Jesus Sanchez Garcia is a senior writer for USA TODAY Homefront. His expertise focuses on home warranties, with over 50 hours spent reviewing provider sample contracts to understand their benefits. He also regularly performs consumer research, such as surveys and customer interviews with an eye on incorporating data into his writing. Jesus has a bachelor’s in business administration from California State University, Stanislaus, and is still located within California’s vibrant Central Valley. When he is not researching or writing, he enjoys supporting his favorite sports teams, spending time with loved ones and chasing new adventures outdoors.
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Select Home Warranty (SHW) is a company geared toward homeowners on a tight budget, providing cost-effective protection plans and a low service call fee. SHW charges well below our national average monthly premium calculation of $55.70 for its entry-level plans. In addition, SHW provides coverage in all states except Nevada, Washington and Wisconsin.
However, SHW’s affordability makes its major appliance and system coverage less comprehensive than that of comparable home warranty providers.
For this review, our team examined SHW’s plans, read its service contract and analyzed customer reviews. We then rated SHW against our in-house review standards to determine whether to add it to our list of best home warranty companies. After careful consideration, SHW missed out on that list.
When evaluated against our review standards, Select Home Warranty scored 3.8 out of 5 stars. It earned full points in the pricing category of our rating system but lost points in other critical categories, such as coverage limits and options.
Select Home Warranty’s cooling and heating system coverage is one of its standout features. SHW’s sample contract states it pays up to $3,000 per repair or replacement for HVAC systems, such as air conditioners and furnaces. Few home warranty providers offer a comparable coverage limit for HVAC systems.
SHW offers affordable home warranty coverage plans plus a single service fee of $75 per claim, significantly lower than our calculated national average of $96.16 per claim.
Another feature that SHW includes is roof-leak coverage in all protection plans. It covers roof-leak repairs up to $400 per claim. Other home warranty companies we’ve reviewed offer roof-leak protection as an add-on only.
Select Home Warranty’s biggest issue is its low reimbursement limits for covered appliances and all major systems except HVAC. I read through its sample terms and found that SHW pays up to $500 per claim for these items. Other home warranty companies have higher reimbursement limits for appliances and systems. While you pay less for a SHW plan, its coverage value is compromised.
SHW also doesn’t specify its workmanship guarantee online or within its sample contract. A workmanship guarantee is a policy home warranty companies implement that states they will fix previously repaired items free of charge if they break down again during an established time period.
I called a representative to clarify this omission, and the representative said SHW provides a 30-day workmanship guarantee. He also mentioned that SHW will charge a service call fee for each issue you request service for, even if a technician repairs them in a single visit.
Select Home Warranty adds roof-leak protection free of charge to each affordable coverage plan. Other home warranty companies, such as American Home Shield and Liberty Home Guard, provide more robust coverage and longer workmanship guarantees.
See how the best home warranty companies compare on key factors:
Select Home Warranty offers three plan options. It pairs each with a $75 service call fee. Below is a quick summary of each plan:
Select Home Warranty lists several factors, such as per-item coverage caps, that influence the cost and quality of its protection plans. Here is an overview:
The tables below highlight the items SHW covers by protection plan:
Select Home Warranty provides nine additional coverage options to supplement its standard plans. Unlike other home warranty companies, SHW includes roof-leak repair coverage in each protection plan free of charge. Below is the full list of optional add-ons offered by SHW:
After reading Select Home Warranty’s sample contract, I found it lists many of the same coverage exclusions as other home warranty companies. For instance, SHW won’t cover items damaged by hazardous materials, such as acids, asbestos and lead-based products.
Other notable exclusions include malfunctions caused by improper appliance or system installations, rust or corrosion damage, cosmetic components such as doorknobs and hinges, acts of nature and manufacturing defects.
Although Select Home Warranty has a low monthly premium and service call fee, it doesn’t meet the coverage standards of other home warranty companies we’ve reviewed. The average appliance coverage cap is $2,000 per claim — SHW’s appliance limits are just $500 per claim.
However, SHW makes sense if you need affordable HVAC coverage, as it pays up to $3,000 per repair. The table below displays the monthly prices I requested for each SHW plan using a 2,140-square-foot, single-family home in Millville, New Jersey.
Select Home Warranty has a B- rating on Better Business Bureau (BBB), which is the same rating as roughly half of the other home warranty companies we’ve reviewed. However, customers rated SHW 1.48 out of 5 stars on BBB, with many citing poor customer service, denied claims and low reimbursements for repairs. A BBB review from Latasha F. mentions that SHW issued a $125 check for her broken dryer, which was much less than the item’s value.
That said, SHW holds positive reviews on other third-party review sites. On Trustpilot, most customer reviews I read highlight SHW’s simple sign-up process and affordable prices. A review from Jamie notes the friendly experience SHW’s sales representatives provide during sign-up.
After reviewing more than 100 customer reviews, however, I found very few instances of customers praising SHW’s claims process. Most customer reviews that related to SHW’s claims process were negative.
To maximize the value you obtain from your Select Home Warranty plan, you must first understand how a home warranty works. Below, we detail the two things you must do to effectively use your SHW plan.
After signing up, we recommend reading SHW’s service contract again to understand the company’s coverage terms, limits and exclusions. SHW’s service contract can be found online by clicking “Terms” in the website footer.
Here are the main service contract categories to focus on:
Select Home Warranty has a 24/7 hotline and an online portal for filing claims. After receiving your service request, SHW will send an in-network service provider to your home within 48 hours.
I contacted an SHW representative to confirm whether the company only fulfills requests with in-network technicians. The representative said you can choose your preferred local service provider, but you must contact SHW and obtain approval before any repair work begins.
According to the “Term” section of Select Home Warranty’s service agreement, a coverage policy will last 12 months from the coverage effective date. The coverage effective date, which SHW refers to as the coverage waiting period, is 30 days after the sign-up date.
SHW will expedite the coverage effective date if you provide proof of coverage from a different home warranty company. To receive a shorter waiting period, there must not be a lapse in your previous home warranty policy.
Below are several steps to take if you have a contractual dispute with Select Home Warranty:
Select Home Warranty’s competitive pricing, solid HVAC protection and roof-leak repair coverage are valid benefits to note when considering SHW. However, its limited coverage caps for all other covered items significantly reduce the value SHW offers. Its poorly rated claims process also leads us to recommend other home warranty companies over SHW.
To request a personalized quote from Select, fill out the Select Home Warranty quote form. Our team suggests pulling quotes from three providers to compare plan prices, coverage options and workmanship guarantees.
We research and rate home warranty providers to help you choose the right option for your budget and your home. The best home warranty companies offer multiple coverage choices, high coverage limits, competitive pricing, good reviews, solid service and extra features.
We rate companies based on our in-depth methodology. We score companies out of 100 on factors related to their coverage options, coverage limits, pricing, reputation, customer service and extra features. We then divide the final score by 20 to obtain a 5-star rating in our reviews.
BBB and Trustpilot ratings are accurate as of January 2024.
Editorial note: The name “Homefront” refers to the alliance between USA TODAY and Home Solutions that publishes review, comparison, and informational articles designed to help USA TODAY readers make smarter purchasing and investment decisions about their home. Under the alliance, Homefront provides and publishes research and articles about home service and home improvement topics.
Homefront has an affiliate disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Homefront editorial staff alone (see About Homefront). Homefront adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is believed to be accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
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