A Home Warranty can be purchased which acts as an Insurance Policy which covers the kitchen appliances along with plumbing, mechanical and electrical components of the house. If any of these were to breakdown during the period of the Home Warranty coverage, you can call the company to send one of their preferred vendors to come and repair/replace (note there is usually a call out fee). It is very important for you to read these warranties to see what is covered, what is excluded and how warranty work is performed. In addition to excluding any coverage for structural defects, these warranties typically do not cover the roof either.
If you are buying a resale home and you are interested in obtaining a non-structural warranty, you may contact the companies that provide them, such as Warranty Services, Colorado Home Warranty (no affiliate), Fidelity Home Warranty, and 2-10 Warranty Policies run from between $350-500 a year.
There may be a home warranty that may be in effect or available for the house you are buying. Here are some possibilities:
New Home Warranties: New home builders typically provided some kind of extended warranty covering the structure of a home for 5 to 10 years. The remaining term on such warranties usually transfers to a new owner automatically. If you are buying a house that is less than 10 years old, you may have some coverage under the original new home warranty. Please read them carefully. If you are buying a home that is less than 10 years old, there may be an existing warranty that is transferable. In our opinion, you should put absolutely no reliance on such warranties. They are typically very limited in scope and some of the warranty companies may no longer be in business.
Resale Home Structural Warranties: We have checked with large home warranty companies and with companies that provide structural warranties for new homes and have not been able to find a structural warranty for resale homes. We hate to say that such coverage does not exist — it’s hard to prove a universal negative. However, we have not been able to find a company that provides one.
