What Does HSA Home Warranty Cover? Plans, Limits, and Service Fees

HSA Home Warranty covers the repair or replacement of major home systems and primary kitchen appliances during a 12-month service contract sold through real estate transactions. The basic plan reaches heating, cooling, electrical, plumbing, water heaters, and built-in kitchen appliances, plus a short list of other items like garage door openers and ceiling fans, with payouts capped at $25,000 per contract and $5,000 per system. Many common failure causes and internal components sit outside the basic plan, and HSA sells a 7 Star Upgrade and individual add-ons to pull some of them back in.

Systems and Appliances in the Basic Plan

On the systems side, standard coverage includes central heating (forced air furnaces, radiant systems, heat exchangers, wall furnaces), central air conditioning including heat pumps, interior electrical (wiring, main service panels, sub-panels, outlets, switches, fuse boxes), interior plumbing (water supply, gas, drain, and waste lines), and domestic water heaters, including tankless models.¹ Ductwork is covered from the heating or cooling unit to the point where it attaches at registers or grills.² Plumbing also reaches toilet fixtures, pressure regulators, whirlpool bathtub pump and motor assemblies, and in-line shut-off valves.³

For appliances, the basic plan covers items in the primary kitchen: built-in microwave ovens, dishwashers, ovens and ranges, trash compactors, garbage disposals, and refrigerators. Elsewhere in the house, coverage reaches ceiling fans, garage door openers (up to two systems), permanently installed attic and exhaust fans, central vacuum motors, doorbell systems, lighting fixtures, and primary sump pumps.¹

Covering an appliance is not the same as covering every part of it. Refrigerator ice makers and beverage dispensers, dishwasher racks and rollers, oven knobs and handles, and garage door opener springs and remote transmitters are excluded from the standard plan, and must be added through the 7 Star Upgrade if the buyer wants them included.⁴

What the Basic Plan Excludes

The exclusions determine as much of the real coverage as the inclusions do. Pre-existing defects that were detectable before coverage began are excluded, though undetectable pre-existing conditions (ones a visual inspection or simple mechanical test would not reveal) are covered.⁵ Failures tied to improper installation or prior bad workmanship are out under the basic plan. So are failures caused by lack of maintenance, such as a furnace that failed because filters were never changed or a water heater that was never flushed.⁶

Cosmetic damage, including dents, scratches, chipping, worn finishes, and cabinetry, is excluded. Non-mechanical items like windows, walls, and doors are not covered. Damage from fire, freezing, storms, earthquakes, insects, rodents, pets, mold, or other acts of nature falls outside the plan. Costs involving asbestos or other toxic materials are excluded, and so is refrigerant recovery and disposal unless the 7 Star Upgrade is purchased.¹

Code upgrades and permit fees are not covered under the basic plan. Secondary damage is not covered either, so if a covered water heater leak ruins the flooring beneath it, HSA pays for the water heater and not the floor. Drain stoppages caused by tree roots, along with hydro-jetting and camera diagnosis, are excluded. Countertop microwaves, sinks, tubs, chandeliers, intercom systems, low-voltage wiring, and rooftop exhaust equipment like turbine ventilators are explicitly out.²

Dollar Limits on What HSA Will Pay

HSA caps payouts at $25,000 per contract. Within that, each mechanical system is capped at $5,000.⁷ Several categories carry their own lower sub-limits:

Professional or ultra-premium appliances such as Sub-Zero, Viking, or Jenn-Air: $3,000 aggregate over the life of the contract.²
Water heater and heating combination units and oil systems: $1,500 aggregate.
Geothermal and water source heat pump systems: $1,500 aggregate.¹
Roof leaks: $750 aggregate.
Polybutylene piping leaks: $500 aggregate per contract period.
Swimming pool cleaning equipment: $250 aggregate.⁸
Access through concrete for plumbing or ductwork: $500 aggregate under the basic plan, rising to $1,000 with the 7 Star Upgrade.

When a covered system cannot be repaired, HSA replaces it. For HVAC, the contract specifies replacement with 13 SEER or 7.7 HSPF equipment, and HSA will install a TX valve or replace the evaporator coil, air handler, and line set if compatibility requires it.¹

What the 7 Star Upgrade Adds

The Buyer 7 Star Upgrade is HSA’s most meaningful add-on because it reverses several of the biggest basic-plan exclusions. It covers failures caused by improper installation and prior workmanship, as long as the failure would otherwise qualify. It covers heating and cooling systems that were not properly matched in size or efficiency.

It adds limited money toward the compliance costs the basic plan refuses: up to $250 in aggregate toward code violations tied to a covered repair, up to $250 per occurrence for permit fees, and up to $500 in aggregate toward modification charges such as sheet metal fabrication, plenum work, or new pads needed to install a replacement water heater, furnace, or air conditioner. It covers refrigerant recovery and the cost of removing and disposing of replaced equipment.

On plumbing, it adds faucet and shower head assemblies, toilet replacement up to $600 per occurrence, and the doubled $1,000 access-through-concrete limit. On appliances, it pulls in dishwasher racks and tubs, oven interior linings and racks, microwave door glass and interior lining, refrigerator ice makers and dispensers, and trash compactor lock assemblies. On the electrical side, it adds smoke alarms and the garage door opener parts (hinges, springs, keypads, remote transmitters) the basic plan leaves out. The upgrade has been listed at $125 to $149 depending on the state and source.⁹⁸

Optional Add-Ons for Items Outside the Basic Plan

Separate add-ons cover equipment the basic plan does not touch:

Swimming pool: up to $1,000 per occurrence.⁵
Hot tub: up to $1,000 per occurrence.
Water well pump: up to $1,500 in aggregate.
Septic system: failures to wiring, lines, tank, and dry well, limited to $300 per occurrence.
Water softener, home freezer, electronic air cleaner, and clothes washer and dryer: each available separately.
Roof leaks: up to a $750 aggregate.

Annual fees for these options run from roughly $10 for an electronic air cleaner to $155 for a swimming pool, with exact pricing varying by state.⁸ Buyers can add optional coverage up to 30 days after the effective date of their buyer coverage. Well pump and septic system coverage carries a 30-day waiting period before it takes effect.

HSA also offers a separate Electronics Plan administered through Allstate Protection Plans, which covers TVs, laptops, desktops, tablets, gaming systems, smart home products, and home theater systems against mechanical and electrical failures and power surges, with a $2,000 per-claim limit and a $5,000 aggregate.¹⁰⁹

Buyer Plans Cover More Than Seller Plans

What HSA covers depends on which plan you hold. Buyer plans are the fuller option: they include the standard systems and appliances described above, accept the 7 Star Upgrade and individual add-ons, begin at closing, and run for 12 months with renewal available.⁹

Seller plans cover the home during the listing period for up to six months. They are more limited: central heating, HVAC systems, and roof leaks are not included in the standard seller plan and must be purchased separately. The seller HVAC option carries a combined $1,500 aggregate cap during the listing period. If the home sells while the seller warranty is active, remaining coverage transfers to the buyer at closing.⁷

One boundary worth stating directly: HSA does not sell policies to established homeowners outside of a real estate transaction, and the company operates in only 27 states plus the District of Columbia, with coverage details and exclusions varying by state.¹¹

Service Fees and the Rule That Can Void Coverage

Each time a contractor comes to the house for a covered repair, the homeowner pays a trade service call fee. HSA does not publish a national rate, saying the amount is “determined by the product available in your location.”⁶ Current pricing runs $100 to $125 per trade call.¹² Annual premiums for standard plans range from roughly $495 to $635, paid upfront.

A procedural rule can turn an otherwise covered repair into a denied claim. HSA must be notified before any repair or replacement begins, and the company assigns a contractor from its own network rather than letting the homeowner pick one. A homeowner who hires their own technician without going through HSA first can have the claim denied.⁷ Service requests go through myhomewarranty.com or 800-367-1448, and if a completed repair has a problem within 30 days, HSA sends the contractor back at no extra charge.¹³

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HSA Home Warranty. North Dakota HSA Brochure
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HSA Home Warranty. HSA Application
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HSA Home Warranty. Alaska HSA Brochure
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HSA Home Warranty. HSA Home Warranty Brochure
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HSA Home Warranty. Wisconsin HSA Brochure
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HSA Home Warranty. FAQs
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Sacramento Bee. HSA Home Warranty
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SlideShare. HSA Home Warranty Brochure
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Reece Nichols. HSA Application
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HSA Home Warranty. Additional Services
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HSA Home Warranty. Coverage and Cost
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ConsumerAffairs. HSA Home Warranty
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HSA Home Warranty. HSA Home Warranty