part of a home warranty plan.
• Heating and Cooling Repairs: Most California homes are going to need both heating and cooling systems. A home warranty is a wise choice to protect against the changing temperatures and how this impacts the systems. 
• Electrical System Outages: For most people, the electrical system is one of the most important in the home. Electrical system outages will impact all other systems and appliances, and they need to be fixed quickly. A home warranty can do that.

What You Should Consider Before Buying a Home Warranty in California

Whether you’re located in the devastatingly hot central region of California, on the coast, up near the Oregon state-line, or in the southern region bordering Mexico and Arizona, all California homes are susceptible to an array of natural disasters like tropical storms, earthquakes, floods, and most prominently—fires. It’s important to recognize that a home warranty plan is not like homeowners insurance in that a home warranty does not cover any damage caused by natural disasters.

However, a California homeowners insurance policy will cover any damage from fires, including wildfire. Be aware that many homeowners insurance policies do not cover earthquakes or floods, so be sure to check over your homeowners insurance policy and home warranty contract before signing to know what is covered.

When it comes to a home warranty policy, normal wear-and-tear is covered for all items that are included in the policy you choose. Each system or appliance will be listed on your contact with the specifics on what parts and damages would be repaired or replaced by a contractor, and what the coverage cap is for that item.

If you live in or own a rental property in the northern California, such as San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland, Stockton or Berkley, American Home Shield is the best home warranty provider for your property. With a selection from three plans, AHS offers comprehensive coverage on almost all systems and appliances.

American Home Shield allows for selection of service fee and monthly fee so that you can find the perfect home warranty plan that fits into your budget. AHS not only has great coverage on traditional appliances and systems covered by home warranties, but offers some underrated coverages like locksmith, trash compactor, whole house fans, and alarms. The add-on option of well pump and septic coverage can be extremely helpful in these mountainous regions. AHS also has one of the more affordable price points for add-on coverage – which can be a real money saver when it comes to the costly living expenses of Californians.

In case you live near Death Valley or the Central Valley region just outside Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert, heat is not stranger to your home. The highest temperature records in the United States are continuously broken year after year with a record temperature of 130º Fahrenheit, which can have detrimental effects on the home systems in cities like Fresno. First American Home Warranty is the best provider in this region as they have extensive HVAC coverage that will protect your wallet from thousand-dollar heating, ventilation, and air conditioning repairs. The first class upgrade also allows for appliances and systems that have been insufficiently installed or modified to be covered as well, which isn’t normally offered by other home warranty providers. 

If you live in southern California, in the cities or towns like Los Angeles, San Diego, Long Beach, Santa Ana, Irvine, San Bernardino, Malibu or Santa Monica – just use the list above of the best of home warranties in California and compare each provider to choose the plan that more closely aligns with your specific needs and is within your budget. 

California is the third largest state by area and the most populated state in the U.S., with more than 39 million people. With a mediterranean-like climate and vastly populated areas, comprehensive coverage for appliances and home systems (like HVAC) are essential to comfortable and worry-free living. Read our reviews of each provider to find the right company to suit your needs.

Our Conclusion

Hopefully, this review of the best home warranty options in California has helped you to narrow down your choices and ultimately decide on a plan. American Home Shield stands out as the best overall choice simply because of its customization features. However, other options like Select Home Warranty and First American also give great coverage choices for California residents. You can’t go wrong with any of these companies; the most important part is to get a home warranty in place before your next repair or replacement comes around. 

House Method’s Home Warranty Ranking Methodology

At House Method, transparency and trust are our most important values for the reader. That’s why we took the time to create an objective rating system and score each home warranty provider according to our methodology.

We’ve done the homework for you and have researched over 50 home warranty companies so you can have the information you need to make the best choice for your home. Additionally, transparency and trust are our most important values for the reader.

That’s why we took the time to create an objective rating system and score each home warranty provider according to our methodology. Our team spent hours on the phone speaking to representatives from each home warranty company to get information right from the source. We also dug into the fine print on each company’s service agreement to make sure no detail was left out.

To make the most of our research, we developed a formula to objectively determine the best home warranty companies based on the following criteria:

• Plans: Do they provide a variety of plan options? We looked at the number of plans each company offered and the flexibility of adjusting the plan.
• Prices: How reasonable are the monthly fees and service fees in comparison to the industry average? We compared the costs of each company to competitors.
• Coverage: How many items are covered in each plan? We looked at the number of items each company covers. We dig into all service contracts available to get all the details.
• Customer service: How is the customer experience when calling the providers? Based on our phone calls, we were able to judge each company’s customer service.
• Trust: What do customers rate the company? We looked into what customers are saying about their experience with the company.
• Nationwide availability: How many states does the company cover? We found the number of states covered by each company.
• Unique perks: Does the company offer discounts or cover special items? We looked for perks offered by each company that sets them apart from the competition.