Best Home Warranties in Massachusetts

• Our top picks include Choice Home Warranty, American Home Shield and American Residential Warranty.
• To find the best home warranty in Massachusetts for you, learn about home warranty regulations in the state and make sure your provider sticks to them.
• A home warranty in Massachusetts typically costs about $50 to $80 per month, but you may pay up to $115 per month.

Here are our favorite home warranty companies in Massachusetts, based on local reviews:

• Our top pick overall: Choice Home Warranty
• Our pick for a custom policy: American Home Shield
• Our pick for customer service: American Residential Warranty

Methodology

To select our top picks, we started with the home warranty companies available in Massachusetts on our site and eliminated those with a star rating below 3.5. To stay on the list, companies also had to have at least a 2:1 ratio of 5-star to 1-star reviews from consumers in Massachusetts, based on verified review data collected between Oct. 12, 2020, and Oct. 12, 2021. Final selections were made based on the strength of each company’s review data.

Choice Home Warranty offers two protection plans for people in Massachusetts, and you get access to its nationwide network of more than 15,000 contractors if you sign up. In the event that a covered item needs to be replaced but the item isn’t available, CHW offers cash payments for the amount of the replacement.

We’ve compared this company’s plans based on select coverage items below.

*For a home in Boston at the time of publishing

Choice Home Warranty is our top pick overall for home warranty companies in Massachusetts because it had the best ratio of 5-star to 1-star reviews of any company operating in the state, narrowly beating out American Home Shield. Here’s what consumers in Massachusetts have to say about it.

Linda from Boston wrote in a review that “CHW came through for me. I have used them before for my first claim. I have not found fault in them. I have even recommended them to my daughter and my boss.”

Barbara from South Yarmouth shared similar feelings: “My oven wouldn’t heat up or stay heated. I contacted Choice Home Warranty and had an appointment the very next day and it was repaired. I was so impressed with the service. I was very glad I only had to pay a service fee.”

In business since 1971, American Home Shield has a long history of providing home warranties. Today, it serves over 2 million people with home service contracts that cover up to 23 major home systems and appliances.

American Home Shield offers unique customization options that let you personalize your policy, like your choice of service fee. In the case of a repair, you can file a claim 24/7 through its website portal and rest easier knowing the repair is backed by a 30-day workmanship guarantee.

We’ve compared this company’s plans based on select coverage items below.

*For a home in Boston at the time of publishing

American Home Shield reviews from people in Massachusetts are generally positive, with frequent mentions of how easy the company is to work with.

“The last home warranty company I've had for the house never had any contract providers in the area, so if I would submit a claim, I'd never hear back. … But American Home Shield has never done that. You put in a claim online then somebody calls you and comes out to see the problem. With American Home Shield, they make it very simple,” wrote Heidi from Tyngsboro.

Justin from Sharon felt similarly, writing that “having AHS gives you a sense of security knowing that the sometimes unexpected cost of homeownership is negated. … I recently submitted a service request online for heating work and I liked the process.”

American Residential Warranty sells customizable home warranty plans that cover a wide variety of appliances and systems. It also offers an electronics protection plan, a water and sewer line plan, and three bundles where you can combine plans with additional coverage items.

All claims must be submitted by phone. After signing up for service, you have a 30-day window where you can change your plan as needed.

We’ve compared this company’s home warranty plans based on select coverage items below.

*For a home in Boston at the time of publishing

Reviews for American Residential Warranty from Massachusetts residents often highlight the company’s customer service.

Dikshya from Westfield wrote, “The customer service was great. All my question was answered. Very very happy with the customer service. Did not take too long to answer my question and solve my issue. I am super impressed with the customer service. I would recommend it to my friends.”

Gisela from Stoughton echoed that sentiment: “Today I talked to a very pleasant and helpful gentleman that answered and explained several questions I had in regards to your contract policies. I am looking forward to working with your company on upcoming mechanical problems in my household.”

At the time of publishing, Massachusetts is experiencing a massive explosion in its housing market where there are many more buyers than sellers, according to market data from the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. Because of this supply shortage, you may find yourself settling for a home with appliances or systems that are on their last legs.

Massachusetts also has an interesting quirk compared to other states: Most housing deals have an attorney as part of the process. 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 the need for 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 pretty thorough legislation surrounding home warranties and service contract providers. This is designed to help protect you 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 are authorized by the customer
• Provide an itemized list of repairs performed and the reasoning behind them

All home warranty providers in Massachusetts must also be registered with the Division of Insurance and obtain insurance on the contracts it has issued, sold or offered for sale in the Commonwealth.

These companies are required to file a $25,000 surety bond with the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, too. This means that if the provider fails to pay out 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 send a notification to the company directly and handle your claim from there.

Buying a home warranty in Massachusetts involves some quirks that are important to understand before shopping. However, once you’re familiar with the peculiarities of choosing a home warranty in Massachusetts, you might want to check out our other useful articles, including our cost and coverage resources. You can also check out our nationwide home warranty guide for more general information.