Fidelity National Home Warranty Review (2020)

A one-year home warranty contract with Fidelity National Home Warranty (FNHW) covers the cost of repairing and replacing major home systems and appliances and saves homeowners from paying hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket. Though the company is only available in 12 states, it provides decent coverage at an affordable price.

In this 2020 House Method review of Fidelity National Home Warranty, we analyze the company’s coverage plans and pricing breakdown, include Fidelity National Home Warranty reviews, and compare FNHW to other home warranty companies in the industry. Keep reading to learn if Fidelity is the best home warranty for you and your home.

Fidelity National Home Warranty plans, coverage, and cost

Fidelity National Home Warranty offers a Standard Coverage home warranty plan at an average cost of $30 a month, with the option to tack on other items at an additional cost.

Standard Coverage: $30.40 per month ($364.80 for an annual plan). With this home protection plan, customers can receive coverage for top systems and appliances.

Optional Coverage: If you have additional items you want to protect, like your kitchen refrigerator or air conditioning, you can cover them with Fidelity’s Optional Coverage plan.

Note: Fidelity National Home Warranty charges a $75 service fee for every claim you make. This means that every time a contractor comes to your house to assess your broken item, you’ll have to pay a $75 fee.

Price of Fidelity National Home Warranty vs. competitors

Details for top Fidelity National Home Warranty systems and appliances

To understand which home systems and appliances matter most to consumers, our team at House Method surveyed 1,000 homeowners and asked them which items in their home were most valuable to them.

From our findings, the top three systems people cared about are the electrical, plumbing, and air conditioning systems, and the top three appliances that hold the most importance are the refrigerator, washer/dryer, and oven/stove/range.

Unfortunately, FNHW does not provide a sample contract online, so we don’t have the in-depth coverage details for the top systems and appliances. However, it’s worth noting that the refrigerator, clothes washer and dryer, and air conditioning are “optional items” that aren’t covered under the Standard Coverage plan. Seeing as how these are some of the top items homeowners care about, we view this as a drawback to the company.

Coverage length

Your Fidelity home warranty is effective for one year upon receipt of payment. There is a 30-day waiting period from the time you pay for your warranty until the time coverage begins. Your plan won’t automatically renew, but you have the option to renew near the plan’s expiration date.

Coverage limits

Covered systems and appliances must be in good working order at the start of coverage for Fidelity to accept a claim. Unknown pre-existing conditions will be covered if, at the time coverage began, the defect or malfunction would not have been known to the buyer, seller, agent, or home inspector by a visual inspection or by operating the system or appliance.

If there are any defects found at the time of a home inspection report, they will be excluded from home warranty coverage until proof of repair or replacement is received by FNHW.

Additionally, malfunction and improper operation due to rust or corrosion of appliances and systems are not covered for the seller, or for the buyer for the first 30 days after the close of escrow.

Remember: Your contract covers only the parts, systems, and appliances specifically mentioned as covered and excludes all other items. Read through your contract carefully before signing up for a warranty and make sure you understand any coverage exclusions or limits.

Fidelity National Home Warranty covers 12 states in the U.S., including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. If you don’t live in one of these states, check out our State Home Warranty Guides and see the best home warranty companies in your state.

Our take

In our opinion, Fidelity is an average home warranty company. It offers only one standard home warranty plan, and even though the plan covers important home items, it leaves out basic systems and appliances like a washer, dryer, and air conditioning. One benefit of this coverage, however, is that the cost is pretty low ($30) compared to other home warranty companies. The service fee, which is $75, is also in line with the industry average.

It’s worth noting that FNHW has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which is no small feat. It also has a BBB accreditation. However, there’s no sample contract to view online and the only way to get a quote is to call the customer service team. The company also doesn’t guarantee an official response time and they’re not available 24/7 like American Home Shield or Choice Home Warranty.

Regarding coverage, Fidelity is more of a regional home warranty company than a national one, seeing as how it only covers 12 out of 50 states.

Overall, if you want to pay a lower monthly premium and don’t need coverage for a lot of items, FNHW may be a great choice for you.

What others are saying

As a consumer, you probably don’t have the time to sit around and sift through the hundreds of reviews left by Fidelity National Home Warranty customers. That’s where we come in. At House Method, we go through user complaints, reviews, and ratings of each home warranty company and compile that information in a chart that’s easy for you to read.

Below, we’ve included Fidelity ratings compared to the industry average.

Fidelity National Home Warranty reviews

The BBB gives Fidelity National Home Warranty an A+ rating. This is one of the best BBB ratings we’ve seen across all of the home warranty companies we’ve reviewed and is better than those like Landmark Home Warranty and 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty.

Though Fidelity’s BBB ratings are great, some reviewers say they would give them 0 stars and aren’t too fond of how they’ve handled claims. To give you a better idea of what current FNHW customers are saying, take a look at the reviews below:

Kim M. on August 31, 2019, said:

I did not have any issues with this company until I sold the home 4 months into my third year of paying $550. I contacted them to cancel and request a refund. I basically was told that I had to reimburse them for the services they had paid for in those 4 months. So, I paid the annual $550, plus $75 x 2 for service call fees…and my refund for 218 “unused days” was $68. I’m not sure how they can get away with keeping the fee for the days that were “used” and make you reimburse them for services during the months you were covered.

James R. on August 8, 2019, said:

I have been without A/C for 2 days in Texas, in August. Fidelity cannot seem to live up to their end of the bargain to get someone out and fix it. I have been hung up on, I have been placed on holds where the agent never comes back, and I have been flat out lied to. I want what I paid for. You do not give money to a company for them to do nothing.

Chris W. on July 15, 2019, said:

I have been with Fidelity National Home Warranty for 3 years now. This company has never failed to meet the mark in providing great customer service. The service providers that have been dispatched have all been great with the exception of one. In that singular instance, I simply contacted Fidelity and they dispatched a new provider who did great work. I would highly recommend Fidelity National Home Warranty to anyone in need of this product. I would also say, that if you own a home, you need a home warranty; and I feel that Fidelity will provide you with top notch service.

Chad B. on May 19, 2017, said:

From personal experience on my own homes and as a real estate agent, this is the best home warranty in the warranty industry! — Brandt Real Estate Group

Final thoughts

House Method gives Fidelity National Home Warranty 2.98 out of 5 stars. The company includes rare protection for new construction and provides reimbursements for improper installation, repairs, and modifications of systems and appliances. Even though the company covers only 12 states, it seems to provide necessary coverage at an affordable price.

Fidelity National Home Warranty may be a good choice for you if…

• you’re a homeowner or home seller looking for additional appliance coverage.
• you own and want to protect a newly built home.
• Better Business Bureau ratings are important to you.

Fidelity National Home Warranty may not be a good choice for you if…

• you live in one of the states not covered by the company.
• you want basic coverage for items like your refrigerator and air conditioning.

Alternatives to Fidelity National Home Warranty

If you’re not sure Fidelity is right for you, compare three of our top home warranty providers below:

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. Our team spent hours on the phone speaking to representatives from each home warranty company to get information right from the source.

Our rating system involves a weighted, 100-point scale that scores home warranty companies on plans offered, coverage, state availability, cost, trustworthiness, customer service, and unique benefits.

For more details, check out our affiliate disclosure and rating methodology.

Company information

• Company name: Fidelity National Home Warranty
• Company type: Private
• CEO: Bill Jenseh, President
• Founding date: 3/30/1984
• Years in business: 35 years
• Telephone: 1-800-862-6837
• Address: 1850 Gateway Boulevard Suite 400
• State/province: Concord, CA
• Postal code: 94520
• State availability: 12 states
• Service fee: $75
• BBB rating: A+