Illinois homeowners know better than most how to prepare for extreme weather conditions during the winter. A home warranty can act as a complement to your home insurance and provide peace of mind by repairing your home’s systems and appliances should they break down.
The This Old House Reviews Team analyzed and reviewed the best home warranty companies in the nation, and determined the top providers available in Illinois. We compared plan options, costs, coverage limits, and additional perks before making our selections.
Illinois’ Top 3 Home Warranty Companies
The highest-rated Illinois home warranty companies include the following:
- American Home Shield: Best Coverage Caps
- Liberty Home Guard:Best Customer Ratings
- Select Home Warranty: Best Value
Annual Home Warranty Cost Calculator
Our team created a calculator to break down the estimated annual cost of owning a home warranty. Enter your monthly premium, service call fee, and estimated number of claims to see your projected annual cost. It’s best to request a quote directly from one of our recommended providers, as annual costs and service fees vary between them.
Lifespan and repair cost data sourced from InterNACHI and Home Depot
American Home Shield
American Home Shield (AHS) is another reputable provider for Illinois residents. The company has thee plans to choose from—the ShieldSilver™, ShieldGold™, and ShieldPlatinum™ plans. It provides extensive coverage for home systems and appliances by covering rust, corrosion, and sediment damage. AHS also covers undetectable pre-existing conditions. Its ShieldSilver and ShieldGold include a $3,000 coverage cap per covered item, while its ShieldPlatinum doubles its cap limit to $6,000 per covered item.
Pros and Cons
✔ Offers high coverage caps on systems and appliances
✔ Provides guest unit add-on coverage
✔ Doesn’t exclude pro-series appliance coverage from standard plans
✘ Charges more per month than other providers
✘ Offers a limited add-on coverage selection
Plans and Pricing
As an AHS customer, you get to choose the service fee you want to pay. Your choices are $75, $100, and $125—the higher the service fee you pick, the lower your monthly premium.
Here’s what each plan’s monthly cost would be with a $75 service fee:
- ShieldSilver: $34.99 per month
- ShieldGold: $64.99 per month
- ShieldPlatinum: $89.99 per month
Learn more: American Home Shield Review
Liberty Home Guard
Liberty Home Guard (LHG) is our top choice for Illinois homeowners. It offers competitively priced plans, a large suite of add-on options, and a comprehensive coverage limit per covered item. LHG also stands out by offering a live chat customer service through its website, which is a rare benefit in the home warranty industry.
Pros and Cons
✔ Offers a 60-day workmanship guarantee
✔ Extends up to 38 unique add-on options
✔ Provides live chat customer support
✘ Doesn’t provide transparency around service call fees
✘ Requires you to file a claim as soon as issue is discovered
Plans and Pricing
LHG offers three plan options: Appliance Guard, Systems Guard, and Total Home Guard. The Appliance Guard covers major appliances, including refrigerators and dishwashers. The Systems Guard protects major systems, such as heating and plumbing systems. The Total Home Guard bundles both plans into one comprehensive coverage plan. Additionally, LHG includes a $2,000 coverage limit per covered item.
Liberty assigns your service call fee between $65 and $125 per claim based on your plan selection, add-ons, and location.
Here’s what these plans would cost you monthly:
- Appliance Guard: $49.99 per month
- Systems Guard: $54.99 per month
- Total Home Guard: $59.99 per month
For a free quote, call 866-452-9107 or use Liberty Home Guard’s simple tool.
Learn more: Liberty Home Guard Review
Select Home Warranty
Select Home Warranty offers three plans: Bronze Care, Gold Care, and Platinum Care. Bronze Care protects appliances, Gold Care protects systems, and Platinum Care covers both appliances and systems.
Pros and Cons
✔ Gives customers two months free when they sign up for coverage
✔ Offers free coverage on roof leaks
✔ Provides discounts for customers who purchase several years of protection
✘ Doesn’t have a mobile app
✘ Charges a $75 cancellation fee
Plans and Pricing
As one of the more affordable home warranty companies, all Select monthly premiums are below $50 per month. Select’s service fee is lower than the industry average at $75 per service call.
Compare monthly plan pricing below:
- Bronze Care: $44.43 per month
- Gold Care: $44.43 per month
- Platinum Care: $47.75 per month
Learn more: Select Home Warranty Review
Our Conclusion
If you’re in the market for an Illinois home warranty, we recommend looking into Liberty Home Guard, American Home Shield, and Select Home Warranty. These companies provide comprehensive coverage at affordable price points and offer 24/7 customer service. We encourage you to get a quote from all three companies before making a purchase since pricing can vary depending on your specific region and home’s square footage. We also recommend reading their sample contracts to be aware of their coverage exclusions and limitations.
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.