The Home Service Club Review (2020)

The Home Service Club (HSC) provides quick coverage on home warranty claims and has one of the shortest waiting periods (10 days for coverage to begin) out of all the home warranty companies we’ve reviewed.

Below you’ll find House Method’s 2020 review of The Home Service Club. We go in-depth and take a look at plans and pricing, compare HSC to other home warranty providers in the industry, and provide Home Service Club reviews to help you determine if HSC is the top home warranty for you.

The Home Service Club plans, coverage, and cost

The Home Service Club has two plan options—Standard Coverage and Comprehensive Coverage—that cost an average of $46–$61 per month. If you want to cover an item that’s not on either list, HSC has a list of add-ons you can add to your plan in an à la carte fashion.

Standard Coverage: $45.95 per month ($551.40 for an annual plan). This plan covers basic systems and appliances in your home.

Comprehensive Coverage: $60.95 per month ($731.40 for an annual plan). This plan covers everything under the Standard Coverage plan, in addition to items like ductwork and smoke detectors.

Optional Coverage: For an additional cost, you can add on coverage for the following items to an existing HSC plan.

Note: The Home Service Club charges a $95 service fee for every service call you make. This means that when a contractor comes to your house to assess your broken system or appliance, you’ll have to pay them a $95 fee before they leave. When we talked to a service representative, he said he could get the service fee down to $65, though $95 is the norm.

Price of The Home Service Club vs. competitors

Details for top HSC systems and appliances

Our team at House Method wanted to understand what customers value most when it came to home warranty coverage, so we surveyed 1,000 homeowners and asked them which items in their home were most valuable to them.

The top six systems and appliances people care about are the electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, refrigerator, washer/dryer, and oven/stove/range.

Here’s what that coverage looks like under an HSC home warranty plan.

Air conditioning

Some elements of the air conditioning unit that are covered under a Home Service Club home warranty include ducted central electric split and package units; wall air conditioners; blower fan motors; capacitors; compressors; condenser fan motors; condenser coils; fan blades; refrigerant (freon); and more. Note: most home warranty providers don’t provide coverage for wall units or freon, so this is a big advantage for HSC.

Electrical

The following items are covered under an HSC Standard Coverage plan: general line voltage wiring, the fuse panel, lighting fixtures, and standard light switches and receptacles. HSC will pay up to $500 per contract term for access, diagnosis, repair, or replacement of covered electrical system components.

Plumbing

Under HSC plumbing coverage, you’ll receive protection for the following: interior hose bibs, angle stops, risers, shower and tub valves, gate valves, waste and stop valves, faucets and fixtures, and toilet tanks and bowls. The Home Service Club will cover up to three toilets and up to two interior hose bibs and p-traps.

Refrigerator

You’ll receive coverage for components and parts of your primary refrigerator that malfunction due to normal wear and tear. For a complete list of what isn’t included under refrigerator coverage, take a look at an HSC sample contract online.

Washer/dryer

Most components and parts of your washer and dryer are covered. The elements that aren’t covered include the plastic mini-tubs, soap dispensers, filter screens, knobs and dials, odors, latch assemblies, venting, lint screens, dryer cabinet hangers, shelves, rods, hooks, touch pads, and damage to clothing.

Oven/stove/range

The following items are not covered under an HSC home warranty: clocks, meat probe assemblies, rotisseries, racks, door hinges, springs, gasket, seal, vent, hoods, handles, knobs, dials, interior lining, noise, sensi-heat burners, light sockets, light bulbs, indoor barbecue, and removable accessories.

To determine what exactly is and isn’t covered under a Home Service Club home warranty, view the HSC sample contract online.

Coverage length

Unlike most home warranty companies that have waiting periods of 30 days, home warranty coverage from The Home Service Club begins after only 10 days of signing up. Home protection plans are a one-year service contract that customers can renew at the end of the year.

Note: The Home Service Club also offers one to five months of coverage for free on a promotional basis when you enroll in a one- to five-year home warranty plan.

Coverage limits

Here’s a breakdown of major home systems and appliances and the coverage cap for each item:

Coverage limits are standard across all home warranty plans, but House Method considers coverage caps to be generous when they exceed $500 per covered item.

Remember: The Home Service Club does not cover items that have been improperly installed or inadequately maintained (this includes rust and corrosion). 

The Home Service Club is available in 49 states and doesn’t cover Wisconsin. Read our review on the best home warranty companies in Wisconsin to determine which home warranty in the state is best for you.

Our take

The Home Service Club is a standard home warranty company that provides adequate coverage at a decent price. It’s not the cheapest home warranty, but it’s also not the most expensive plan on the market, either.

Regarding customer service, The Home Service Club ranks above its competitors. It guarantees a response to your claims within 24 hours (most companies guarantee a response within 48 hours) and the company is available on weekends and after hours. It even provides emergency services for truly unexpected breakdowns.

Additionally, we love how The Home Service Club offers unique benefits to its customers, such as special access to discounts on and help with household projects (think: cabinetry, flooring, etc.), a discount when you sign up for a plan, and the ability to choose your own technician.

All in all, The Home Service Club is a great home warranty company and we definitely recommend it if you’re looking for immediate coverage on your broken systems and appliances.

The Home Service Club reviews

As a consumer, you probably don’t have the time to sit around and sift through the hundreds of home warranty reviews left by Home Service Club 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 HSC ratings compared to the industry average.

Final thoughts

House Method gives The Home Service Club 4.38 out of 5 stars. Although the company has slightly higher premiums and service fees than other providers we’ve reviewed, it takes care of major home repairs and replacements on important systems and appliances at a speedy rate. We also love that it received a perfect score for customer service and plan options.

The Home Service Club is a good choice for you if…

• you don’t want to wait 30 days for home warranty coverage.
• you want responsive customer service.
• you’re buying a home or are a real estate agent facilitating a home sale.

The Home Service Club might not be for you if…

• you’re shopping for the cheapest home warranty, as premiums and service fees are slightly above the industry average.

Compare HSC to the competition

If you’re not sure whether The Home Service club is right for you, compare it to other providers in the industry.

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: The Home Service Club
• Company type: Private
• CEO: Sam Zakarin
• Founding date: 8/25/2008
• Years in business: 11 years
• Telephone: (646) 205-8733
• Address: 305 Broadway, 9th Floor
• State/province: New York, NY
• Postal code: 10007
• State availability: 49 states
• Service fee: $95
• BBB rating: N/A