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Insurance

Liberty Home Guard Review

By Brittany Darr MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE

November 8, 2022

Liberty Home Guard Review

What exactly is a home warranty? Contrary to popular belief, home warranty coverage does not extend to your entire home. Instead, homeowners can purchase a home warranty — a type of service contract — to protect essential home systems and appliances from damage caused by normal wear and tear.

The options may be overwhelming if you’ve decided to purchase a home warranty. To help you in your search, this review outlines the pros and cons of Liberty Home Guard’s service plans, coverage, costs, customer experience and more. Read on for details.

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Liberty Home Guard overview

PROS	CONS
Variety of optional add-ons and contract options	Extra coverage needed for high-end appliances
24/7 customer service	More expensive than some other providers
Available in 48 states	Cancellation fees and restrictions apply
Positive customer ratings and reviews

Founded in 2017, Liberty Home Guard is a newer name in the home warranty space. Though relatively young, this New York-based company sells home warranties in 48 states and boasts high customer satisfaction ratings.

Liberty Home Guard coverage

What it offers

Liberty Home Guard provides three service plan options to protect home systems (air conditioning, water heaters, etc.) and home appliances. You can choose a systems-only plan, an appliance-only plan or complete coverage for both. The company also offers a wide variety of coverage add-ons to customize your service contact.

You can get a quote online and purchase coverage without a home inspection. Contract options are flexible and include both month-to-month agreements for those looking for less commitment and extended agreements for customers seeking additional protection.

What it doesn’t offer

As is generally the case with home warranties, customers can add coverage for other systems and appliances but cannot remove coverage for specific items to lower their monthly costs. The standard appliance plan also doesn’t cover high-end appliances, and coverage for certain brands will entail an additional monthly fee.

In most cases, you’ll have to use a Liberty Home Guard contractor instead of hiring your own.

Liberty Home Guard Warranty plan options and costs

Liberty Home Guard plans include Appliance Guard, System Guard and Total Home Guard.

Appliance Guard

As the name suggests, Appliance Guard provides coverage for the most common home appliances. It generally covers the parts and components required to repair an appliance, plus the cost of repairs by a trained service professional. If the appliance can’t be repaired, the plan may cover the costs of replacing it.

For example, the average cost of repairing a dishwasher can run up to $600. In cases where the dishwasher is beyond repair and must be replaced, the costs could be even higher — up to $1,000 with installation. For many homeowners, this unexpected out-of-pocket expense can put a strain on their household cash flow.

Though Appliance Guard isn’t technically insurance, the concept is similar. You pay a low monthly fee to cover the costly appliances that keep your home running smoothly. If something breaks, you are less likely to be stuck with substantial out-of-pocket expenses.

Nevertheless, this plan only pays out in the event your appliances break down while you’re paying for coverage. If you never have such issues, or you do but the repairs aren’t substantial, you would have spent a considerable amount of money over time.

Appliance Guard plan costs vary by location, home type and square footage. On average, it costs around $49.99 per month for single-family homes and condos under 5,000 square feet. The average monthly cost for homes over 5,000 square feet peaks at $63.99 per month.

While the plan doesn’t protect every home appliance, it does cover repairs for the most-used ones, including:

Full-sized refrigerators
Fridge/freezer combos
Built-in microwaves
Dishwashers
Ovens
Ranges
Cooktops
Exhaust fans
Clothes washers
Clothes dryers
Garage door openers

A drawback to Liberty Home Guard’s appliance plan is that it doesn’t cover high-end or professional-grade appliances or additional units such as stand-alone freezers and second refrigerators. To cover these items you would need to purchase extended coverage for an additional monthly fee, which can quickly add up. Coverage for professional series kitchen appliances and a stand-alone freezer can make monthly fees shoot up to over $150 per month.

System Guard

Liberty Home Guard’s second plan, System Guard, protects your major home systems, such as HVAC, plumbing, air conditioning units and water heaters. Coverage for these systems is less straightforward than coverage for appliances, so read the contract carefully before purchasing a plan. For example, heating units and water heaters are only covered for components and parts, and plumbing leaks, breaks or blockages aren’t covered at all.

As with Appliance Guard, the cost of the plan varies based on the location, type and size of your home. We found that systems coverage through Liberty Home Guard costs an average of $54.99 per month for homes under 5,000 square feet and $69.99 per month for larger homes. You can also purchase a variety of coverage add-ons, including coverage for pools, sump pumps, generators, sprinkler systems and more. Just be aware that each option adds $10-35 per month to the cost of coverage.

Total Home Guard

Total Home Guard combines coverage for appliances and systems into one comprehensive plan. Starting at $59.99 a month for homes under 5,000 square feet — approximately $5-15 more per month — this plan provides the best value out of Liberty Guard’s home warranty options.

Service fees

Contract fees make up the bulk of costs in purchasing and maintaining a Liberty Home Guard warranty plan. However, those are not the only costs to consider. Policyholders must also cover a fee to initiate service for a claim. Presumably, this helps cover administrative and technician fees for diagnostic testing. A Liberty Home Guard service call fee comes in at around $90 per claim.

Again, while a service fee is likely more affordable than what you would pay out of pocket to repair a major home system or appliance, the cost can add up over time. When deciding whether to purchase a home warranty, consider how often your home systems and appliances are likely to need repair and compare that to the cost of coverage plus service fees.

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What do customers say about Liberty Home Guard?

Liberty Home Guard boasts high customer service ratings and generally positive reviews. With an average rating of 4.6/5 on the Better Business Bureau and 4.7/5 on Google, Liberty Home Guard fares significantly better than other top home warranty companies when it comes to reputation.

Liberty Home Guard also takes customer engagement seriously and actively responds to reviews and ratings. In fact, the company has a 100% response rate to customer complaints on BBB.org.

Note, however, that many online reviews for Liberty Home Guard describe a positive initial sign-up experience and don’t shed much light on the company’s claims process. Prospective customers are advised to read their service contracts carefully and ask questions about the coverage and the company’s claims process to avoid surprises.

Liberty Home Guard FAQ

What are the coverage limits?

Liberty Home Guard doesn't limit the number of repairs covered during your contract life. If something breaks and is covered under the terms of your contract, the company will repair or replace it.

However, there is a $2,000 limit per covered item. If costs to repair or replace your covered appliance or system exceed $2,000, you will be responsible for the remaining balance. This is not unusual but something to consider when weighing whether a Liberty Home Guard home warranty makes sense for your household.

There are also limits on the types of things that are covered by each plan. Parts and mechanical components are typically covered, but routine maintenance and accessories like shelves, doors and seals may not be. Read your contract carefully to understand Liberty Home Guard's coverage limits.

How do I file a claim?

There are two ways to file a claim with Liberty Home Guard: by phone or online. Customers can file claims 24 hours a day, seven days a week through either method and monitor the status of their service requests, pay service fees and update account information on the company's online portal.

Once you file a claim, Liberty Home Guard dispatches a vetted, qualified technician to assess and repair your covered system or appliance. Its average technician response time is 24 to 48 hours.

What is the cancellation policy?

Unlike some home warranty companies, Liberty Home Guard doesn't lock you into a long-term contract. If you decide you no longer need or want a home warranty, you can cancel your plan at any time. You can receive a full refund if you cancel within 30 days of buying coverage.

If you have held your plan for more than 30 days, you can still cancel anytime but the total refund will be prorated based on the time left on your contract. For example, if you have a 1-year warranty paid up front and your policy has been active for two months, you would be refunded the equivalent of 10 months of fees.

Any claims paid out during your contract are deducted from the final refund amount for all contract cancellations. Additionally, all cancellations are subject to a $50 cancellation fee. This means that if you purchased an Appliance Guard plan and paid just one month of coverage ($49.99) before canceling, your refund would be null.

How we evaluated Liberty Home Guard warranties

When evaluating a home warranty company, we look at multiple factors, including price, customer experience, coverage limits, plan options and ease of use.

Customer feedback – We reviewed customer feedback for Liberty Home Guard on Google reviews and the Better Business Bureau to gauge the company’s responsiveness and customer satisfaction rates.
Pricing – We ran multiple test quotes on their site to get a sense of pricing and coverage options for various home types, sizes and locations.
Coverage – We reviewed Liberty Home Guard sample contracts to read the fine print on its coverage limits, cancellation policies and service processes.

Liberty Home Guard summary

The main benefit of a home warranty is that it allows you to pay a small amount each month to help alleviate more considerable costs in the future. As with insurance, you may pay more than you ever receive back in claims. However, this can provide some consumers peace of mind and actual savings if multiple large systems or appliances fail in their homes.

If you’re planning on buying a home warranty plan and considering a Liberty Home Guard warranty, keep the following in mind:

Liberty Home Guard home warranty reviews and ratings are above average, and customers can expect responsive service.
If you want to cover both appliances and systems, Total Home Guard will deliver the highest level of coverage for an average of $5-15 more per month.
There are many add-on coverages available, but the cost of these can add up quickly.
Canceling coverage after 30 days will entail a $50 fee, and any claims paid out will be deducted from the final refund.

As with any contract, read your service agreement carefully and ask questions to understand coverage and exclusions. You can also review a sample contract even before speaking to an agent.

To explore more options for home warranty providers, check out our roundup of the best home warranty companies.

Brittany Darr