Best Home Warranty Companies in New Jersey (With Customer Feedback)

• Covers $5,000 in HVAC repairs, which is especially helpful for hot NJ summers
• Includes roof-leak coverage in its top plan, a great addition for rainy states like NJ
• Offers discounts for heating and cooling tune-ups and air filters

Keep in Mind

• Has the highest prices of any company on this list
• Has fewer add-ons than other providers, limiting how much you can customize your plan

American Home Shield (AHS) is our top choice for New Jersey homeowners. One of its biggest benefits is that it covers preexisting conditions, meaning any damage or wear present before you start your policy. This is a great investment if you have older or damaged home systems or appliances, as most other companies don’t cover this.

We also think AHS is a good pick for New Jersey because of its high HVAC coverage cap of $5,000. A coverage cap is the maximum amount your provider will pay for repairs on a single system or appliance during your plan year. Most major systems, such as HVAC, have coverage caps of  $2,500. AHS’s generous cap reduces the chances you’ll have to pay out of pocket if your HVAC system breaks down. Another plus for rainy states like New Jersey is AHS’s roof-leak coverage, which it includes in its highest plan. This helps you save on repairs for patching a roof leak and protects your home from water damage.

We do have a few issues with AHS. For one, it only offers combination plans, which cover a selection of essential systems and appliances. If you want complete appliance coverage, you’ll need to buy a higher-tier plan and potentially pay for items you don’t need. If you only want coverage for your appliances, you’d be better off choosing a company like Liberty Home Guard. 

We also don’t like that American Home Shield has high plan prices, as well as the highest service call fees on this list at $100–$125. A service call fee is the amount you pay each time a repair person visits your home.

• Offers good value with basic coverage at a reasonable price
• Will schedule free follow-up repairs if your issue reoccurs within 90 days
• Has coverage caps of $3,000, which is $500 more than the industry standard

Keep in Mind

• Doesn’t cover essential items like air conditioning and washing machines in its base plan
• Is involved in a lawsuit with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office

The biggest reason we like Choice Home Warranty is the value it provides for the cost. At only $55 per month, Choice’s most expensive plan is significantly less than other providers, which charge an average of $75 per month. For this cost, Choice offers coverage caps of $3,000 for most items, which is $500 more than most other companies. Essentially, Choice offers slightly better coverage caps at a cheaper monthly rate. 

Choice adds more value to its plans with an impressive 90-day workmanship guarantee, which is three times as long as the 30-day industry standard. Workmanship guarantees assure you that the repairs made by technicians will fix the problem, or you’ll get follow-up repairs at no extra charge. For example, if your HVAC system is repaired and breaks down again two weeks later, the home warranty company will send a technician back and you won’t have to pay your service call fee.

One area where Choice could stand to improve is its basic plan coverage. Its lowest-level plan doesn’t cover essential items such as air conditioning, laundry appliances, and refrigerators. Choice also doesn’t cover these items as add-ons, so you’ll have to buy the higher-tier plan if you want them covered, which comes out to $9 more per month. 

Another issue is that Choice is facing a lawsuit from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. The lawsuit claims that Choice has provided lower-than-expected claim payouts and has denied claims its contract should cover. We contacted Choice about the lawsuit, and a representative said that while they couldn’t comment on pending litigation, the company “is committed to providing best-in-class service to every customer.”

• Includes a $7,000 appliance coverage cap in its highest-tier plan, more than double the industry standard
• Has unlimited coverage for HVAC systems, which is a big benefit for humid NJ summers
• Offers a free add-on that covers damaged or improperly installed items, which most providers don’t do

Keep in Mind

• Lacks an appliance- or system-only plan
• Doesn’t include roof-leak coverage in its basic plan

We recommend First American Home Warranty (FAHW) for New Jersey homeowners who want to protect major appliances or expensive systems. FAHW has a $7,000 coverage cap for appliances and unlimited coverage for most systems. This means you’re less likely to have to pay out-of-pocket for repairs to your expensive items, such as HVAC or electrical systems.

We also like the company’s First American Advantage upgrade. This free add-on covers items that are already damaged from poor upkeep or faulty installation, which is a rarity in the industry. 

The main downside of First American Home Warranty is that it only offers combination plans. So, if you primarily want system or appliance coverage, you’d be unnecessarily paying for a plan that covers both. If you’re looking for system- or appliance-only coverage, we recommend another provider like Liberty Home Guard. FAHW also doesn’t offer any form of roof leak coverage, which is particularly important for rainy states like New Jersey.

• Offers fully customizable plans, letting you choose which coverage you want
• Includes a 90-day workmanship guarantee, three times the industry average
• Allows you to customize your plan with 27 add-on options

Keep in Mind

• Doesn’t cover technicians outside of its network in its workmanship guarantee
• Only covers $15,000 in repairs per year

We recommend Elite Home Warranty for New Jersey homeowners who want specific items covered in their plan. Most home service providers let you choose from a few pre-built plans, while Elite allows you to build your own from a base selection of appliances and systems. This ensures you won’t pay for items you don’t want covered. Elite also has 27 add-ons you can tack on to your base plan to cover specialty items such as built-in microwaves, garbage disposals, and ceiling fans. 

While we like Elite’s workmanship guarantee, we don’t like how it only extends to technicians within Elite’s approved network. This means that if you want to use a contractor you like but they aren’t in Elite’s network, you won’t be protected in the event of a faulty repair. Another policy that we’re not fans of is Elite’s $15,000 annual claim limit. This policy limits the amount of money Elite will pay per year. If you have multiple high-end repairs and hit this cap, you’ll have to pay out of pocket for the rest of the year. Because of this, we don’t recommend Elite if you own expensive items that may require repairs exceeding this limit.

• Has a 24/7 live chat for any-time customer service
• Offers a 60-day workmanship guarantee, double the industry average
• Includes an add-on catalog of over 40 items, the largest on this list

Keep in Mind

• Doesn’t reveal its service call fee rates until after signup
• Has low plumbing and electrical coverage caps of $500

We recommend Liberty Home Guard (LHG) for New Jersey homeowners who want a diverse plan with lots of customization options. At 42 items, LHG has the largest add-on catalog of the companies on this list. This includes coverage for nonstandard items such as plumbing and gutter cleaning. Gutter cleaning is especially helpful considering New Jersey’s heavy rainfall, as rain and clogged gutters can cause expensive problems like foundation shifting. 

We’re also fans of LHG’s 24/7 live chat. This can come in handy if you have an emergency repair, need to follow up with a technician, or have a last-minute question about your coverage. 

Our biggest issue with LHG is its service call fee policy. Specifically, we don’t like that LHG doesn’t disclose its service call fee until after you buy a plan. This can feel like a “gotcha” for some homeowners since they won’t know what they’re paying until they’ve signed up. Plus, the policy limits your ability to control plan rates and monthly costs. Other providers let you choose from several service call fees during signup, which gives you more flexibility with your monthly premium. Choosing a higher service call fee lowers your premium and vice versa. Because LHG doesn’t do this, it pigeonholes customers into a single rate.