America’s Preferred Home Warranty Review

America’s Preferred Home Warranty Ratings at a Glance

Unanticipated costs for home repairs can be difficult to manage financially and wreak havoc on a family's spending plan. If you've ever been blindsided by the price of home repairs, you know how important it is to protect your home and its valuables. A home warranty plan can protect your finances against the high cost of fixing broken home systems and appliances. Professionals in the real estate industry and consumers in the United States can get house warranty protection from America's Preferred Home Warranty (APHW).

It might be difficult to sort through all the options for home warranty providers to locate the best one for your home protection needs. Benzinga has done the homework on APHW home warranty coverage options, looking at costs, coverage, Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating, customer incentives and more. Keep reading to find out whether APHW's home repair services are a good fit for you.

APHW provides two homeowner warranty programs with add-on options. Also available are real estate professional, buyer and seller plans — you must call to receive a quote on real estate plans.

Homeowner Plans

Real Estate Plans

APHW offers home warranty plans for real estate professionals, buyers and sellers. For homeowners selling a home, coverage is for the duration of the real estate listing and has no expiration date. The ListSecure® program provides coverage for two years after the sale should a legal dispute occur. No payment is due until closing. Real estate professionals or buyers/sellers must use this form to obtain a quote or call 1-800-648-5006.

Here are the basic coverage details for all APHW home warranty plans: 

Attic and Exhaust Fans

Switches, controllers, motors, bearings and blades are included.

Excluded: shutters, belts, filters, circulation and paddle-type fans.

Central Air Conditioning System

Comprises: Electric refrigerant central air conditioning units only. Coils, compressor, capacitor, motors, thermostat valves, thermostats, refrigerant line leaks, liquid suction line dryers, fuses, circuit breakers, disconnect boxes (contactor), wiring, condensing units and evaporative coolers.

Excluded: Window units, freestanding room units, water-cooled or portable units, gas, lithium/glycol, outside and/or underground components, gas unit ductwork, evaporative cooling pads, energy management systems, electronic air filters, cleaners, filters, water towers or recovery of refrigerant and chillers are not covered — controls and motors for zones, dampers and leak testing.

Electrical

Breakers, panels and sub-panels, plugs, wiring, fuses, switches, conduits, junction boxes and central vacuum systems are covered — garage door openers (motors, push buttons, control boards, drive mechanisms, chains).

Excluded: Service entrance cables, garage doors, meter boxes, counterbalance rollers, mechanisms, tracks, infrared sensors and remote sensing units, any loss resulting from water seepage along service cable, any loss from overload or power failure and any electrical items or wiring located outside the perimeter of the primary residence and attached garage are not covered.

Exterior Water and Sewer Line Coverage

Water and sewer pipes are included from the home's foundation to the water or sewer main pipe. Coverage includes the repair and/or replacement of the affected pipe and clearing of the stoppage (cleaning the same lines after 14 days shall be considered a new claim and subject to a new deductible), up to the policy limit and locating the pipe stoppage or collapse, including excavation and backfilling.

Excluded: Landscape replacement, frozen pipes, leak cleanup, blockages or breaks caused by tree roots and foreign items not covered.

Heating System

Central heating system, including gas, oil, electric, gravity (only for centrally ducted systems), steam or hot water heat systems, ductwork, internal gas lines, thermostats, relays and wiring. Electric heat pump, burners, transformer, gas valves, baseboard convectors, pumps, motors, switches, circuit board, igniter, flame sensor and heating elements.

Boiler systems only include zone valves, geothermal and/or water source heat pump components and parts installed in the home's foundation or adjacent garage to cool and/or heat the home.

Excluded: Outside and/or underground components and piping for geothermal and/or water source heat pumps are not covered. Space heaters, solar heating systems, radiators, fireplaces, clocks, chimneys, grills, filters and chimney liners. Leak tests. Zone controllers, zone motors and dampers.

Humidifiers permanently installed in furnaces, including pans, housing, motors, fans, humidistats, transformers, valves and lines.

Humidifier pads, media components, brushes, atomizers and back flush units are not covered.

Kitchen Appliances

Coverage is restricted to the principal cooking area.

Included: freestanding range, built-in oven, built-in cooktop, built-in dishwasher (spray arm, seals, air gap, latches, switches and heating element, pump, motor, timers, gaskets, control board), built-in microwave, garbage disposal and refrigerator (compressor only).

The cost of gaining access, replacement or repair of countertops or cabinets, racks, baskets, self-cleaning mechanisms, interior lining, door glass, latches, cooking accessories, doors, door hinges, knobs, keypads, clocks, timers, rollers, glass or ceramic cooktops, meat probes, rotisseries, shelves, ice makers, ice crushers, soap dispensers, water dispensers, cracked or broken thermal shells.

Plumbing Systems

Drains, standard faucets, leaks and breaks in water, vent, gas or sewer lines, waste lines, assembly parts within the toilet tank, shower valves, tub diverters, interior hose bibs and clogs in the drain, vent and sewer lines; risers and angle stops are included. Clearing obstructions using a rotary machine (cleaning the same lines after 14 days is considered a new claim and is subject to a new deductible). The preceding is only covered within the perimeter of the home's main foundation, including the attached garage. Sump pumps are permanently mounted (groundwater only).

Not Covered: Sinks, bathtubs, fixtures, exterior hose bibs, filters, sewage ejector pumps, shower-base pans, shower enclosures, tub enclosures, toilet wax ring seals, toilet bowl and tank, caulking, grouting, tile fields, lawn sprinklers, leach beds, root damage, any loss resulting from a condition of chemical or mineral deposits, water residue, rust-out or insufficient capacity drain, low or high pressure, loss. The sewage lines are positioned outside the home's primary foundation and are obstructed by tree roots and extraneous objects.

Coverage applies to rolled roofing, asphalt shingles and flashing only for water leaks that occur during the coverage term.

Roof mount installations, roof vents, roof vent boots, gutters, drain lines, preexisting leaks, leaks in any deck or balcony and leaks caused by ice damming are not covered. Damage resulting from people walking or standing on the roof, missing and/or broken tiles or shingles, repairs or construction not performed in a professional manner, failure to perform routine roof maintenance, replacement of the entire roof, rotten wood, flat and/or hot tar roof and acts of God, including tornado, hurricane, earthquake, fire and lightning. The major living area's roof must sustain water damage, excluding the adjacent garage.

Septic

Coverage includes the septic tank, house line, baffles, sewage ejector pump and switches.

The drain field, tile fields and leach beds clean out, insufficient capacity and obstructions from tree roots and foreign items are not covered.

Washer/Dryer

Excluded from coverage are the items listed under "Not Covered."

Soap dispensers, filter screens, plastic mini-tubs, dials and knobs, lint screens, ventilation and garment damage are not covered.

Water Heater

Electric, gas and tankless are included. Control thermostat, thermocouple, gas valves, pressure and temperature-relief valve, heating elements, drain valve, instant hot water dispensers, dip tubes, blower motor, heat exchanger and burners, the igniter and the temperature sensor.

Oil hot water tanks and losses resulting from chemical, mineral deposits, sediments, insufficient capacity, water residue or rust-out are not covered.

Water Well Pump

It must be the principal source of water.

Well pumps, valves and regulators are included.

Pressure tanks, piping or electrical lines leading to or linking pressure tank and principal dwelling, well casings, holding or storage tanks and redrilling of well, screens, points, well pump if used for a lawn sprinkler system or similar system are not covered.

Based on 144 customer reviews and 155 customer complaints, APHW has an A+ rating and a 3.25-star rating out of 5. Since 2010, APHW has been an approved BBB business. Most of the complaints from clients were about guarantees and warranties.

For claims, you must call 1-800-648-5006. After you file your claim, you will get a claim number. Once your contractor is on the job site, you must call for phone approval or your claim may not be approved. If you need help finding a contractor to do repair work, the company wants you to call them 24/7/365. To request a free quote, you may call 888-351-3681.

Remember the contractor works for you, not the warranty company. This means that the warranty company is not responsible for any repairs.

Real estate professionals can access their accounts through the Real-Pro portal. They can also call a dedicated support line at 855-806-6678 or email real-support@aphw.com. Real estate professionals can also download an app from the App Store, Google Play or Amazon. You can get a quote online or by calling 800-648-5006 if you are a real estate agent or buying a home.

For general questions, you can call APHW at 800-648-5006, email APHWOffice@APHW.com or use the contact us form on the company's website.

The cost for APHW’s home warranty plans is the same for all states. Here are the pricing options for standard plans along with additional add-on options.

Real estate professionals can access their accounts through a portal called Real-Pro. They can also call a dedicated support line at 855-806-6678 or email real-support@aphw.com. Real estate professionals can also download an app from the App Store, Google Play or Amazon.

Customers of APHW will have the following benefits when purchasing a home warranty plan:

• The ability to choose your own licensed contractor
• 24/7 customer claims service and support
• Nationwide coverage
• Hotel benefits for up to three nights at $75 per night

The company’s website gives ample information about home warranty plans and pricing. However, there is no pricing plan for real estate plans available online. It is easy to contact a company representative 24/7 for customer service support. Customers can file a claim online or by telephone 24/7. Warranty holders wanting to choose their own licensed contractor for repairs have the ability to do so.

America’s Preferred Home Warranty Versus Competitors

The contractor network is one of the most significant differences between America's Preferred Home Warranty and its competitors. You can choose any licensed contractor to handle repairs with America's Preferred Home Warranty. Cinch Home Services, American Home Shield and Select Home Warranty are comparable to APHW.

America's Preferred Home Warranty protects homeowners and real estate brokers all around the country. It has an A+ rating from the BBB. APHW has been in business for more than 20 years and offers home warranty coverage for condos, townhomes, new construction, single-family and multifamily apartments and real estate professional plans around the country. It's one of the few home warranty companies that lets you choose your own licensed contractor. APHW offers claim services and client support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Benzinga believes APHW is a good option for your home security needs.

America’s Preferred Home Warranty Video Tutorial

Frequently Asked Questions