Best Home Warranty Companies in Florida (2024)
Florida weather can take a toll on your home. The constant rainfall can lead to roof leaks, the sea air can corrode your gutters, and the scorching summers can strain your AC. Thankfully, a reliable home warranty company can save you money on repairs when these issues happen. Investing in a home warranty for an older home should “provide peace of mind that if something big goes wrong, you won’t be on the hook for an expensive repair,” says Ben F. Bigelow, Ph.D., a professor of construction science at the University of Oklahoma.
To help you find the right home warranty plan, we reviewed 13 leading companies and found the best five for Florida homeowners. Our favorite is American Home Shield, thanks to its impressive cooling and heating system coverage ideal for Florida’s intense heat.
Top Home Warranty Companies in Florida
After reviewing 13 of the most popular home warranty companies, we recommend the following five for Florida homeowners:
- American Home Shield: Best for Comprehensive Coverage
- First American Home Warranty: Best for High-End Items
- Choice Home Warranty: Best Basic Coverage
- Elite Home Warranty: Best for Customized Coverage
- Liberty Home Guard: Best Customer Support
Comparing Top Providers
We gathered quotes from each home warranty company for a 2,043-square-foot home in Tampa, Florida. The following table compares these prices plus other key factors you should consider before choosing a provider.
Provider | Our Score | Monthly Plan Cost* | Service Call Fee | Workmanship Guarantee | BBB Rating | Get a Quote |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
$14–$79 | $100–$125 | 30 days | B | VISIT SITE | ||
$42–$82 | $100–$125 | 30 days | B | VISIT SITE | ||
$46–$54 | $100 | 90 days | B | VISIT SITE | ||
$40–$60 | $70 | 90 days | B+ | VISIT SITE | ||
$49–$59 | $65–$125 | 60 days | NR** | VISIT SITE |
*Pricing may vary depending on your home’s location, size, type, and plan choices.
**BBB ratings are accurate as of November 2024.
***NR, or “No Rating,” means that the BBB has not issued a rating due to an ongoing review or update to a company’s profile.
Our Reviews of Top Providers in The Sunshine State
When researching the best home warranty companies for Florida, we prioritized providers that have the most benefits for residents. For example, while we generally rate Choice higher overall, First American Home Warranty offers better HVAC and plumbing coverage. Choice also doesn’t cover air conditioning systems in its basic plan. Because of these factors, we placed Choice below FAHW.
Below, we give a thorough breakdown of our favorite Florida home warranty providers:
Our Experience Signing Up for a Home Warranty
To understand what it’s really like to have a home warranty, our team members signed up for plans from several companies. One of these companies was Choice Home Warranty.
Our team member used Choice’s online portal to sign up for a plan and noted that the process was quick and easy. They opted for the Total Plan and chose the pool and spa and roof leak add-ons.
Once on the checkout page, they found an itemized total of $74.54 per month or $864.50 annually. Choice even applied a 5% discount that came to $45.50 off of the yearly bill. Our team member then entered their payment information, hit accept, and received a confirmation email.
Home Warranty Costs in Florida
Florida homeowners can expect to pay $456–$792 annually or $38–$66 monthly. This range is below the national average for home warranty costs of $516–$864. However, the price of your specific plan will vary based on your location, plan, and add-ons.
Average Home Warranty Cost in Florida* | National Average for Home Warranty Costs | |
---|---|---|
Monthly | $38–$66 | $43–$72 |
Annual | $456–$792 | $516–$864 |
Advice From a Homeowner
Keeping your HVAC system up and running is essential for Florida homeowners, especially during the hot summer months. We spoke to a homeowner named Daniel V. in Kissimmee, Florida, who experienced an AC breakdown when the exhaust pipe clogged, causing the coils to freeze over. While Daniel doesn’t have a home warranty plan, he found it easy to repair the system because there’s an AC repair technician in his neighborhood, and it was only $150. However, he says he could have done a better job of preventing the issue in the first place.
Conducting regular HVAC maintenance, such as replacing air filters and performing tune-ups, helps prevent issues down the road. His advice for maintaining your AC unit? “Flush the pipe regularly.” This routine maintenance task involves flushing your AC exhaust pipe with distilled vinegar.
Given Florida’s humidity, we recommend cleaning your AC exhaust pipe about once a month to prevent clogs and keep your system running smoothly. Most home warranty companies require you to perform routine maintenance on your systems and appliances for repairs to be covered. Some companies, like American Home Shield, offer discounts on HVAC tune-ups and air filter replacements to make things easier.
Expert Insights and Tips
FAQ About Home Warranties in Florida
What is the best home warranty company in Florida?
We recommend American Home Shield as the best overall home warranty company in Florida. The company has strong HVAC coverage, which can help protect your AC system during Florida’s hot summers, plus roof leak protection for its heavy rainfall.
Do I need a home warranty in Florida?
No, there is no legal requirement to own a home warranty in Florida.
What is typically included in a Florida home warranty?
Florida home warranty coverage typically includes protection for the following items:
- Common kitchen appliances
- Refrigerators
- Built-in microwaves
- Dishwashers
- Cooktops
- Ovens
- Garbage disposal systems
- Clothes washers
- Clothes dryers
- Water heaters
- HVAC systems
- Ductwork
- Garage door openers
- Plumbing stoppages
- Well pump and sump pump
- Septic system
However, coverage varies based on the plan and add-ons you select as well as your location.
How We Evaluated Home Warranty Providers
When picking the best home warranty providers in Florida, we researched the top companies in the state, consulted industry experts, analyzed service contracts, secret-shopped plans, surveyed thousands of customers, and spoke with real home warranty owners.
Using this research, our team developed a detailed methodology to score each company on six categories: coverage (35%), cost (20%), trustworthiness (15%), plan transparency (10%), customer support (10%), and flexibility (10%). Here are the key things we considered for Florida:
- HVAC coverage: Florida’s hot, humid summers and high average temperature make HVAC systems one the most important items homeowners need covered. We awarded more points to companies that offer comprehensive HVAC coverage and HVAC-focused add-ons, such as tune-ups or air filter replacements.
- Quality and trustworthiness: A home warranty is an expensive, long-term investment. As such, we want to ensure the companies we recommend are worth your time and money. We thoroughly and critically read customer reviews, analyzed survey results, and spoke with real homeowners to ensure the companies we recommend are trustworthy and reliable. If a company has a track record of failing to fulfill its promises, has active lawsuits against it, or shows other major red flags, we investigate the claims fully and won’t recommend providers we think fall short.
- Opinions from real homeowners: Firsthand experience is the best way to understand how easy a home warranty company is to work with. To that end, we interviewed homeowners directly about their experiences with home warranty providers. We also surveyed thousands of customers to get a feel for how each company performs on a larger scale.