Updated Jan 10, 2023
Updated Jan 10, 2023
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With over 300 miles of barrier-island beaches, access to the quaint foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, and bustling major metropolitan areas all in one place, it’s no surprise that homeowners are relocating to North Carolina in droves. Except for high-elevation areas along the Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina is prone to long spells of extreme summer heat that sometimes dance around the 100-degree mark. Higher outside temperatures can strain your household systems and appliances, particularly your home’s HVAC features.
A home warranty ensures you won’t be saddled by a four-figure bill when it comes time to repair or replace any of your home’s systems or appliances. We’ve curated this guide of the best home warranty companies in North Carolina to help connect you with the most comprehensive home protection plan down south.
Choice Home Warranty (CHW) is the best overall home warranty available in North Carolina. With more than 14 years in the business and two simple plan choices, CHW keeps the home warranty buying process relatively easy. Choice maintains a C rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and approved 90% of the 1.1 million total claims it received as of last year. Its fair pricing and quick claim turnarounds make Choice Home Warranty one of the best providers on the market, let alone in NC.
Pros
Cons
There are two home warranty plans for North Carolina homeowners to choose from — the Basic Plan and the Total Plan. Each of these home warranty plans offers a mix of system and appliance coverage, ensuring that homeowners have exactly what they need when they experience an issue or a breakdown. Choice Home Warranty also has some of the highest coverage caps industry-wide, with most being around $3,000 per item. CHW customers will be responsible for an $85 service fee each time a technician is dispatched to their home for a new issue.
Here’s a detailed look at Choice Home Warranty’s coverage:
You can take your coverage one step further with any of the following optional plan add-ons:
To get a free quote from Choice Home Warranty, fill out this online form or call 929-400-6164.
For more information, read our Choice Home Warranty Review.
Select Home Warranty (SHW) is the most cost-effective home warranty option for North Carolina homeowners. With over a decade of home protection expertise, SHW offers a wide selection of seasonal discounts on top of already affordable plan prices. New joiners will receive an additional $150 off their premium, plus two months of free bonus coverage and complimentary roof leak repairs. All Select customers are entitled to a 30-day money-back guarantee as well.
Pros
Cons
Select Home Warranty divides its coverage into three plan types — Bronze Care, Gold Care, and Platinum Care. The best overall option for North Carolina homeowners is the Platinum Care plan, as it’s just a few dollars more than the Bronze or Gold Care plan and offers double the coverage. As for coverage limits, Select caps its payouts at anywhere between $500 and $2,000 per item. The service fee from Select Home Warranty is only $60 — one of the lowest you’ll find across top providers.
Here’s a detailed look at Select Home Warranty’s coverage:
To enhance your standard coverage, Select offers several optional policy add-ons, including:
To get a free quote from Select Home Warranty, fill out this online form or call 888-370-3953.
For more information, read our Select Home Warranty Review.
American Home Shield (AHS) offers the most customizable home warranty plans in North Carolina. Founded in 1971, AHS has spent over 50 years working with homeowners to create made-to-order home warranty policies that fit the unique coverage needs of their homes. Unlike many competing providers, AHS allows its customers to choose their service call fee of either $75, $100, or $125. Freedom to select how much you’ll pay out-of-pocket will also allow you to have more control over your main premium. The higher the service fee amount you select, the lower your monthly or annual payment, and vice versa.
Pros
Cons
Three home warranty plans from American Home Shield are available in North Carolina — ShieldSilver, ShieldGold, and ShieldPlatinum. Whereas ShieldSilver is strictly a systems plan, ShieldGold and ShieldPlatinum both offer combined system and appliance coverage but at different levels. Most coverage caps from AHS sit around $2,500 per item. However, ShieldPlatinum customers have access to boosted limits of $6,000 per item.
Here’s a detailed look at American Home Shield’s coverage (based on a $100 service fee):
To personalize your policy, you can tack the following additional coverage riders onto your AHS plan:
To get a free quote from American Home Shield, fill out this online form or call 888-365-2839.
For more information, read our American Home Shield Review.
The Home Service Club (HSC) offers the quickest home warranty coverage in North Carolina. When you sign up with HSC, your home warranty plan will start just ten days after paying your first policy premium. Most home warranty companies have a 30-day waiting period before activating your benefits. The Home Service Club also does not require an initial home inspection or any previous maintenance records for you to be eligible for coverage. With over 14 years in the home warranty industry, HSC understands that most home repairs are time-sensitive, so it prioritizes prompt coverage for its customers.
Pros
Cons
The Home Service Club has two standard policies available to North Carolina homeowners — the Standard Coverage plan and the Comprehensive Coverage plan. Both base plan options offer combined coverage for systems and appliances at varying degrees. The Comprehensive Coverage plan is just over $12 more per month than the Standard Coverage level, which ultimately buys you 15 more inclusions. HSC’s per-item coverage caps range between $300 and $2,500. The service fee is the customer’s choice of $65, $75, or $95.
You can also add the following coverage riders to your HSC policy as you see fit:
To get a free quote from The Home Service Club, fill out this online form.
For more information, read our The Home Service Club Review
Liberty Home Guard (LHG) is the most trustworthy home warranty provider in North Carolina. Even though the Liberty Home Guard has only been on the home warranty market for over four years, the company has processed at least $6 million in claims per year since 2019. LHG is also the only leading home warranty provider to receive an A rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). With any AHS policy, you’ll have access to over 41 optional coverage riders — the longest list of plan add-ons in the industry — featuring several unique items like window washing, gutter cleaning, saltwater pool protection, and more.
Pros
Cons
Three home warranty plans are available through Liberty Home Guard — Appliance Guard, Systems Guard, and Total Home Guard. Appliance Guard is designed to only cover essential household appliances, whereas Systems Guard only covers built-in systems. Total Home Guard is LHG’s comprehensive plan option which combines all items in the two basic plans for just $5 more per month than Systems Guard. Liberty Home Guard’s coverage caps sit at around $2,000 per item for most appliances and systems. It charges a fee of $75 per new service request, slightly below the industry average.
Here’s a detailed look at Liberty Home Guard’s coverage:
Liberty has one of the most extensive lists of items offered as add-ons featuring over 41 policy riders to choose from, including:
To get a free quote from Liberty Home Guard, fill out this online form or call 866-451-2281.
Read our Liberty Home Guard review for more information.
Find the best home warranty company in your NC city below:
Home Warranty Company | Choice Home Warranty | Select Home Warranty | American Home Shield | The Home Service Club | Liberty Home Guard |
Our Rating | 9.7 | 9.5 | 9.6 | 9.4 | 9.3 |
Best For | Best overall | Most cost-effective plans | Best customizable plans | Quickest service | Most trustworthy |
Average Cost | $45 – $53 | $56 – $62 | $34 – $64 | $50 – $62 | $70 – $80 |
Service Fee | $85 | $60 | $75, $100, or $125 | $60, $75, or $95 | $75 |
Annual Limit | $3,000 per standard item; $250-$500 for add-ons | $500-$3,000 per standard item; $400 for add-ons | Up to $6,000 per standard item; $1,500+ for add-ons | $500-$2,500 per standard item; $500-$2,000+ for add-ons | $2,000-$2,500 per standard item; $250-$500 for add-ons |
Average Response Time | Up to 48 hours | Up to 48 hours | Up to 48 hours | Within 24 hours | Within 24 hours |
State Availability | Not available in WA | Not available in WA, NV, WY, or NM | Not available in Alaska | Available in all 50 states | Not available in WA or WI |
Online Chat / Mobile App | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
Quote | Get Quote | Get Quote | Get Quote | Get Quote | Get Quote |
The average home warranty plan in North Carolina costs between $45 and $65 per month. If you opt to pay annually, that translates to around $480 to $780 per year. Most home warranty companies also offer optional plan add-ons featuring coverage for items not typically included in standard coverage, like in-ground pools, spas, septic systems, etc.
Beyond what you’ll pay for standard coverage alone, you’ll also be responsible for a set service fee. As a deductible, you’ll be required to pay the amount specified in your contract — usually between $60 and $125 — each time a technician is dispatched to your home for a new service request. Depending on your provider, the amount due will be either non-adjustable or customizable with three different price options. The higher the fee you select, the lower your annual or monthly premium will be, and vice versa.
Overall | $680.90 |
Single Family | $588.02 |
Multi Family | $1,038.44 |
Townhome | $504.62 |
Condo | $569.28 |
Duplex | $827.89 |
Home Over 5,000 sq ft | $1,232.50 |
Unexpected home repairs can quickly turn into a money pit, especially if you hire a professional with no prior understanding of what a fair rate for the job might be, and even more so if you go the DIY route. Protecting your home in North Carolina with a home warranty is a proven effective way to ensure you’re not blindsided by repair or replacement costs whenever they do occur.
After evaluating dozens of top-rated home warranty providers, we stand by Choice Home Warranty as the best overall option for North Carolina residents. Choosing a home warranty with a prominent reputation, versatile coverage, flexible pricing, and solution-oriented customer service representatives is essential. You’ll benefit from all those attributes and more with CHW.
Even though we’ve identified the top five best home warranty providers in North Carolina, you’ll still have to ultimately settle on one. Here are a few of the most important factors to consider when deciding on a home warranty for your home in North Carolina:
A home warranty is a service contract designed to help homeowners access affordable and immediate maintenance for their home appliances and systems. When covered items around the home break down due to normal wear and tear, homeowners with a home warranty can file a claim with their provider to have a repair scheduled soon thereafter. Most home warranty companies will activate your coverage about 30 days after the initial sign-up.
Though home warranties and homeowners insurance are home protection products, they don’t cover the same things. A home insurance policy covers damage and losses caused by catastrophic events like extreme weather, theft, vandalism, etc. For example, if a hurricane were to destroy a portion of your home, your homeowner’s insurance would help you finance related repairs and replacements.
On the other hand, a home warranty policy covers damages around the home caused by age-related deterioration. Household systems and appliances will inevitably require tune-ups and eventual replacements year after year. Because breakdowns can happen anytime, a home warranty safeguards your budget against expensive maintenance costs when items need servicing.
Once you’ve locked in a home warranty policy and the initial waiting period required by your service provider has passed, putting your coverage benefits to use is relatively simple.
Watch this video to learn how a home warranty works:
By paying a pre-set premium ahead of time, your home warranty guarantees you access to expedited, affordable professional maintenance for your home’s major systems and appliances.
You’ll find that home warranty companies in North Carolina have policies that are either appliance-only plans, systems-only plans, or a combination of both appliance and system coverage. The items included in your home warranty contract will vary depending on your specific provider and the level of coverage you select at sign-up.
Still, most home warranty providers generally include the following items in their standard coverage:
Appliances | Systems | Add-ons |
Built-in microwaves Ovens/stoves/cooktops Dishwashers Refrigerators Clothes Washers Clothes Dryers | Air conditioning Heating Ductwork Electrical Plumbing Hot water heaters | Pools and spas Limited roof leak Sump pumps Well pumps Septic tank pumping Septic systems Second refrigerator Stand-alone freezers |
A home warranty will only cover specified appliances and systems that gradually fail due to regular wear and tear. Every home warranty company has its own unique set of exclusions, but most won’t approve claims for damage related to:
House Method reviewed 60+ verified testimonials from current home warranty policyholders across North Carolina and highlighted reviews that we felt best reflected both sides of the customer experience.
To provide an impartial summary of NC’s most common customer complaints, we’ve curated feedback from each of our top three provider recommendations: Choice Home Warranty, Select Home Warranty, and American Home Shield.
One recurring gripe we saw among NC homeowners with home warranties concerning lapses in communication between their service provider and the technicians dispatched to their homes.
“The technician did a great job. Not sure what happened about our part being shipped out to Tennessee, but glad our technician was in Charlotte, NC to pick [another] up. Very please that the technician went out of his way to come late to install so our family could be warm and comfortable. Communication needs to be much better going forward [between] Choice and [their] technicians.” – David L., TrustPilot, Choice Home Warranty Customer
“I have only been with SHW for a very short time and have had to call them twice for two different problems, but so far I am pleased with the service. I had a slight communication problem with the technician who came to check my dryer … but he sure knows his trade.” – Cheri M., TrustPilot, Select Home Warranty Customer
“ …Each contractor assigned was courteous, responsive, professional, and competent. Except for the initial acknowledgement of the service request by AHS, most communication was between the contractor and me, which I preferred.” – Chris A., Trustpilot, American Home Shield Customer
One of the primary perks of a home warranty is the time it’ll save you. Most home warranty companies support their established networks of licensed local contractors to ensure that recruiting a technician for an issue in your home is as efficient as possible. Not only will this allow you to be automatically connected with high-quality professional maintenance, but it also ensures you’re prioritized at the top of any technician’s schedule.
It’s important to remember that because your home warranty company acts as a middleman between you and your contractor, there naturally tends to be a bit of back and forth as step-by-step approval is needed during the repair process.
Though your technician might be performing a fix on behalf of your home warranty company, they’re just as much bound to a contract as you are. To ensure that you’ll get the most coverage out of your policy for any given issue, your contractor should frequently circle back with your provider from start to finish.
Homeownership comes with uncertainties. No matter how diligent you are with proper maintenance and routine tune-ups, the appliances and systems around your home, like any other product, have shelf lives. The true value of a home warranty is that it cuts out the guesswork in calculating how much you’ll spend per year on out-of-the-blue repair needs. Even by earmarking an emergency fund, you may come up short. Home warranties help homeowners nationwide steer clear of debt and access prompt repairs with minimal wait time.
A common worry among homeowners who’ve been thinking about purchasing a home warranty but have yet to sign any dotted lines is that they’re investing money into something that won’t reciprocate the same cash value of coverage benefits in return.
It’s important to remember that, like any other form of insurance, a home warranty is a risk management product. By investing in the likelihood that age-related failures around your home will happen at some point (and they will), you’re trading a significantly smaller payment for the peace of mind that you won’t owe thousands to fix a future breakdown.
A North Carolina home warranty can cost anywhere from $45 to $65+ a month. The premium you’ll pay for a home warranty plan will be directly related to the level of coverage you choose and the service fee or deductible required by your provider. If you are worried about overall costs, there are plenty of budget-friendly plans available across leading home warranty companies.
Standard home warranty coverage is designed to include major systems and appliances throughout your home. Common appliances include things like your built-in microwaves, dishwasher, washing machine, clothes dryer, etc. For systems, most home warranty providers cover plumbing, electrical, HVAC, ductwork, and more.
The best home warranty company in North Carolina is Choice Home Warranty. Choice offers two very straightforward plan options and fair monthly pricing. Customers that have been with Choice for more than a decade are pleased with the way these plans have protected their home.
Because most home warranty companies explicitly exclude secondary damage from their coverage terms, your policy probably won’t cover water damage caused by something like a pipe break or roof leak. Still, it’ll likely cover the repair for the initial source of the water damage.
Similarly, your home warranty also won’t cover damage to appliances or systems that have failed due to water damage. Home warranties are strictly designed to help homeowners finance breakdowns due to age-related wear and tear.
On top of the regular wear and tear endured by your systems and appliances, location and climate can have huge impacts on the condition of your home. Air conditioning systems may need more frequent repairs for those who live toward the North Carolina coast due to the salt and year-round moisture in the air. Likewise, heating systems often require more frequent tune-ups for those living in cooler temperatures in the mountainous regions of NC. No matter where you live in North Carolina, purchasing a home warranty can give you some peace of mind and save you thousands on future emergency repairs and replacements.
At House Method, transparency and trust are our most important values for the reader.
Why Trust House Method
House Method’s Experts collected and analyzed 2000+ critical data points to identify what makes a great home warranty company in the eye of the consumer. Our reviews team used this data to assess over 60 home warranty providers for coverage extent, annual cost, and national availability to provide unbiased reviews so homeowners can confidently navigate key decisions about their homes.
To create this rating system, our team spent hours researching over 60 companies, analyzing 2500+ key data points, getting the thoughts and opinions of 1000+ homeowners, and speaking to home warranty company representatives directly. We also dug into the fine print on each company’s service agreement to ensure no detail was left out.
We developed an objective home warranty review and rating methodology to score each home warranty company based on several criteria. We used a five-point scale with a point index ranging from 0.00 to 1.00. The minimum awardable value is 0.0, whereas 1.00 is the maximum. These numeric points are translated into star ratings, using whole star increments between one and five.
Here is a quick breakdown of our five core scoring categories:
Additional Home Warranties to Consider
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