State guide · OHNo paid placement
Home warranty
in Ohio.
Under Ohio law, home service contracts are not insurance and fall outside the state's insurance laws.
Exempt from insurance regulation3 reviewed providers ranked
Photo · R Architecture / Unsplash
Why Ohio is different
Under Ohio law, home service contracts are not insurance and fall outside the state's insurance laws. Such a contract, sold for a set fee, repairs or replaces any structural component, appliance or system of a home when wear and tear, deterioration or an inherent defect makes that necessary. The exception is a contract that a licensed property and casualty insurer issues as an insurance policy. Selling one is a consumer transaction under Chapter 1345 of the Ohio Revised Code. The buyer counts as a consumer under that chapter.
Source: Ohio Revised Code 3905.422 (a home service contract is not insurance), official page as archived by the Internet Archive on 2025-03-04 (State statute, accessed 2026-10-07)
Coverage-priority context · OH
What breaks in Ohio.
Issue 01
Cold winters placing extended load on furnaces and boilers
Issue 02
Freeze-thaw cycles raising burst-pipe risk in basements and crawl spaces
Issue 03
Older industrial-era housing stock with dated plumbing and electrical
§ 02Best providers in Ohio
01
AHS
American Home Shield
Homeowners who want broad systems coverage and a choice of service fee.
Score
4.1/5
02
CHW
Choice Home Warranty
Budget-focused homeowners who want a predictable flat service fee and straightforward plan choices.
Score
3.7/5
03
SHW
Select Home Warranty
Buyers who want bundled roof-leak coverage and accept tighter payout limits.
Score
3.4/5
§ 03Common questions for Ohio
When does coverage start after I buy a plan?
When the waiting period in your contract ends. Providers set different lengths. Liberty Home Guard's sample policy starts coverage 30 days after purchase and requires covered items to be in working order that day. American Home Shield's 2024 sample plan agreement shows an initial waiting period of 0 days. Under Liberty's terms, a covered item that breaks on day 20 falls inside that 30-day holding period and is not covered, so read each provider's sample contract before you buy.
Can I buy a plan after something has already broken?
You can buy one, but the two sample contracts we read would not pay for a breakdown you already have. Liberty Home Guard's sample policy "does not cover any known or unknown pre-existing conditions." American Home Shield's 2024 sample plan agreement says a covered breakdown "must occur during the Plan Agreement Term," and it excludes earlier breakdowns that "were either known by you or were reasonably detectable by you."