Under a home warranty contract, you pay a monthly or annual premium to protect your home’s systems and appliances from normal wear and tear. If your home is located in one of Idaho’s many rural communities, consider investing in a home warranty that covers commonly used systems in those areas, such as wells and septic tanks.
The This Old House Reviews Team is here to help you during your home warranty search. We conducted research on the best home warranty providers nationwide and highlighted our recommendations for the Gem State.
Idaho’s Top 4 Home Warranty Companies
The highest-rated Idaho home warranty companies include the following:
- Liberty Home Guard: Best Customer Ratings
- American Home Shield: Best Coverage Caps
- Select Home Warranty: Best Value
- First American Home Warranty: Best Appliance Coverage
To find the best options for Idaho homeowners, our team looked at pricing, plans, add-on options, customer service, and other factors. Here’s a detailed look at our top four picks.
Liberty Home Guard
Liberty Home Guard (LHG) is one of the newer home warranty companies in the industry, but its compelling suite of add-on options and responsive customer service team make it our top pick. LHG also provides coverage for second heating and cooling system units within standard plans.
Pros and Cons
✔ Offers over 30 unique add-on options
✔ Includes a live-chat feature on its website to ease communication with a representative
✔ Extends a 60-day workmanship guarantee
✘ Lacks transparency with service call fee pricing options
✘ Doesn’t let you choose your own service provider
Plans and Pricing
Liberty Home Guard offers three plans: Appliance Guard, Systems Guard, and Total Home Guard. Appliance Guard covers nine essential appliances, such as your laundry machines and built-in microwave. Systems Guard covers your built-in systems, such as electrical and plumbing. Total Home Guard covers all the items in the two basic plans.
Liberty Home Guard also offers an impressive suite of add-on options: Pool and spa, sump pump, well pump, central vacuum, additional spa, septic system plumbing, stand-alone freezer, limited roof leak, lighting fixtures, re-key, gutter cleaning, pest control, floor/carpet cleaning, water softener, lawn sprinkler system, electronics protection, swamp cooler, ejector pump, second refrigerator, trash compactor, in-fridge ice maker, freestanding ice maker, wine cooler/fridge, saltwater pool, generator, plumbing fixtures, grinder pump, water dispenser water line, instant hot water dispenser, reverse osmosis system
Based on our quote, Liberty Home Guard plans will cost between $49 and $60 a month. LHG assigns its $65–$125 service call fee to your account based on your plan selection, add-on options, and the location of your home.
Learn more: Liberty Home Guard Review
American Home Shield
American Home Shield (AHS) offers generous home protection plans, each with a high coverage limit per covered system and appliance. AHS also offers coverage for rust, corrosion, and sediment damage, making it a great choice for homeowners with older homes.
Pros and Cons
✔ Doesn’t exclude commercial-grade appliances
✔ Provides generous coverage caps per covered item
✔Covers well pump and septic system pumping in ShieldGold plan, which are add-ons for other providers
✘ Doesn’t offer many optional add-ons
Plans and Pricing
AHS offers three plans—the ShieldSilver™, ShieldGold™, and ShieldPlatinum™. The ShieldSilver covers home systems, such as your electrical and plumbing. The ShieldGold also covers systems and appliances, bringing the total number of items covered to 23. The ShieldPlatinum is among the most comprehensive in the industry, covering everything in the ShieldGold and increasing coverage caps.
AHS also provides coverage for the following optional add-ons: Electronics extended warranty, pool and spa, well pump, septic pump, guest unit under 750 square feet
Expect to pay between $30 and $100 per month for American Home Shield coverage. Additionally, you can select from a $75, $100, or $125 service call fee. The higher the service fee you choose, the lower your monthly premium will be.
Learn more: American Home Shield Review
Select Home Warranty
Select Home Warranty (SHW) stands out for its overall affordability and quick claim response time. All SHW’s plans are priced less than $50 per month, and they all include roof-leak coverage, which most providers only include as an add-on.
Pros and Cons
✔ Offers affordably priced plans for less than $50 per month
✔ Responds to claims within 12 business hours
✔ Includes roof-leak coverage with all plans
✘ Does not outline workmanship guarantee in service contract
✘ Limits coverage more than other providers (for example, appliances are limited to $500 per item)
Plans and Pricing
Select Home Warranty offers three plan options: Bronze Care, Gold Care, and Platinum Care. Bronze Care covers major appliances, such as your laundry machines and dishwasher. Gold Care covers home systems, such as your heating and cooling. Platinum Care combines the coverage of the two earlier plans, plus garage door openers and plumbing stoppages.
You can also add the following add-ons to your plan: Central vacuum, lawn sprinkler system, pool, septic system, spa, stand-alone freezer, sump pump, and well pump
You can expect to pay between $44.43 and $47.75 per month for a Select Home Warranty plan. It charges a $75 service call fee each time you file a claim.
To request a custom quote, call 888-370-3956 or fill out Select Home Warranty’s online form.
Learn more: Select Home Warranty Review
First American Home Warranty
Like American Home Shield, First American Home Warranty (FAHW) is a veteran in the home warranty industry with more than 30 years of experience. The provider is also the cheapest of the three home warranty providers recommended for Idaho homeowners.
Pros and Cons
✔ Customer service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
✔ A risk-free, 30-day money-back guarantee
✔ Option of a First Class Upgrade, which protects improperly installed or maintained systems and appliances
✘ Customers can’t build their own plan
✘ Coverage cap of $1,500 is low compared to the $3,000 offered by American Home Shield
Plans and Pricing
FAHW offers two plans—the Basic Plan and Premier Plan. FAHW’s Basic Plan covers home appliances, while the Premier Plan covers all the appliances in the Basic Plan and adds on protection for home systems.
FAHW also offers policyholders with more extensive coverage by including these optional add-ons: Additional refrigeration, central air conditioning, first-class upgrade, pool and spa, well pump
In general, a plan from First American will cost between $28 and $44 per month. Additionally, the service fee is $75 per claim.
Learn more: First American Home Warranty Review
Our Conclusion
The This Old House Reviews Team recommends these four home warranty providers for Idaho homeowners because of their ability to accommodate a wide range of customers in terms of budget and coverage. Liberty Home Guard is our top choice due to its responsive customer service team and extensive list of add-ons. American Home Shield is another favorite of our review team due to generous coverage caps and comprehensive plans. Select Home Warranty is a good choice for homeowners who want affordable plan prices.
You should get a quote from at least three plans to compare coverage and costs since plan pricing will vary by region, type of plan, and square footage of your home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Rating Methodology
The This Old House Reviews Team backs up our home warranty ratings and recommendations with a detailed rating methodology to objectively score each provider. We conduct research by speaking with company representatives, requesting quotes, analyzing sample contracts from each company, and conducting focus groups and consumer surveys. We then score each provider against our review standards for coverage, value, trustworthiness and transparency, availability, and customer service to arrive at a final score out of 100.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.