Best Home Warranties in Massachusetts

According to market data from the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, Massachusetts is experiencing a massive explosion in its housing market, with many more sellers at the time of publishing. If you are a new or prospective homeowner, it’s worth considering the current state of your home's appliances or systems.

Massachusetts also has an interesting quirk: Most housing deals involve an attorney. This isn’t common practice in the United States, although it’s not unheard of. These attorneys make sure everything is fair and equitable on both sides, including a home warranty if it’s part of the deal.

However, you don’t have to be in the middle of a real estate transaction to buy a home warranty in Massachusetts. Homeowners and landlords can add policies at any time, usually without needing an inspection.

Otherwise, buying a warranty in Massachusetts is similar to buying one anywhere else in the U.S. Before buying a home warranty, ask yourself:

1. Why do I want a home warranty?
2. What do I need covered?
3. How much can I afford to pay?

Your answers to these questions can help ensure that you get the right policy for your needs.

Massachusetts has thorough legislation surrounding home warranties and service contract providers. This legislation is designed to protect consumers from abusive practices.

Based on state law, home warranty companies in Massachusetts must:

• Provide a written estimate of repair costs upon request
• Disclose all service fees
• Only repair items that the customer authorizes
• Provide an itemized list of repairs performed and the reasoning behind them

All home warranty providers in Massachusetts must also register with the Division of Insurance and obtain insurance on the contracts they have issued, sold or offered for sale in the commonwealth.

These companies are also required to file a $25,000 surety bond with the Massachusetts Division of Insurance. This means that if the provider fails to pay its obligation under the contract, the insurance company will step in to provide coverage for you.

On Mass.gov, you can check a company’s registration or send in any grievances, like failure to pay for a covered repair, long wait times or lack of communication. To file a claim, you’ll need to make sure you have the following information available:

• Name of the warranty company
• Policy and/or claim numbers
• Names and phone numbers of agents you’ve been dealing with

The Division of Insurance will notify the company directly and handle your claim from there.

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 Massachusetts, we started with the 26 popular providers listed in our main home warranty guide. First, we narrowed it down to the ones available in Massachusetts. 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.