Best Home Warranties for a Rental Property in 2025

If you own a rental property, potential repair costs are probably on your mind more than you expected. A home warranty could help pay for some of the costs when your renter’s appliances or systems malfunction. But not all home warranty companies cover rental houses, and each company’s coverage is different, including the monthly cost and what a plan will pay to fix.

Here are the NerdWallet editorial team’s our top picks of the best home warranties for private rental properties in 2025.

Best for short-term rental coverage: Old Republic Home Protection

⭐️ The Nerds' Choice ⭐️

Old Republic Home Protection is The Nerds’ Choice for rental property home warranties because it covers most types of homes including guest houses (for an extra fee), has high coverage limits for HVAC and appliance repairs, and offers flexible service fees.

The NerdWallet editorial team chose Old Republic Home Protection because it is the only company we considered that covers short-term rentals, which differ from long-term rentals that require the traditional one-year lease.

Coverage details: Old Republic pays up to $6,500 each for air conditioning and heating systems with every plan and up to $7,000 per appliance with its top plan. The company also has no limit on approved electrical repairs. You can choose between a service fee of $100 and $125, with the more expensive option lowering your monthly fee. Old Republic also has a consistently good customer satisfaction score on consumer websites.

Things to know: Old Republic will only cover some shared systems, such as boilers or water heaters, in multi-unit buildings, but restrictions apply. If you want coverage for multiple-unit property, we recommend you speak with a representative to get details on coverage options. The company only offers comprehensive plans, so you can’t get an appliance-only or systems-only plan.

Home types: Covers most types of homes, including single-family homes, condos, townhouses, mobile homes, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes.

Property size: Covers up to 5,000 square feet; larger properties up to 10,000 square feet can be covered for an additional fee. Guest houses that are 750 square feet or smaller can also be added for an extra fee.

Best for systems-only coverage: American Home Shield

👓 The Nerdy Factor (that something extra we're looking for)

American Home Shield's nerdy factor is its repairs for malfunctions caused by rust, corrosion and sediment. Many home warranty companies exclude these causes from their coverage.

The NerdWallet editorial team chose American Home Shield because its cheapest plan, ShieldSilver covers HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems with a few items that other companies overlook, including doorbells and faucets.

Coverage details: American Home Shield has a systems-only plan, so you can skip appliance coverage if you don’t want a comprehensive plan. The company’s coverage includes up to $5,000 each in repairs for most air conditioning systems, heating systems and ductwork, which is high compared to some other companies’ limits. You can also choose between $100 and $125 for your service fee; your monthly fee is cheaper if you go with the higher service fee.

Additionally, American Home Shield will cover shared appliances and systems, but you’ll need to set up your plan to do so in advance. To do this, you can ask for one plan that covers all units in the property or cover each unit with an individual plan.

Things to know: American Home Shield varies its pricing by ZIP code. This might work in your favor and get you a cheaper quote than other customers for the same coverage, but it could also lead to a higher monthly fee. The company also has mixed customer satisfaction scores on consumer websites.

Home types: American Home Shield covers single-family homes, townhomes, condos, mobile homes, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes. The company also covers guest houses.

Property size: American Home Shield covers up to 10,000 square feet for single-family homes and 5,000 square feet for other properties. Guest houses must be 750 square feet or smaller.

Best for high coverage limits: First American Home Warranty

👓 The Nerdy Factor (that something extra we're looking for)

First American's nerdy factor is its optional coverage for freshwater and salt water pools and spas, making it a contender for rental properties with those features.

The NerdWallet editorial team chose First American Home Warranty because the company doesn’t limit how much it pays for repairs on HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems. That’s not a guarantee that the company will repair every issue you have with those systems, but it does mean that you’re less likely to max out your coverage for approved repairs.

Coverage details: In addition to not limiting its payouts for system repairs, First American’s coverage pays up to $7,000 for appliances with the company’s top plan. It also has flexible service fees, so you can choose between $100 or $125 per claim. The higher claim option lowers your monthly premium.

Things to know: Unlike some home warranty companies, First American doesn’t cover shared appliances or systems outside of specific pool coverage on properties with multiple units, such as duplexes. The company has only comprehensive plans, so you can’t cover just systems or just appliances. And First American has mixed customer satisfaction scores across online consumer websites.

Home types: First American covers single family homes, condos, townhouses, multi-unit structures and some manufactured or mobile homes.

Property size: The company covers properties up to 4,000 square feet; larger properties can be covered for an additional fee.

Best repair guarantee: AFC Home Warranty

The NerdWallet editorial team chose AFC Home Warranty because its repair guarantee is one of the best among home warranty companies. As long as you renew your home warranty plan — and don’t let your coverage lapse — AFC guarantees that you won’t pay a second service fee if you have to request that a repair be repeated. That means AFC might have to repair your dishwasher for the second time in three years, but you won’t have to pay a service fee the second time. Keep in mind that this applies only when it’s the exact same repair being repeated, not a different type of repair on the same system or appliance.

Coverage details: AFC’s coverage limits vary widely depending on the system or appliance. For example, the company doesn’t have a coverage limit for air conditioning or heating systems but pays only $150 toward ductwork repairs and $500 for electrical repairs. Coverage limits for appliances range from $150 to $3,000, depending on the appliance. Plans are available in 47 states, excluding California, Washington and Hawaii.

Things to know: AFC requires customers to show an annual checkup report from a professional company before it will agree to send out a technician for HVAC or tankless water heater claims; the checkup report must show there were no suggested repairs at the time of the checkup. The company also doesn’t repair issues caused by corrosion, rust and sediment. AFC has a mix of customer satisfaction scores on consumer review websites.

Home types: AFC Home Warranty covers single-family homes, townhomes, condos, manufactured homes, mobile homes, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes.

Property size: AFC covers properties up to 5,000 square feet; larger properties can be covered if you pay an extra monthly fee.

Property size: Liberty Home Guard doesn’t limit the size of properties it’ll cover; however, the company charges a higher monthly fee for homes that are 5,000 square feet or larger.

Best for flexible service fees: 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty

The NerdWallet editorial team chose 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty because it lets customers choose their service fees and has one of the lowest service fee options we’ve seen in our research. Service fees start at $85. If you want a lower service fee, you can drop it to $65 and pay more for your monthly plan fee. If you’d rather save more on your monthly fee instead, you can raise your service fee to $100 and pay less in monthly fees.

Coverage details: Although 2-10’s coverage limits are lower than some of its competitors’ limits ($2,000 each for air conditioning, heating, electrical and plumbing but no ductwork coverage), you can pay an extra monthly fee to raise coverage to $5,000 for these items. The company has an appliance-only plan that includes coverage for a refrigerator ice maker and water dispenser, which is a bonus among home warranties. And 2-10 offers a repair guarantee for the length of your service contract, so you won’t have to pay another service fee if an approved repair fails before your contract ends.

Things to know: Even though 2-10 will cover items in multi-unit properties, such as duplexes, it doesn’t cover shared items. For example if two units share a washer and dryer set, the company won’t cover any of its repairs. The company also has relatively low customer satisfaction scores.

Home types: The company covers single-family homes, condos, townhomes and multi-unit properties, such as duplexes. ; It doesn't cover mobile homes but will cover guest homes.

Property size: Like most home warranties, 2-10 covers up to 5,000 square feet; larger properties can be covered for an additional fee.

Best optional coverage: Choice Home Warranty

The NerdWallet editorial team chose Choice Home Warranty because it offers a good mix of add-ons to customize your plan. Optional coverage is available for items including freshwater pools, sprinkler systems, septic systems and central vacuum systems. If you want to cover systems or appliances that aren’t commonly included in home warranty plans, a variety of add-on items might be what you need to complete the picture.

Coverage details: How much Choice will pay toward repairs differs with each add-on item. For example, the company will pay up to $3,000 to repair a pool but only $500 to repair a sprinkler system. However, Choice pays up to $3,000 for repairs to each system and appliance included in a plan. Coverage is available in Washington, D.C. and every state but Washington.

Things to know: Choice doesn’t have appliance-only or systems-only plans, so you’ll have to buy a comprehensive plan that covers both. You’ll also have to go with the company’s more expensive plan if you want air conditioning coverage. Like some of the other companies, Choice has mixed customer satisfaction scores online.

Home types: Choice Home Warranty covers single-family homes, condos, townhouses, manufactured homes, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes.

Property size: Choice covers properties up to 5,000 square feet; larger properties can get coverage for an additional fee.

Best appliance coverage: Liberty Home Guard

The NerdWallet editorial team chose Liberty Home Guard because its appliance-only plan is the most inclusive of all the plans we researched. Including all the major players — dishwasher, oven, cooktop, microwave and fridge (as well as the ice maker) — the plan also covers a garbage disposal, washer and dryer set, ceiling and exhaust fans and a garage door opener.

Coverage details: Liberty Home Guard covers up to $2,000 in approved repairs for each appliance. This is less than some competitors pay for appliance repairs, but our editorial team still thinks Liberty Home Guard’s appliance-only plan is a good option because of how many options it covers. Coverage is available in all 50 states. Liberty Home Guard has overall good customer satisfaction scores on consumer review websites.

Things to know: Liberty Home Guard’s coverage limits for plumbing and electrical repairs is only $500 for each category, which is lower than most of its competitors' limits; this could affect your overall coverage if you go with the company’s comprehensive plan. The company also doesn’t cover malfunctions caused by rust, corrosion or sediment.

Home types: Liberty Home Guard covers single-family houses, condos, townhomes, duplexes and triplexes. The company has an “other” option for mobile and manufactured homes, but we recommend talking with a customer representative if you want to cover one of these types of homes.

Property size: Liberty Home Guard doesn’t limit the size of properties it’ll cover; however, the company charges a higher monthly fee for homes that are 5,000 square feet or larger.

A home warranty for rental property — really?

A home warranty might save you time and money when it comes to certain repairs, for rental properties and your own home. However, several factors can influence if and how much a home warranty helps you manage your rental house.

How a home warranty might help

Possible benefits to having a home warranty for your rental property include:

• Saving you money on repairs if the company approves and pays your claims.

• Deducting the costs on your taxes because the monthly and service fees go toward repairing the property.

• Making renters feel more comfortable if you don’t live nearby and they’re worried about repairs.

How a home warranty might backfire

In certain situations, a home warranty for your rental house might be more of a pain, such as when the home warranty company:

• Doesn’t let you choose the repair company, and you think the assigned technician did a bad job.

• Takes a long time to find an available technician, pushing your repair farther out.

• Denies your claim because of contract exclusions, which leaves you to pay for a repair. 

4 things to know about home warranties for rental houses

1. Not all coverage is available for all types of properties. For example, limited roof leak coverage might not be available for condos or townhomes despite being available for traditional houses.

2. Not all coverage is available in every location. American Home Shield, for example, doesn’t offer roof leak coverage in Hawaii.

3. Some companies have requirements for certain homes. To qualify for coverage, for example, a manufactured home might have to be permanently secured to the ground or located on the land owned by the homeowner. 

4. Some companies won’t cover homes on historic registers. This is usually listed in the agreement if it is excluded from coverage.

» MORE: What does a home warranty cover?

Methodology

We research home warranty companies by comparing multiple factors, including plans, coverage limits and service agreement terms and conditions. By comparing benefits across the industry, we identify companies and plans that we believe are the best options for homeowners.