Best Home Warranties in Illinois

While a home warranty won’t protect you from weather-related events in the same way homeowners insurance does, Illinois’ climate can affect your home systems and appliances enough to make a home warranty a good option.

Temperature extremes can strain your HVAC system, and precipitation can expose a leaky roof. So, whether you’re dealing with bitterly cold winters in Chicago or heavy rain in Little Egypt, you should be aware of your specific weather risks and make sure your plan covers the items that are important to you.

Check your coverage limits as well. Some companies cap how much they pay for a repair or replacement. If your HVAC system breaks down and costs $5,000 to repair, but your warranty company caps your coverage at $2,500, you’ll be stuck with a $2,500 bill.

Coverage limits can make or break a home warranty, so don’t skim over the details when reading your contract.

» MORE: Best home warranties for HVAC

In Illinois, home warranties are regulated by the Department of Insurance, and you can use the department’s website to file a grievance against a home warranty company if you have a dispute. Regulations for home warranty companies are laid out in the Illinois Service Contract Act.

The Illinois Service Contract Act sets pretty standard requirements for home warranty companies in the state. Home warranty companies in Illinois must:

• Maintain strict financial records
• Have certain policies in place for reimbursement and cancellation
• Be registered and up to date with the state Department of Insurance

ConsumerAffairs carefully collects in-depth, verified reviews to tell each customer’s experience with a company. We believe customer experiences are a crucial indicator when evaluating companies, so these reviews are a significant factor when selecting our top picks.

To choose the top home warranty companies in Illinois, we started with the 26 popular providers listed in our main home warranty guide. First, we narrowed it down to the ones available in Illinois. We then weighted several key features to get our final rankings:

• Coverage options: We broke down each company’s home warranty plans to ensure they offer multiple coverage options to fit a variety of needs.
• Plan flexibility: Customizing a plan can tailor it to your needs and help you save money. We checked to see what customization options each company offers, including the ability to select a service fee and the number and cost of add-on coverages.
• Cost: Costs for home warranty plans vary based on the size of the home and the type of coverage, but we confirmed our top picks’ prices are competitive in the home warranty industry.
• Service call fee: We looked at the service fee each company charged to send a technician to your house to ensure our top picks are in line with industry standards.

Illinois doesn’t present many unique wrinkles when it comes to buying a home warranty, so your decision can be relatively simple. However, you should still do some research before purchasing. If you want to learn more, check out our nationwide home warranty guide and our articles on home warranty coverage and home warranty costs.