Fidelity National Home Warranty Review

Company Overview

Fidelity National Home Warranty was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in California. In 1996, the company was bought by Fidelity National Financial, the nation’s largest title insurance company. Since then, the company has also acquired BGP Holdings and HISCO Home Warranty. While the company advertises a preferred service provider network, no information is available on the size or distribution of their providers.

Introduction

Fidelity National’s home warranty programs cover many things that aren’t typically covered by homeowners’ insurance, including appliances and household systems like heating and ductwork. The company offers one standard homeowner plan and multiple plans to real estate professionals in 10 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

Fidelity National caters to the real estate industry with more plans and options being offered to real estate professionals when a property closes. Direct-to-consumer plans for existing homeowners are also offered. We reviewed Fidelity National’s plans, coverages, exclusions, prices, and availability so you can decide whether they’re right for you.

States Covered

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Idaho
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• Oregon
• Texas
• Utah
• Washington
  

Available Plans

Fidelity National Home Warranty has one standard plan with add-ons on their homeowner webpage. However, in their real estate professional brochures, they have four or five plans. These real estate professional plans must be purchased at the time of closing. It seems the homeowner standard plan can be purchased anytime by calling the company.

The five plans offered to California real estate professionals are standard, standard plus, comprehensive plus, enhanced, and enhanced plus. The first two do not cover air conditioning without purchasing an upgrade. Of course, each plan adds coverage for more items and systems.

Real Estate Plans

Much of Fidelity National's marketing is aimed at realtors and landlords with plans that include multi-family units. This is rare in the home warranty industry--most plans we researched limited coverage to single-family homes under 5000 square feet. The plans are designed for Real Estate agents to have something to sweeten the deal for buyers. Pricing for each state is available in the brochures which are viewable on the page for real estate professionals.

Plan Pricing

Fidelity National's homeowner page does not have pricing information and the company doesn't offer online quotes which is very strange in this industry. On their real estate professional page, there are brochures for each state. These have prices in them to give you some idea of what a plan costs. A standard plan on a single-family home costs $360 in California and $440 in Texas. However, to get accurate pricing information for your state and home situation we recommend you contact the company.

Compared to other home warranty companies, Fidelity National's Standard plan is competitively priced. Optional coverage can be purchased to create a more robust plan customized to the user's home. It should be noted that the standard plan does not cover A/C or refrigerators and they must be purchased as add-on coverage if you choose that plan. This hurts the value a bit as these sorts of core items are often covered by competitors. However, overall, we found their pricing to be very reasonable and competitive.

Optional Add-ons

One of the most notable features of Fidelity National Home Warranty is its optional add-ons. Their comprehensive option offers greater coverage on systems and appliances that are already covered by established plans. Specifically, the comprehensive plan covers filters, registers, grills, window units, and condenser housing on air conditioners or evaporative coolers. These items would not normally be covered.

All optional add-ons must be purchased within 30 days of the close of sale of a property, and require all covered systems to be in good working order.

Add-on selection and prices vary by state. Add-on options include:

• HVAC Zone Control
• Pre-season HVAC Tune-Up
  
• Pool/Spa Equipment
• Ornamental Fountain Motor and Pump
• Clothes Washer/Dryer
• Clothes Washer/Dryer and Refrigerator
  
• Kitchen Refrigerator
• Additional Refrigerator Coverage
• Outdoor Kitchen
• Appliance Limit Upgrade
• Water Softener/Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System
• Well Pump
• Septic Tank System/Sewage Ejector Pump/Grinder Pump
  
• "Pump-It-Up" Limit Upgrade
• Enhanced Slab Leak Limit/External Pipe Leak
• Pre-season HVAC tuneup
  

Plan Exclusions

There are several exclusions in the Fidelity National Home Warranty plans, like many home warranty plans. They note that anything that is not mentioned explicitly in the plan contract will not be covered, so careful examination of the coverage is essential. That being said, the brochure is clear about what is covered and what is not. The list of what is not covered is extensive.

Note that some exclusions are covered if the additional comprehensive plan is added.

Payout Caps and Limitations

Each plan that Fidelity National offers includes individual caps and limits that vary by system or appliance. For example, coverage for ductwork is capped at $1,000, while coverage for water heaters is limited to $1,500. These limits are detailed along with exclusions in plan documents and should be reviewed carefully, as customers will be responsible for repair or replacement charges that exceed plan limits or include items excluded from coverage. These individual limits are generally in line with coverage offered by other home warranty companies.

Claim Response Time

Once a repair is needed, Fidelity National promises to contact one of their licensed and insured contractors within three hours during business hours and 48 hours outside of business hours, at which point the contractor can set a time for the visit that works for you. The contract specifically states that any appointments set outside of normal business hours could incur overtime charges, which would not be covered by the company unless it was deemed an emergency.

Plan users are not to use their own contractors under normal circumstances; if it becomes necessary, they must have prior approval through the company in order to have charges covered.

All service providers registered with Fidelity National Home Warranty are required to be licensed contractors for the trades they service, carry $1 million in general liability insurance, and provide proof of workers’ compensation insurance or a waiver.

Customer Service and Claims

Fidelity National offers an online claim submission process, as well as a customer service line. While claims may be submitted at any time, customers report that there is seldom quick service. Many customers in online reviews report poor service and slow repairs.

A recent Investopedia customer survey revealed that customers rate their experience of requesting service as 3.67/5, or slightly higher than average.

Complaints and Third-Party Assessments

Fidelity National Home Warranty gets poor marks from online consumer reviews, although the sample size is on the small side of things. On Trustpilot, the company gets a 2.3/5 from just seven reviews. The company averages just 1.1/5 from 39 customer reviews on ConsumerAffairs.

Competition: Fidelity National vs. ARW Home

We compared Fidelity National with ARW Home, formerly American Residential Warranty, which also offers home warranty coverage for many of the same items and systems. ARW Home offers three plans. Fidelity National only shows one plan on their homeowner webpage, but their state brochures show four or five plans for sale depending on the state.

In addition to better customer reviews, ARW Home offers nationwide coverage and transparent online quotes. Customers seem more satisfied with ARW Home's response times and customer service as well. Overall, ARW Home seems to be a more reliable option that offers nationwide coverage and online quotes.

Final Verdict

Fidelity National Home Warranty is an interesting mix of progressive coverage on things like smart homes, outdoor kitchens, and other features that are emerging in homebuilding trends, and traditional coverage of basic systems. While the options are intriguing, customer service scores are routinely low and indicate that many users are confused as to what's covered.

With lower prices than most competing companies, Fidelity National's exclusion-heavy policies are likely adequate for basic needs. As with any home warranty, knowing what's in your contract is key to getting the most out of your plan.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long has Fidelity National home warranty been in business?

Fidelity National home warrant has been in business since 1974. It was then bought out by Fidelity National Financial in 1966.

Does Fidelity home warranty cover air conditioners?

Fidelity's standard and standard plus plans do not cover air conditioners without paying for an upgrade. The comprehensive plus, enhanced and enhanced plus plans do cover air conditioners.

Who is the CEO of Fidelity National home warranty?

Lorna Mello is the President and CEO of Fidelity National Home Warranty and Disclosure Source.

Is there a waiting period for Fidelity home warranty?

If the house is in escrow there is no waiting period. However, if the house is not in escrow there is a 30-day waiting period.

Methodology

There are several aspects to consider when evaluating a home warranty company and its coverages. To assist in your decision process, our methodology for reviewing home warranties includes a quantified scoring system that evaluates four major categories - total plan cost, coverage and support, customizability, and transparency.

Within those four major evaluation categories, we look at 18 core features that include annual plan fees and service fees, claim response times, payout caps, states available, contract length range, customizable coverages, ability to use own repair person, free cancelation, pricing, plan exclusions and other plan provisions available online. We assign fractional score values ranging from 0.00 to 1.00 points for each feature and then weight those feature values according to a subject matter expert advice and consumer survey importance ranking. 

We also compare features for each company to industry average values determined from our data collection for the top 25 home warranty providers. Third-party ratings and customer satisfaction scores are factored in to help assess a home warranty company’s overall quality, suitability and value.