We recommend Liberty Home Guard (LHG) as the best home warranty company for Virginia homeowners because of its extensive HVAC coverage and long list of optional add-ons.
If you are more concerned with home warranty plans focusing on appliances than on coverage for home systems, we recommend First American Home Warranty for affordability, reliability and friendly customer service. That said, any providers that made our list of top home warranties in Virginia could prove a good fit, depending on your circumstances.
The best home warranties in Virginia
Our research into Virginia home warranty companies showed that these five providers stand out for covered systems, customer service, prices, add-on coverage, reputation and reliability.
- Liberty Home Guard: Our top pick
- 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty
- American Home Shield
- Elite Home Warranty
- First American Home Warranty
Compare top home warranties
Virginia’s climate varies across the commonwealth. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), Virginia experienced much higher than usual temperatures in 2023, including record heat in large portions of Northern Virginia.
While Virginia’s recent summer droughts and extreme heat increased the importance of reliable air conditioning, parts of the state remain vulnerable to winter storms that could increase the demand placed on your heating system.
As we researched home warranty companies for this article, we focused heavily on HVAC coverage and customer service. 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty stood out in both categories.
We gathered pricing information for the comparison table below by requesting quotes across all 50 states and calculating a national average for all featured companies. We used a 2,000-square-foot, single-family home in each state to obtain our quotes. Your pricing will vary based on your home’s size, location and coverage needs.
Our best Virginia home warranty recommendations
These five home warranty providers stood out among a crowded field for their HVAC options, reliability, reputation and cost.
To acquire fresh quotes for this article, we used a 2,034-square-foot, single-family home in Richmond, Virginia.
Best of the rest
These Virginia home warranty providers generally matched up well with the three above, but they fell short because of pricing, coverage exclusions and inconsistent customer service.
What do you need to know about Virginia home warranties?
As you consider whether to purchase home warranty coverage to protect your appliances and major systems, factor in the potential strain that extreme Virginia temperatures could place on your air conditioning and heating systems.
It’s not only about HVAC, though. Check the time left for any manufacturer warranties your appliances are under. If some of them have seen better days but you are not quite ready to buy new ones, a home warranty may help defray the cost of any needed repairs or replacements.
Home warranty cost in Virginia
As you shop for a home warranty in Virginia, one of the first questions to ask a sales representative is how much money the company allows for necessary repair costs or replacements. Compare that dollar figure, known as a coverage cap or coverage limit, to what you would be willing to pay out of pocket.
We analyzed home warranty costs in three Virginia ZIP codes and found that the average premiums are $41 per month or $492 annually. The monthly cost will depend on factors such as the company you select, your geographic location and the coverage plan you choose.
To help you determine whether your appliances need additional protection, below is a list of appliance life expectancies from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. Data for the replacement costs reflects the ranges of listed retail prices for five major manufacturers: GE, LG, Maytag, Samsung and Whirlpool.
Appliance | Life Expectancy | Replacement Cost |
---|---|---|
Dishwasher | 9 years | $250–$1,900 |
Dryer | 13 years | $499–$2,099 |
Garbage disposal | 12 years | $65–$350 |
Microwave | 9 years | $109–$1,029 |
Range (electric) | 13–15 years | $649–$4,449 |
Range (gas) | 15–17 years | $479–$3,599 |
Refrigerator | 9–13 years | $584–$10,929 |
Washer | 5–15 years | $499–$2,299 |
Virginia-specific coverage needs
Virginia’s climate is considered mild compared with warm-weather states such as Arizona and Florida, as well as cold-weather states including Vermont and Minnesota. Still, Virginia residents who are near the NWS major climate site at Dulles Airport experienced the warmest September on record in 2023. Even in temperate Virginia, the heat can grow fierce.
A historic heat wave is no time to lose your air conditioning for an extended period. Higher temperatures typically increase the load on your air conditioning system, so be sure to check your current manufacturer warranty and keep up to date on regular maintenance.
If your AC unit’s manufacturer warranty has expired, home warranty coverage may be in order. We recommend the same course of action for your heating system if extreme cold is a concern where you live.
Common red flags
Home warranty companies should provide reliable home protection but also consistent communication and reliable service. Think twice about a company if you find that the representative takes longer than expected to respond to emails or phone calls.
Another potential red flag is a pattern or persistent theme of unfavorable customer reviews. For example, if a home service provider’s BBB page contains a lot of 1-star reviews about rejected claims, make sure to ask about that before you sign a contract.
Other red flags include the following:
- Complaints of slow service call response times
- No available sample contract
- Prices that are extremely low compared with competitors
- News reports of unresolved lawsuits against the company
Understand home warranty sample contracts
Most home warranty companies provide a sample contract on their websites. If you can’t find one, ask your sales representative to provide it for you.
A sample contract provides a glimpse into the coverage you’ll get for your premium payments. It lays out the company’s responsibilities, the consumer’s responsibilities, the contract length and other important information.
As you explore the sample contract, pay attention to these sections:
- Coverage packages: This section outlines specific items and systems covered by the company’s different packages. It should also list excluded items that may be related to the appliances or systems covered, such as duplicate appliances, HVAC drain lines or AC refrigerant.
- Optional coverage: Every home warranty company offers add-ons that are available for an additional cost. This might include an HVAC tune-up, as well as coverage for lawn sprinklers or limited roof leaks.
- An FAQ section: This question-and-answer section lays out the contract’s terms, including length, how to file a claim, cancellation policies and service fees.
- Terms of service: This “small print” section details legal terms about issues such as conflict resolution, costs that are not covered and state-specific regulatory information.
Are home warranties regulated in Virginia?
Home service contract providers in Virginia are regulated under the terms of the Home Service Contract Providers Act. The Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs (OCRP) administers the act.
The Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services enforces the act and conducts investigations into potential violations. The commonwealth provides online complaint forms through the OCRP’s website.
Final take: We recommend Liberty Home Guard in Virginia for its various add-ons and stellar customer service
All of the home warranty providers listed in this article possess qualities in their favor. Your unique circumstance might also lead you to consider a company not included in this article.
We chose Liberty Home Guard as the top provider in Virginia because of its focus on optional coverage options, company reputation, price and customer satisfaction. While no home warranty company is perfect, the five we listed here serve as a good starting point for your shopping.
Before you sign with a home warranty company, we recommend that you request and compare quotes from at least three different providers.
Our rating methodology for home warranty companies
We research and rate home warranty providers to help you choose the right one for your budget and home. Our research includes gathering customer insights via consumer surveys, interviewing industry experts, secret shopping all of the companies we review and analyzing customer reviews from third-party review sites such as Trustpilot and BBB.
We compare home warranty providers across the following five categories:
- Coverage plans and extra features
- Coverage limits
- Price
- Reputation
- Customer service
Read our full home warranty company methodology for more information.
BBB and Trustpilot reviews are accurate as of March 2024.
Local home warranty companies in Virginia near you
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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