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HomeServe home emergency repairs review
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Protection plans that cover wear and tear on your utility lines — with plenty of exclusions.
- Get a quote if your home insurance company doesn’t offer service line coverage.
- Pick something else if you have enough personal savings to cover a ruptured pipe.
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What type of coverage does HomeServe offer?
HomeServe offers a variety of plans that’s commonly known as service line coverage. It provides coverage amounts for gas, water or sewer lines that can rupture as a result of normal wear and tear. Plans offer an alternative or additional coverage compared to standard service line coverage through home insurance policies.
Its plans include coverage for water, heating, cooling and electrical systems in your home and on your property. Most plans differentiate between coverage inside your home and outside your home, but on your property. Coverage amounts are generally unlimited unless stated otherwise.
- Cooling system. Provides up to $1,500 a year to fix and repair components on your air conditioning system.
- Electrical surge. Get $1,000 a year to replace electronics that are damaged by an electrical surge.
- Exterior electrical line. Provides up to $2,000 a year to fix outside electrical items, such as a weatherhead.
- Exterior sewer line. Covers sewer or septic lines that leak or break on your property, but not inside your home.
- Exterior water line. Protects against damage to water pipes located on your property, but not inside your house.
- Gas line. Provides $8,000 a year to repair interior gas lines, gas appliances and the gas safety shut-off valve.
- Heating system. Covers up to $1,500 a year to repair your furnace or heating system, including a broken circuit board or failed blower motor.
- Interior electrical line. Get up to $1,000 a year to fix faulty electrical panels, outlets or lights.
- Interior plumbing. This plan covers ruptures and breaks on interior plumbing pipes, including clogged drains.
- Water heater. Water heater plans provide up to $850 to repair or replace faulty or broken water heaters.
Is HomeServe an insurance company?
Technically, no. Home protection plans such as HomeServe mainly protect against wear and tear, similar to a warranty. Insurance mainly covers you for sudden and accidental events that happen but can’t be predicted. Some states, such as California, require only licensed insurance companies sell home protection plans.
How is HomeServe coverage different from home insurance?
HomeServe can help cover damage to utility lines that’s not typically covered under standard home insurance policies. If your water and sewer lines have a higher risk of being damaged from roadwork, weather or other factors, this may be extra coverage to consider.
Many standard home insurance policies don’t cover damage to pipes in your home. The ones that do often will limit coverage to only those pipes physically inside your house, rather than exterior pipes on your property. Some home insurance policies might cover interior pipe damage caused by storms or natural disasters.
Home insurance also doesn’t cover subsequent water damage to your house caused by ruptured pipes, though you can add water backup coverage to almost any home insurance policy.
What’s not covered by HomeServe?
HomeServe’s protection plans contain a few exclusions that prevent its plan from being a one-stop shop for all of your utility pipe concerns. Some of these coverage exclusions include:
- Natural disasters including fire, explosion, windstorm, lightning and earthquakes.
- Service problems that existed before your policy started.
- Repairs to any line that’s not the main line, such as lines for sprinklers, pools or hot tubs.
- Damage caused from frozen pipes thawing out.
Pros and cons of HomeServe
Pros
- Affordable rates. Basic plans typically cost between $5 and $7 a month, depending on your location and selected plan. More expensive plans can be as high as $17 a month.
- Easy to buy a policy. Anyone can buy a protection plan with HomeServe. There are no requirements or qualifications, other than to have a valid form of payment.
- Coverage for wear and tear. Standard home insurance policies don’t cover damage from wear and tear, which is exactly what HomeServe plans cover you for. Though you might be able to add some of this coverage onto your home insurance.
Cons
- Too many exclusions. It might be difficult to have a claim paid under these plans, because the listed exclusions could pertain to many situations. Claims do get paid, but the plans are restrictive.
- Negative online reviews. You won’t find many positive reviews of HomeServe and Home Emergency Insurance Solutions on the Internet. Most customer complaints are about its coverage exclusions and poor customer service.
- Doesn’t offer one catch-all plan. It could be useful if HomeServe offered a plan that included all types of utility lines, but you have to buy each plan separately or several types of bundles to get the most coverage.
How to buy a plan from HomeServe
You can purchase a policy directly from HomeServe’s website.
- Go to HomeServe’s website.
- Enter your ZIP code.
- Select your utility provider.
- Choose your plan and click Add to cart.
- Click Proceed to checkout once you’re ready.
- Enter your contact and payment information.
What info do I need to buy a home protection plan with HomeServe?
To purchase a home protection plan from HomeServe, you’ll need the following information:
- Email address
- First and last name
- Physical address
- Phone number
- Utility company name
- Checking account or credit card for payment
Alternatives to HomeServe
Common questions about HomeServe home protection plans
Review by
Andrew Flueckiger
andrew.flueckiger@findercrew.comAndrew Flueckiger is a licensed insurance agent and Certified Insurance Counselor with experience in insurance and finance. A graduate of Indiana University, Andrew contributes a wealth of knowledge and experience to Finder. When Andrew isn’t writing, reading or practicing insurance, he can be found spending time with his family and playing the guitar.
Expert review
HomeServe could provide valuable protection for your utility pipes. It could cover a gap in coverage from your home insurance, but claims can be restrictive. You may be better off adding service line protection to your home insurance policy to avoid the amount of restrictions.
To see how HomeServe compares with standard home insurance, compare homeowners insurance providers that offer all the coverage you need.