A Service Fee for Home Warranty Companies in Florida

Is this your first time needing repairs from a Florida home warranty provider after having a machine break? Are you confused about what a home warranty service fee is? Are you wondering why you have to pay for it in advance? There is no need to google further as we have answers to all your questions!

What is a Home Warranty Service Fee?

In short, a service fee, a call fee, or a deductible is the cost paid out-of-pocket by a homeowner to a home warranty company for each repair. Deductibles cover the labor cost for the contractor to come and diagnose what caused the system or appliance to fail.

Let’s imagine a hot sunny day in Florida and your air conditioner is suddenly malfunctions. If it’s in the coverage of your contract, the first thing you should do is call your home warranty provider. Then, the company will transmit your request to the contractor. The contractor will then come to your home asap to diagnose your AC and determine the issue that caused the failure.

So, when you open a service request under your home warranty contract, you will be required to pay a service call fee. As long as the problem is covered under the home warranty contract, this is usually the only payment you have to pay. But let’s make it clear: you have to pay it anyway, just for the fact of the contractor’s visit. That is a pretty good deal when the average AC repair is over $300 — but all you have to pay is a service call fee!

Average Service Call Fees in the USA

The price of a service call fee depends on the company and its plans. Most of the home warranties do have deductibles with an industry average of approximately $75. Overall, in the USA, home warranty deductibles range from $50 to $125. There are a few home warranties with no deductible such as Complete Protection Home Warranty and High Tech Home Warranty. However, when you’re choosing a warranty provider, the deductible cost isn’t the only key factor. You should also pay attention to the coverage, plans, premiums, limits, customers’ reviews, the reputation of the company, and so on.

What about Home Warranty Deductibles in Florida?

As for a home warranty in Florida, the majority of the companies charge an industry average price. Total Home Protection and Sears Home Warranty’s deductible is $75. With some home warranty companies, you can even choose the amount of a deductible, which depends on the amount of the premium. The higher the premium, the lower the home warranty fee. For example, Home Warranty of America lets you choose between $75 to $100 depending on the plan. Pride Home Warranty offers the cheapest service call fee of $45, but don’t forget to take into consideration the total home warranty plans cost.

How Do Deductibles Affect Premiums?

One would believe that the lower the deductible, the higher the premium. It might make sense that a higher premium would result in a lower deductible, right? But between premiums and deductibles, the relationship is consist is minimal. In fact, some of the highest premiums have slightly higher deductibles. It makes life easier as you can make a choice based not only on the home warranty cost per month but on the coverage and other aspects.

What are the Issues Connected to Deductibles?

Let’s consider what issues related to the home warranty service fee the client of a home warranty company could have. The first problem that can happen is a company refusing to repair an issue after the deductible was paid. It means that the contractor comes to your house and diagnoses a problem, which is not covered according to your plan, but then refuses or is unable to actually repair the issue. Nevertheless, you still have to pay the deductible for a test of a faulty device or home system.

Another commonly experienced issue is delay in repairs after the deductible was paid. The problem is that the contractor doesn’t always have the necessary tools and parts with him. Independent contractors usually have busy schedules so it’s no wonder that they often don’t carry out repairs quite as fast as we would like.

In some cases, consumers have to pay a home warranty service fee several times for several visits on the same issue. This is possible when the homeowner has a serious problem with a system or home appliance. Sometimes it’s so difficult to diagnose the cause of failure that the contractor has to come more than once. But we hope you won’t face these problems.

So, now you know everything you need to know about home warranty service fees in Florida. In most cases, the home warranty deductible is the only payment you will have to pay to Florida home warranty company if the failed system or appliance is covered under the contract. The value of repairs far exceeds the value of service fees, especially when the repairs required are very expensive.

Want to learn more? read about the positives and negatives of a home warranty here and the rules and laws of home warranties in Florida.