How home warranty service calls work

Report the problem

When a covered item breaks, contact the plan's claims line or online portal before arranging any repair yourself. Work done without authorization is usually not reimbursed.

A contractor is assigned

The provider sends a contractor from its network. You pay a service call fee, set in your contract, each time a contractor is dispatched for a new problem.

Diagnosis and approval

The contractor diagnoses the failure and reports to the provider, which decides whether it is covered and whether to repair or replace the item.

If the claim is denied

Ask for the reason in writing and the contract section it relies on. Common reasons are pre-existing conditions, lack of maintenance and excluded parts. Most contracts describe an appeal process.