Best Home Warranty Companies in Ohio (2022)

Whether you’re an Ohio native or new to the Buckeye State altogether, a home warranty plan can save you thousands each year on routine and emergency maintenance for your home’s essential appliances and systems. We’ve evaluated 40+ reputable home warranty companies serving homeowners across the state of Ohio and selected the following five providers for their premier coverage options, competitive pricing, and positive customer feedback.

Like many midwestern states, the climate in Ohio can be pretty unpredictable, especially during transitional seasons like spring and fall. Keeping things like your HVAC system, hot water heater, and ceiling fans in check is especially important in Ohio, where a 70-degree day can drop into below-freezing temperatures overnight.

Read on to find out what exactly a home warranty covers, how to find the best home warranty company in Ohio for you, and other insider tips for Ohio homeowners. 

Ohio’s Best Home Warranty Companies in 2022

1. Choice Home Warranty: Best overall
2. Select Home Warranty: Most cost-effective plans
3. American Home Shield: Best customizable plans
4. The Home Service Club: Quickest service
5. Liberty Home Guard: Most trustworthy

Quick Comparison of Home Warranty Providers

Choice Home Warranty

• Our Take: Best overall
• Average Annual Cost: $560 – $660
• Response Time: Up to 48 hours

Choice Home Warranty (CHW) offers all-around exceptional home warranty coverage for Ohio homeowners, renters, and landlords. Founded in 2008, CHW currently provides premier home protection services to over 1.6 million properties nationwide. Upon generating your initial custom quote, you’ll be paired with your own CHW representative, who will assist you with any questions or issues you may have throughout your membership with Choice. 

Pros and Cons

✓ Supports 24/7/365 live customer service

✓New joiners receive $50 off plus one month of free coverage (for a limited time only)

✓ All CHW repairs are guaranteed for 90 days

✓ Has a pre-screened contractor network of over 25,000 licensed technicians

X Base plans aren’t customizable beyond add-ons

Plans and Pricing 

From its policy framework to its claims filing process, Choice Home Warranty keeps its coverage simple yet effective. Ohio homeowners have two standard plan options — the Basic Plan and the Total Plan. These coverage levels cover a mix of home systems and appliances, though the Total Plan offers a slightly longer list of inclusions.

No matter what plan level you choose, you’ll be covered for up to $3,000 per year in repair or replacement costs for each item covered by Choice. You’ll only be liable for your monthly or annual payment and the $85 service call fee. 

Here’s a detailed look at Choice Home Warranty’s coverage:

• The Basic Plan ($45 per month): Even as CHW’s lowest coverage option, the Basic Plan still includes 14 home systems and appliances, including heating systems, ductwork, electrical systems, plumbing systems/stoppages, hot water heaters, ovens/ranges/stoves, dishwashers, built-in microwaves, garage door openers, whirlpool bathtubs, and ceiling/exhaust fans.

• The Total Plan ($53.33 per month): For complete home protection, the Total Plan combines all items in the Basic Plan plus coverage for air conditioning systems, refrigerators, clothes washers, and clothes dryers. 

Coverage

Choice Home Warranty customers in Ohio can take their home warranty one step further by tacking on optional coverage for:

• Limited roof leak (for single-family homes only)
• Central vacuums
• Well pumps
• Sump pumps
• In-ground pools and spas plus related heating, pumping, and filtration systems
• Septic tank pumping (includes mainline stoppages and clogs)
• Standalone freezers and second refrigerators

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

• Our Take: Most cost-effective

• Average Annual Cost:  $630 – $699.99

• Response Time: Up to 48 hours

Ohio homeowners on a budget will likely find the low-cost coverage they’re looking for through Select Home Warranty (SHW). On top of standard coverage plans starting at just $1 a day, SHW also advertises a host of seasonal discounts and new member-exclusive promotions. For a limited time only, homeowners who sign up with Select will receive $150 off their premium plus complimentary roof leak protection and two months of free coverage (when you pay annually).  

Pros and Cons

✓ Select Home Warranty offers up to $400 in roof leak repairs per year for free

✓ New joiners will receive an additional $150 off plus two months of free coverage (for a limited time only)

✓ Easy-to-understand plan breakdown

X $75 cancellation fee

X Shorter 30-day workmanship warranty than competing providers

Plans and Pricing 

Select Home Warranty itemizes its three base plans by type. Customers in Ohio can choose between an appliance-only plan (the Bronze Care plan), a systems plan (the Gold Care plan), or a catch-all package that combines both (the Platinum Plan). 

With Select, you’ll be covered for up to $500 per year in repair/replacement costs on all covered systems and appliances, alongside a $2,000 annual coverage limit for HVAC. All optional coverage riders operate within a limit of $400 per year. 

Should you ever need to open a service request, you’ll only pay a service call fee of $60 — one of the lowest home warranty deductibles you’ll find industry-wide. 

Here’s a detailed look at Select’s coverage: 

• The Bronze Care Plan ($58 per month): With this plan level, you’ll be covered for eight essential home appliances, specifically garbage disposals, dishwashers, clothes washers/dryers, built-in microwaves, ovens/stoves, and refrigerators
• The Gold Care Plan ($57.67 per month): For coverage concentrated on your major home systems, the Gold Care Plan includes six built-in home systems like air conditioners, ductwork, electrical, heating, plumbing, and water heaters.   
• The Platinum Care Plan ($62.08 per month): This deluxe plan level is just $5 more per month and combines the Bronze and Gold Care plans plus coverage for plumbing stoppages and garage door openers. 

Coverage

Select also offers an impressive spread of optional plan add-ons, including but not limited to:

• Well pumps
• Sump pumps
• Septic systems
• Plumbing and light fixtures (shower heads, faucet filters, electrical switches, smoke detectors, outlets, etc.)
• Sprinkler irrigation systems
• Pools and spas
• Roof leaks (over occupied living areas of single-family homes only)
• Central vacuum 
• Second refrigerators and standalone freezers

For a free quote from Select Home Warranty, fill out this online form or call 888-370-3953.

Read our full Select Home Warranty review for more details.

American Home Shield

• Our Take: Best customizable plans

• Average Annual Cost: $527.88 – $711.88

• Response Time: Up to 48 hours

Established in 1971, American Home Shield (AHS) is the oldest home warranty provider in the industry. AHS leverages its home protection services with over 50 years of experience and a current customer base of over 1.8 million active policyholders. Offering the most customizable home warranty plans in Ohio, AHS ensures its customers won’t have to worry about paying for more coverage than they need. By signing up with American Home Shield, you’ll have control over your plan level, premium, and service call fee. 

Pros and Cons

✓ Has a robust network of over 50,000 qualified technicians

✓ Covers appliance and system failures due to improper installation, poor maintenance, and unknown pre-existing conditions 

✓ Customer can choose between three service call fee options

X May charge repeat service fees for a recurring issue (beyond workmanship warranty window)

X Shorter-than-average 30-day workmanship guarantee

Plans and Pricing 

American Home Shield has three primary plan options available to homeowners in Ohio — ShieldSilver, ShieldGold, and ShieldPlatinum. ShieldSilver only covers home systems, ShieldGold covers systems and a select number of major appliances within a coverage maximum of $3,000 per item per year. ShieldPlatinum is an enhanced version of ShieldGold featuring an annual per-item coverage cap of $6,000 and $1,000 in homeowners insurance deductible credit. 

AHS customers can choose their service call fee of $75, $100, or $125. The higher your service call fee, the lower your annual or monthly premium, and vice versa. 

Here’s a detailed look at American Home Shield’s coverage: 

• ShieldSilver ($29.27- $44.27 per month):  Systems plans like ShieldSilver can help save you from substantial repair expenses. This plan covers 19 systems, including air conditioning, electrical systems, smoke alarms, water heaters, doorbells, garage door openers, heating systems, plumbing, and ductwork.
• ShieldGold ($39.27 – $54.27 per month): ShieldGold is one of the more popular policy choices among AHS customers. This plan covers 23 systems and appliances, including kitchen and laundry appliances, trash compactors, water dispensers, re-keying, and more.
• ShieldPlatinum ($59.27 – $74.27 per month): As the most comprehensive coverage option offered by AHS, this plan covers all items included in ShieldGold plus roof leak repairs, one free HVAC tune-up per year, and construction permit coverage. 

Coverage

American Home Shield offers a modest selection of optional coverage riders, such as:

• Pools and spas (including filtration, heating, and pumping components)
• Roof leak repairs
• Electronics protection for an unlimited number of devices like laptops, TVs, smart phones, etc. 
• Guest house coverage (for units up to 750 square feet)
• Septic pumps
• Well pumps

For a free quote from American Home Shield, fill out this online form or call 888-365-2839.

To learn more about AHS, visit our American Home Shield review.

The Home Service Club

• Our Take: Quickest service

• Average Annual Cost: $650 – $800

• Response Time: Within 24 hours

The Home Service Club (HSC) is an ideal option for anyone who recently purchased a home in Ohio. Especially for first-time homebuyers, it can be hard to find the extra cash to cover repairs right after closing. While most home warranty companies require a 30-day waiting period before your coverage goes into effect after sign-up, HSC will activate your benefits in just ten days. 

Pros and Cons

✓ All repairs are guaranteed by a workmanship warranty of 30 days on labor and 90 days on parts

✓ Covers appliances and systems of any age, make, or model

✓ Offers real estate plans specifically for homes on the market

X No lower-level cheap plan option

X Charges a contract transfer fee of $55

Plans and Pricing 

HSC divides its coverage into two straightforward variations — Standard and Comprehensive. The Standard Coverage plan is HSC’s no-frills home warranty plan, covering a variety of 18 appliances and systems. 

For $13 more per month, the Comprehensive Coverage plan will safeguard 27 systems and appliances in your home, with a few unique inclusions like pest control, home security systems, telephone wiring, and more. HSC’s annual coverage limits range between $500 and $2,500 per item, depending on the appliance or system.

Like American Home Shield, HSC lets its customers choose their service call fee of $60, $75, or $95. 

Here’s a detailed look at The Home Service Club’s coverage: 

• Standard Coverage Plan ($50 per month): Homeowners in Ohio who sign up for the Standard Coverage plan will be covered for 18 systems and appliances, including air conditioners, ceiling fans, water leaks, water heater, electrical system, central vacuum, dishwasher, refrigerator, trash compactor, oven, and more.
• Comprehensive Coverage Plan ($62.90 per month): For more dependable home protection, the Comprehensive Coverage plan includes 15 more items than the Standard Coverage plan. With this plan level, you’ll be covered for waste/water/gas line leaks, pest control, smoke detectors, plumbing stoppages, telephone and alarm wiring, and more. 

Coverage

In addition to its main home warranty plans, The Home Service Club offers additional coverage for:

• Utility service lines (six part package including outside water lines, gas lines, sewer lines, electric lines, grinder pumps, and sprinkler systems)
• Sewage ejector pumps
• Well pumps
• Pools and spas
• Sprinkler irrigation systems
• Jetted bathtubs (drains, gaskets, primary circulation pump and motor, etc.)
• Water softener
• Dual-compressor refrigerators and freestanding freezers

To get a free quote from The Home Service Club, fill out this online form or call 800-842-9334.

Continue reading about HSC in our complete The Home Service Club review.

Liberty Home Guard

• Our Take: Most trustworthy

• Average Annual Cost: $700 – $799.99

• Response Time: Within 24 hours

Liberty Home Guard (LHG) is our go-to provider recommendation for homeowners with minimal home warranty experience. With an A rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) — a rarity in the home warranty category — we nominated LHG as the most trustworthy home warranty company in Ohio. Though only a five-year-old business, Liberty Home Guard has earned its reputation through fast claim turnaround times, versatile coverage options, and diligent customer service. 

Pros and Cons

✓ Offers an exhaustive list of 41+ optional coverage add-ons

✓ Maintains an A rating with the BBB

✓ Doesn’t require contract commitment, so you can cancel at any time

X  Less experience on the market compared to competitors

X Higher-than-average premiums

Plans and Pricing 

Liberty Home Guard has three standard plans for Ohio residents to choose from, each curated to satisfy different coverage objectives. LHG’s first two coverage levels, Appliance Guard and Systems Guard are appliance-only and system-only options for those who don’t want their entire home covered.  For maximum protection, LHG also offers Total Home Guard, which rolls the two previously mentioned plans into one. 

All appliances and systems included in Liberty Home Guard’s standard coverage terms are capped at an annual limit of $2,000 per item. Optional add-ons are limited to $500 per year for each item needing repair or replacement. You’ll also be accountable for the $75 service fee at your initial service appointment. 

Here’s a detailed look at Liberty Home Guard’s coverage: 

• Appliance Guard ($70 per month): This appliance plan covers 11 major appliances, including garage door openers, ceiling fans, cooktop exhaust fans, ovens, refrigerators, garbage disposals, dishwashers, built-in microwaves, clothes washers, clothes dryers, and built-in ice makers. 

• Systems Guard ($74.99 per month): This systems plan covers nine primary home systems, including  electrical systems, air conditioners, bath exhaust fans, heating systems, toilets, ductwork, plumbing and plumbing stoppages, and water heaters.

• Total Home Guard ($79.99 per month): As a combo of the two plans mentioned above, Total Home Guard is the ultimate home protection package available through Liberty Home Guard. 

Coverage

Customers can add more than 40 coverage riders to their LHG policy. A few of the many unique offerings available through Liberty Home Guard include:

• Pest control for ants, roaches, silverfish, crickets, wasps, and more
• Gutter cleaning
• Re-keying (one keyhole and copy of the key per year)
• Generators and related components
• Saltwater pools
• Light fixtures
• Two carpet cleanings per year

To get a free quote from Liberty Home Guard, fill out this online form or call 866-451-2281.

Continue reading about LHG in our Liberty Home Guard review. 

Home Warranties in Ohio Cities

• Cincinnati, OH
• Cleveland, OH

How Much Does a Home Warranty in Ohio Cost

Standard home warranty coverage in Ohio usually costs between $40-$70 a month, or  $480-$840 per year, depending on the plan level you select and whether or not you add any optional coverage items to your policy. 

All home warranty providers also instate service call fees, which are a deductible you’ll need to pay out-of-pocket each time a technician is dispatched to your property for a new home service request. Usually ranging between $60-$125, the service call fee covers labor costs and any travel expenses incurred by the contractor. 

Keep in mind that you’ll likely only be compensated for repair and replacements under an annual coverage limit for each covered item. Any maintenance expenses that exceed that maximum will be left to you, the homeowner, to pay. 

Compare the Best Home Warranty Companies in Ohio

Final Thoughts

Home warranties aren’t one-size-fits-all. No matter what state you live in, the right policy for you will ultimately depend on your budget and coverage needs. While a home warranty isn’t obligatory in the same way that homeowner’s insurance is, that doesn’t make it any less imperative of a financial tool. 

With so many plan and provider options available in Ohio, it can be hard to know where to start. Based on our research, Choice Home Warranty (CHW) offers the most universal coverage in the home warranty space, with affordable premiums and made-to-order policies for all types of homeowners. 

How to Choose the Best Home Warranty in Ohio

Though we’ve singled out and evaluated a few of the top home warranty providers in Ohio for you, it’s unlikely that all five of these carriers will be an automatic fit. Here are a few additional factors to consider as you decide on a final home warranty service provider:

• Cost vs. Coverage: As you compare companies, it’s important to consider the cost of your plan relative to the amount of coverage disclosed in the contract. Fixating on finding the cheapest home warranty could leave you underinsured if you’re not careful.

• Custom Quotes: Comparison is key to tracking down the best home warranty for you. We recommend shopping around and generating custom quotes with at least three different home warranty companies before settling on one. 

• Verified Customer Reviews: The best way to predict your experience with any home warranty company is by stepping into the shoes of a current customer. Testimonials from accredited organizations like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) will offer an honest look into the company’s customer satisfaction rates.  

Investing in a home warranty is an especially lucrative decision for some cities in Ohio more than it is for others. Though the collective state of Ohio maintains a cost of living approximately 8% below the national average, cities like Upper Arlington, Columbus, and Cincinnati are among the most expensive to live in state-wide. In other words, home repair services will be costlier for homeowners in these densely populated areas than for those residing along the outskirts of Ohio. 

The higher cost of living across Ohio’s metropolitan areas naturally translates into more expensive professional home services, and even more so if you opt to hire your own technician and pay out-of-pocket. 

A home warranty saves you thousands of dollars on routine maintenance and surprise breakdowns, but it’ll also spare you any time spent trying to find a qualified local contractor in Ohio with reasonable rates and next-day availability.

What is a Home Warranty?

A home warranty is an annual service contract that covers homeowners for the cost to repair or replace major home appliances and systems as they break down due to normal wear and tear. Once you’ve enrolled in a home warranty plan, when an item like your dishwasher or HVAC system stops working properly, you’ll have instant access to quick repairs through a professional home repair service near you. 

Home Warranty vs. Homeowners Insurance

Twister season is no joke in Ohio, especially in westward parts of the state. While your home insurance policy will cover you for any damage that your home sustains from potential tornadoes, it won’t cover age-related deterioration around your property like home warranties do.  

Also, whereas home insurance is typically a requirement for homeowners looking to secure a mortgage, home warranties are an entirely optional means of home protection. Still, a home warranty fills a fairly wide coverage gap that homeowners insurance won’t touch. 

How Does a Home Warranty in Ohio Work?

Accessing your home warranty benefits works the same way in Ohio as in any other state. Here’s a brief rundown of what you’ll need to do to initiate a service request through your provider:

Open a Claim

When you notice a damaged appliance or system in your home, you’ll first have to notify your home warranty provider of the issue by filing a claim online or contacting a representative over the phone. Your claim will either be approved or denied within 24-48 hours after it is filed.

Initial Diagnostic Appointment

Assuming your claim is approved, your home warranty provider will dispatch a technician from its internal network of contractors. At this initial appointment, the technician will assess the problem related to your claim and report back to your carrier with a repair estimate. You’ll be responsible for paying the required service call fee at this first home visit. 

Repair or Replacement

After the first diagnostic appointment is complete, your home warranty provider will schedule a secondary appointment for the actual repair. Remember, you’ll be covered for repair or replacement costs within the set annual coverage limit mentioned in your service contract. 

What Does a Home Warranty Cover?

A home warranty covers costs related to repairing or replacing a select number of major systems and appliances within your home. Though standard inclusions do vary from provider to provider, most home warranty companies will typically cover:

What is Not Covered by a Home Warranty?

Familiarizing yourself with your home warranty provider’s specific exclusions is the best way to ensure you’ll never have a claim denied in the future. While each company’s limitations aren’t the same across the board, most home warranty carriers won’t cover costs for:

• Damage due to improper installation or cosmetic defects
• Damage due to poor maintenance or neglect
• Damage caused by pests and wildlife
• Any known pre-existing conditions
• Malfunctions caused by corrosion, rust, or sediment
• Mold and mildew remediation
• Repair work and related materials beyond your annual coverage limit

Biggest Complaints about Home Warranty Companies in Ohio

As a home protection product, home warranties are designed to provide homeowners with peace of mind that their finances will never be jeopardized by a sudden appliance or system failure. Still, it requires some due diligence on the customer’s part to ensure that they’ll get the most out of their home warranty. 

We’ve combed through a list of low ratings specifically from homeowners in Ohio and paired recurring customer issues with our advice on avoiding these pitfalls:

• Frequent claim denials: Overall, denied claims are one of the most common customer complaints in the home warranty category. Unfortunately, most are from homeowners who misunderstood the coverage terms of their contract and filed a claim for an excluded item. Before signing up, we urge you to carefully review the fine print of your potential provider’s sample policy to ensure you’re in agreement with its inclusions, exclusions, and other policy details. 

• Distant customer service: Flaky customer service can be incredibly frustrating. Another reason why we highly recommend Choice Home Warranty to our readers is because it ensures that its customers won’t ever be passed between different representatives. When you sign up with Choice, you’ll be matched with one agent who will be your primary point of contact throughout your membership. 

• Hidden fees: A number of customers based in Ohio were dissatisfied with the repeat service call fees they were charged when requesting service for the same appliance. We recommend prioritizing a provider, like any of the five above, with a workmanship warranty on all repairs or replacements.  

Are Home Warranties Worth it?

A recent survey done in February 2022 found that the average homeowner spends roughly $2,676 per year on maintenance and repairs and $6,649 on other home improvements. For many, especially first-time homeowners, that’s a significant chunk of change to spend out-of-pocket — unless they’ve already invested in a home warranty. 

Given that the national average cost of a home warranty is approximately $600 per year with a typical annual coverage limit of $3,000 per year, your policy can easily pay for itself next to that $2.676 estimation. So, when an appliance or system in your home unexpectedly quits, you’ll only have to pay a service fee of about $60-$125 instead of a few grand. 

Michael Stimpson, the owner and operator of Snowflake Air, clued us in on how home warranties are more than just a worthwhile investment for homeowners — they’re also helping small businesses as well as they recover from the economic impact of the pandemic. Home warranties offer an all-around “win-win-win situation when everything goes well,” Stimpson says. “The customer gets a good deal on repair services, the contractor gets work without having to pay for marketing, and the home warranty company is able to provide an affordable product.”

House Method Home Warranty Ranking Methodology

At House Method, transparency and trust are our most important values for the reader. 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. 

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 ensure no detail was left out.

To make the most of our research, we developed an objective rating system to score each home warranty company 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 and service fees compared 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 judged 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 set them apart from the competition.