The customer will pay a service call charge for this visit-an amount that is set at the beginning of the contract and does not vary during the policy period-and then the technician will diagnose the problem and take steps to repair the water heater. A technician approved by the company will be promptly dispatched (especially if the heater is still leaking water and the customer isn’t safely able to reach the shut-off valve). Depending on the policy, a home warranty can cover water heater repairs-and sometimes even replacement-due to issues caused by normal wear and tear.īecause the home warranty is a service policy, customers who have failing water heaters can call the claim number or use a mobile app to report a problem and request a service call. In case of a water heater failure, a home warranty policyholder will want to immediately check their policy documents, and if the water heater is listed, make a service call. Anything that is not specifically listed isn’t covered. Home warranties are policies of inclusion, which means that only those systems and appliances that are specifically listed on the policy are covered. If a homeowner is wondering “Is a water heater an appliance?” the answer is generally yes, but some policies will categorize them as appliances and others will include them in the plumbing-system coverage. Does a home warranty cover plumbing leaks? It can, in addition to covering problems with systems such as electrical and HVAC, and depending on the policy the homeowner selects, major appliances such as ovens, refrigerators, and laundry machines. Rather than insurance, home warranty policies are service contracts or homeowner protection plans that can help cover the cost (with certain limitations) of repairing or replacing whole-house systems. That’s where home warranty policies step up and fill the gap. What homeowners insurance policies do not cover is system failure or damage caused by normal wear and tear. And in some cases that’s true-damage caused by accidents, weather, fires, vandalism, and a number of other outside factors will be covered by a homeowners insurance policy less the homeowner’s deductible. Many homeowners assume that when something goes wrong in their home, their homeowners insurance will cover it. Initially, homeowners may be unsure of the differences between a home warranty and homeowners insurance. If you have both a home warranty and homeowners insurance, it can be confusing to sort out who pays for what, and when, but together, they can provide the best measure of protection. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of options for residential plumbing insurance. A leaking or fully blown water heater is an emergency, especially if there’s a deepening pond of water, and even more so if there’s electrical wiring below the height of the flooding. Seeing many of your possessions floating doesn’t help much, either. Does a home warranty cover water heater repair or replacement and also the cost of damage cleanup?Ī: Few things are worse than stepping into the shower, finding no hot water, and running downstairs shivering to find yourself ankle-deep (if you’re lucky!) or knee-deep (if you’re not) in water. We’re not sure how the home warranty works, though. Today we woke up to a broken hot water heater and a basement full of water! There’s tons of water damage and a lot of cleanup, plus we need a new water heater. Photo: Q: At our real estate agent’s suggestion, we bought a home warranty when we purchased our home earlier this year.
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