A home warranty is a service contract that covers the cost of repairing or replacing major home systems and appliances when they break down due to normal wear and tear. It's important to understand that a home warranty is not the same as homeowners insurance. Homeowners insurance protects your home from sudden, unexpected events like fire, theft, or natural disasters. A home warranty, on the other hand, is designed to help with the everyday failures of appliances and systems.

This is a great question, as it touches on the often-confused relationship between home warranties and homeowners insurance. While you might have homeowners insurance (which is usually required by lenders), a home warranty serves a very different purpose.

Filing a home warranty claim typically involves identifying the issue, reviewing your contract to confirm coverage and understand fees, then contacting your provider online or by phone to submit the claim. After paying a service call fee, a technician from their network will be dispatched to diagnose and, if covered, repair or replace the item. While claim processing usually takes 1-2 business days, the actual repair time can vary significantly, from same-day fixes if parts are available, to several days or weeks if parts need ordering or if the item requires replacement, heavily depending on technician availability and part lead times.