Home warranties (US): where to start

This page organises our US home warranty guides by the question you are likely to have. It is a map to the guides, not advice, and every guide links to its own primary sources.

The short answer

What a home warranty is: the FTC calls "home warranties" "really service contracts" that typically cover replacements and repairs for things like appliances or air conditioning systems, and cost extra.¹
A different thing for new homes: the FTC says a builder warranty "comes with new home construction or a remodel," while a home warranty "is really a service contract, and costs extra" and "typically applies to existing homes."²
Rules differ by state: the guides below include a state list and a checklist for finding your own state's office.

The basics

How home warranties work (US)The basics: what a home warranty is, how it differs from insurance, and how states regulate it.What home warranties typically coverTypical covered items, and why exclusions and limits matter.Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act explainedWhat the federal warranty law requires, and what it does not cover.Suing under Magnuson-MossWhere you can sue, the federal thresholds, the chance to cure and attorneys' fees.Home warranty vs. homeowners insuranceHow the two products differ.Alternatives to a home warrantyOther ways to handle repair costs that government sources describe; an explainer, not a recommendation.Full vs. limited warrantyWhat the federal labels mean.Installed products and the federal warranty lawWhich installed products and kinds of warranty the federal Act reaches.

Reading a contract before you buy

Sales red flags checklistSales tactics and contract terms to slow down on.Warranty contract checklistA pre-signing checklist built on the FTC pre-sale rule.Reading a warranty before you buyThe federal pre-sale availability rule.How to compare a home warranty contractWhich terms to line up side by side.Aggregate vs. per-item coverage capsComparing how contracts cap what they pay.Pre-existing conditions and claimsWhat California's regulator says about exclusions, required disclosures and denied claims.Mandatory arbitration clausesHow an arbitration clause in a warranty contract works.

Verifying a company

How to verify a home warranty companyA licensing, funding and identity checklist with Texas and California examples.Reimbursement insurance vs. funded reserveTwo ways a state may require claims to be backed.Confirming funded-claims backingWhat Florida and Texas require a provider to show, and what to ask.How to read state complaint dataWhat complaint records do and do not show.If the company goes out of businessWhat can happen to a contract.

The standard explains what we check about home warranty providers, and the Register reports those checks by category. Both describe a method; neither is a recommendation, and neither replaces looking up a license yourself.

Claims, cancellation and problems

How claims get processedThe usual sequence from filing to payout or denial.Claim denied: where to turnState offices, the CFPB and scam-reporting steps.Cancellation and refund rightsWhat a cancellation may return.Can a provider cancel your contract? (Texas)What the Texas regulator says about provider cancellation, notice and refunds.Where to file a complaintHow state routes differ.Transferring a warranty when you sellHow transfers work.FTC Section 5 and marketingThe federal law on deceptive service-contract marketing.RESPA and referral feesLimits on what an agent can earn from a referral.State consumer protection actsThe backstop where there is no dedicated warranty law.

If you are buying a newly built home

A builder warranty is a separate thing from a purchased home warranty.² Our guide on builder warranties on new homes covers the general picture. Our Louisiana New Home Warranty Act guide covers one state's statute, and the FTC's page "Warranties for New Homes" (reference 2) explains the general picture, including that you should contact your state or local builders' board for more information.²

State-by-state guides

For a map of these guides, plus questions that come up in many states, see US state regulation: where to start.

These pages describe how each state regulates home warranties or service contracts. States that appear here are those we have written about so far; absence from the list does not mean a state has no rules. To find your state's office, use our verification checklist.

How to verify this yourself

Each guide above ends with its own reference list. Open the primary source (a statute, a regulator page, an FTC page) and read it yourself.
The two framing statements above come from the FTC pages in references 1 and 2.
For your own state, confirm the current rules with your state consumer protection office (USAGov directory).

What this page is not

This page is navigation. It does not recommend buying or avoiding a home warranty, and it is not legal advice. Laws change and states differ; check the primary source linked from each guide.

Last reviewed 2 October 2026. General information from the cited primary sources; not legal advice.