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The Library
Plain-English explainers, not sales copy. Start with whichever one matches your actual question.
How home warranties work (US)It's a service contract, not insurance — how coverage, exclusions, and state-by-state regulation actually work.How home warranties work (Canada)Ontario's Tarion and similar provincial programs aren't the same thing as a purchased home-systems warranty. Here's the real difference.Extended warranty vs. manufacturer warrantyAn "extended warranty" is legally a service contract, not a warranty — the FTC says so directly. Here's why that matters.US vs. Canada warranty regulationMagnuson-Moss and state service-contract law vs. the provincial patchwork — and why Canada's "new home warranty" isn't the same thing as a US home warranty at all.Texas home warranty regulationNo insurance-code license here — since 2021, Texas runs home warranty companies through one broader "service contract provider" chapter at TDLR.Florida home warranty regulationA $750,000 net-worth floor, a funded reserve or insurance requirement, and a statutory 10-day cancellation right — Florida's law is specific, not just general consumer protection.Quebec extended warranty disclosureStarting October 5, 2026, a Quebec merchant must hand you a specific, prescribed notice before offering an extended warranty — including one written just for used vehicles.How home warranty claims get processedStep by step, from filing to payout or denial — plus the specific denial patterns behind most real complaints.Reading a vehicle service contract's exclusionsWhat almost every exclusions list contains, and the state rules requiring a provider to disclose who's actually backing the promise.Warranty complaint data: US vs. CanadaThe US has a national complaint-index database for licensed insurers. Canada has no equivalent for this industry. Here's what exists instead.California warranty regulationA home warranty and a vehicle service contract are two separate insurance-code categories in California, with different financial-backing rules for each.If your warranty company goes out of businessThe state guaranty fund most people assume exists usually doesn't apply here. Here's the mechanism that's actually supposed to protect you.Alberta vehicle warranty regulationUnlike Ontario or Quebec, Alberta regulates a vehicle warranty as insurance — underwriting by a licensed insurer, and real penalties for selling one without the right licence.Cooling-off periods: US vs. CanadaMost US states build a free-look cancellation window into the statute by default. Canada generally doesn't — which is why Quebec had to build one from scratch.Arbitration clauses explainedWhy a mandatory arbitration clause holds up under federal law, who actually pays for it, and what it typically doesn't take away from you.New York service contract regulationNo separate "home warranty" law at all — one statute registers a provider no matter what product it covers, with three different ways to prove it can pay claims.Illinois Service Contract ActIllinois doesn't split home and auto warranties into separate categories the way California does — one law covers both.British Columbia warranty insurance regulationBC's own regulations define a home or vehicle warranty as insurance by name, with a narrow exemption for manufacturers and retailers selling their own.Does the salesperson need their own license?Florida personally licenses the individual seller. Texas mostly doesn't. Alberta licenses the dealership instead. Here's what to actually ask for.Aggregate vs. per-item coverage capsTwo contracts can cover the same items and still be worth very different amounts, depending on how each one caps what it will actually pay.Arizona home warranty regulationNo dedicated law at all until 2018 — a $100,000-bonded permit system, still exempt from full insurance licensure.Saskatchewan vehicle warranty regulationExtended warranties are treated as insurance, same as Alberta and BC — but Saskatchewan also writes a mandatory minimum drivetrain warranty directly into every used-car dealer's licence.Recall vs. known-defect exclusionA safety recall is a federally mandated free fix. A service contract's "known defect" exclusion is a different, generally lawful thing tied to a technical service bulletin.Transferring a warranty when you sellNo law generally forces a provider to allow a transfer — but a growing list of states requires the terms be disclosed in writing before you buy.Washington service contract regulationOne chapter covers home warranties, vehicle service contracts, and even rustproofing add-ons — rewritten four times since 1999.Nevada service contract regulationHome warranty protection plans weren't clearly covered until a 2019 law change. Now a provider can prove it can pay claims three very different ways.Ontario vehicle warranty regulationOntario doesn't treat a vehicle warranty as insurance — it's a "future performance agreement" under a consumer protection law currently mid-transition.Manitoba vehicle warranty regulationManitoba makes the seller of an extended warranty liable for its performance, whether or not the seller is even a party to the contract.Ohio home service contract regulationOhio repealed its old insurance-department Home Warranty Act in 2004 and never replaced it — home warranties now sit under ordinary consumer-sales law instead.Missouri vehicle service contract regulationAn unbacked provider has to print it: state law requires the exact phrase "backed only by the full faith and credit of the provider" when there's no insurance policy behind the contract.Auto-renewal clauses: US vs. CanadaThe FTC's federal "click-to-cancel" rule was vacated in 2025 and hasn't been replaced. Ontario, meanwhile, generally bans negative-option renewal billing outright.