This is the machine-readable knowledge map for 90 Day Warranty Validation, published to the EntityMap v1.0 specification. It describes the site's key entities — the home systems, appliances and excluded conditions covered here, the legal and technical concepts they depend on, and the categories that group them — with evidence passages drawn from the pages themselves and links to the open knowledge graph.
View the EntityMap JSON → (68 entities · EntityMap v1.0)
HVAC System
Heating and cooling is the highest-stakes line in any home service contract — broad coverage, and the tightest dollar caps on the page.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heating,_ventilation,_and_air_conditioning
Relations:
- PART_OF → Heating & Cooling
- RELATES_TO → Home Warranty (Home Service Contract)
- RELATES_TO → Home Inspection
Heating and cooling appears on the covered-item list of essentially every home service contract sold in the United States, and that is the least useful thing anyone can tell a buyer. The grant is broad. The dollar limit attached to it is not, and on a system replacement that limit is what the owner pays out of pocket. The reason is structural. These contracts and the home inspection standards both slice the heating and cooling system into components, and obligations attach at the component level. Neither deals in whole systems.
Does a Home Warranty Cover HVAC? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Plumbing System
Coverage stops at the foundation footprint. Everything about a plumbing claim turns on where the failure is, not what failed.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumbing
Relations:
- PART_OF → Plumbing & Water
A home warranty — properly a home service contract , a repair-or-replace agreement rather than an insurance policy — does normally cover the plumbing system, and the base grant of coverage reads broadly. Typical language covers leaks and breaks of water, drain, gas, waste or vent lines; shower, tub, diverter, riser, angle stop and gate valves; pressure regulators; hose bibs; circulating hot-water pumps; and the clearing of stoppages in sinks, tubs, showers and toilets.
Does a Home Warranty Cover Plumbing? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Water Heater
One of the few items a warranty reliably replaces — and one of the few where the code-upgrade exclusion routinely leaves the owner paying.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_heating
Relations:
- PART_OF → Plumbing & Water
- RELATES_TO → Home Warranty (Home Service Contract)
- RELATES_TO → Consumer Product Safety Commission
If a home service contract earns its keep anywhere, it is here. Water heaters are named covered items in essentially every plan, they fail on a predictable schedule, they fail completely rather than partially, and a failed one has to be replaced within a day or two whether the homeowner has the money or not.
Home Warranty Water Heater Coverage | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Roof
A limited leak-repair add-on exists and is widely misunderstood. It is not roof replacement, and it is not storm damage.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roof
Relations:
- PART_OF → Structure & Exterior
- RELATES_TO → Home Insurance
- RELATES_TO → Home Inspection
A standard home service contract does not cover a roof at all. What some providers sell alongside it is an optional endorsement — a limited roof leak repair rider — and it does something far narrower than the name suggests. It pays an assigned contractor to patch a specific active leak in the covering above the living area, up to a small aggregate cap. It is not roof replacement, it is not storm damage coverage, and it is not a warranty on the roof's condition.
Home Warranty Roof Coverage: What the Rider Buys | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Electrical System
Branch wiring is covered; bringing it up to current code is not. That single exclusion decides most electrical claims in older housing.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_wiring
Relations:
- PART_OF → Electrical
- RELATES_TO → National Electrical Code
- RELATES_TO → Home Inspection
A home service contract covers the electrical system, and covers it broadly. One national provider's direct-to-consumer contract lists it as "All components and parts." Another enumerates the "main breaker or fuse panel/box receptacles and general line voltage wiring." That grant is close to irrelevant for the houses where electrical risk actually lives.
Does a Home Warranty Cover Electrical Wiring? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Air Conditioner
Condenser, coil and compressor are covered by nearly every plan. Refrigerant, line sets and the mismatched-system exclusion are where claims fail.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_conditioning
Relations:
- PART_OF → Heating & Cooling
- RELATES_TO → Home Warranty (Home Service Contract)
Central air conditioning is a covered item in essentially every home service contract, usually up to five tons. The disputes almost never concern whether the machine is covered. They concern refrigerant, the copper lines carrying it, and whether replacing half a split system obligates anyone to replace the other half. Four parts matter here. The compressor is the pump inside the outdoor unit, the most expensive component and the one whose failure forces a replace decision. The condenser coil outdoors rejects heat.
Home Warranty Air Conditioner Coverage | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Furnace
A cracked heat exchanger is the finding that ends a heating season. What a warranty pays, and what an inspector is actually permitted to conclude.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furnace_(central_heating)
Relations:
- PART_OF → Heating & Cooling
- RELATES_TO → Home Inspection
- RELATES_TO → Consumer Product Safety Commission
Heating is a covered item in nearly every home service contract, usually described as all parts and components of the permanently installed heating system up to five tons. Whether a claim is paid almost always comes down to one component the contract covers and no inspection standard requires anyone to look at: the heat exchanger. The distinction governing both risk and coverage is the fuel.
Does a Home Warranty Cover a Furnace? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Mold
Excluded by home service contracts and sharply limited by homeowners policies. What a general inspector is permitted to say about it.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indoor_mold
Relations:
- PART_OF → Environmental & Pest
- RELATES_TO → United States Environmental Protection Agency
- RELATES_TO → Home Insurance
No residential service contract covers mold. Not at the basic tier, not at the top tier, not as an add-on. Mold is neither a system nor an appliance, so it never reaches the exclusion list - it fails the coverage grant, which runs only to mechanical failure of enumerated equipment. The mold clauses in modern contracts are belt and suspenders on a denial already certain. The interesting question is why the language is so emphatic. Contracts do not usually spend a paragraph excluding something that was never in scope.
Does a Home Warranty Cover Mold? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Water Damage
The most important distinction on this site: a warranty covers the part that failed, insurance covers the damage it caused, and neither covers slow seepage.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_damage
Relations:
- PART_OF → Structure & Exterior
- RELATES_TO → Home Insurance
- RELATES_TO → National Flood Insurance Program
One sentence resolves nearly every water argument in a home purchase. A home warranty covers the failed component. A homeowners policy covers the resulting damage. Neither covers gradual, long-term seepage. That is why homeowners get denied twice on a single event. The service contract repairs the burst supply line and disclaims the ruined floor. The policy pays for the floor and disclaims the line. If the leak was slow, the policy pays nothing and the contract calls it deterioration. The two exclusions are not accidental overlaps.
Water Damage: Home Warranty vs. Homeowners Policy | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Foundation
Excluded from every home service contract without exception. What an inspector may say about it, and who you actually need.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_(engineering)
Relations:
- PART_OF → Structure & Exterior
- RELATES_TO → Home Inspection
- RELATES_TO → Statute of Repose
A foundation is excluded from every mainstream home service contract, at every tier, in every state. There is no foundation plan, add-on or endorsement in the market. This is not a gap in the product; it is the boundary of the product. The reason is definitional. A home service contract covers the mechanical and electrical breakdown of systems and appliances from normal wear. A foundation is not a system that breaks down.
Does a Home Warranty Cover Foundation Repair? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Windows
Glass, seals and operation are outside the contract. Fogged insulated glass is the finding buyers most often discover too late.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window
Relations:
- PART_OF → Structure & Exterior
- RELATES_TO → Home Inspection
Windows are excluded from home service contracts almost universally, and fogged glass is excluded twice over — once because a window is not a covered item, and again because a fogged unit is deterioration rather than a mechanical breakdown. One company that sells both structural warranties and home service contracts states it without qualification in its own consumer material: windows simply do not fall under most warranty coverage, including its own.
Does a Home Warranty Cover Fogged Windows? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Sewer Line
The lateral is the buyer's, the main is the city's, and the standard plan covers a stoppage but not the pipe. Why a sewer scope is not optional.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanitary_sewer
Relations:
- PART_OF → Plumbing & Water
- RELATES_TO → Home Inspection
The word “sewer” appears in the covered-items list of nearly every home service contract, and it means something much narrower than a buyer would guess. Base plans cover the clearing of a stoppage . They do not cover the line . Typical language grants “clearing of sewer line and mainline stoppages with standard sewer cable to 125 feet from point of access,” or clearing “to 125 feet of point of access where ground level cleanout is existing,” with hydrojetting available in some forms if the cable will not do it.
Does a Home Warranty Cover Sewer Lines? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Septic System
An add-on almost everywhere, and the leach field — the expensive half — is excluded even when the tank is not.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septic_tank
Relations:
- PART_OF → Plumbing & Water
- RELATES_TO → Home Inspection
- RELATES_TO → Due Diligence
A septic system is conditionally covered at best. Where a provider sells septic coverage at all it is an optional rider, and what the rider buys is stoppage clearing — not the buried soil absorption field, which is where the money is and which no contract examined for this page covers. The system has two halves that fail in completely different ways. The septic tank is a buried watertight vessel in which solids settle out as sludge , fats and oils float as scum , and the clarified middle layer, the effluent , leaves through an outlet tee or baffle.
Does a Home Warranty Cover a Septic System? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Slab Leaks
The pipe may be covered while the concrete over it is not. The most expensive gap between a home warranty and a homeowners policy.
Relations:
- PART_OF → Plumbing & Water
- RELATES_TO → Home Insurance
- RELATES_TO → Statute of Repose
A slab leak is the failure of a pressurized water supply line — or, less often, a drain, waste or vent line — routed beneath or within a concrete slab-on-grade foundation. In slab-on-grade construction the distribution lines often run in the fill under the slab, sometimes sleeved, sometimes cast directly into the concrete. When one fails, the water goes into the soil under the house, where it can wash out fill, saturate expansive clay, and heave or settle the slab. Two facts make this the sharpest coverage boundary in residential construction.
Slab Leaks and Home Warranties | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Termites & Wood-Destroying Insects
A separate inspection, a separate report form, and a separate industry — and required outright for some loan types in some states.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termite
Relations:
- PART_OF → Environmental & Pest
- RELATES_TO → Home Inspection
- RELATES_TO → Due Diligence
No residential service contract covers termite damage, and the exclusion is over-determined. A sample agreement excludes "animal, pet and/or pest damage" outright, but the claim would fail without that sentence. The coverage grant runs to the mechanical failure of covered systems and appliances from normal use. Termite damage is damage to the structure , not a system, and it is caused by an external agent rather than by wear - the two categories the grant is drafted to keep out. The same logic reaches further than people expect.
Does a Home Warranty Cover Termites? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Pest Control
Excluded as a condition rather than a component. Where the boundary sits between a pest problem and a covered failure.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pest_control
Relations:
- PART_OF → Environmental & Pest
- RELATES_TO → Home Inspection
No home service contract covers pest control, and the reason is more interesting than the answer. A residential service contract is a promise about components : it pays when an enumerated system or appliance suffers a mechanical failure from normal use. A pest problem is not a component that failed. It is a condition of the property - a function of geography, season, sanitation, landscaping and construction detail - and conditions are the one thing this product has never been built to insure.
Do Home Warranties Cover Pest Control? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Garbage Disposal
The item most likely to make a warranty pay for itself in year one, and the one most often disabled by owner misuse.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_disposal_unit
Relations:
- PART_OF → Kitchen Appliances
The garbage disposal is covered in every published sample contract reviewed for this page, and it is covered without the elaborate exclusion list that follows almost every other kitchen appliance. One national contract places it inside the plumbing system section with no item-specific exclusion list and no separate dollar cap identified for it. Others list it among basic-plan kitchen appliances. There is no option to buy and no upper tier to reach.
Does a Home Warranty Cover a Garbage Disposal? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Refrigerator
Often one unit only, often excluding the ice maker and dispenser, and the cap rarely tracks what a built-in actually costs to replace.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator
Relations:
- PART_OF → Kitchen Appliances
- RELATES_TO → Extended Warranty
A refrigerator is the least reliably covered of the major kitchen appliances. In the published sample contracts reviewed for this page it appears either as a separately purchased option outside the standard kitchen appliance package, or as an item restricted to the upper tiers, with one national plan's entry-level tier carrying no appliance coverage at all. The word "appliances" on a comparison chart does not settle the question; the schedule of covered items does. The second half of the answer is the expensive half.
Does a Home Warranty Cover a Refrigerator? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Dishwasher
Standard on nearly every plan. The interesting question is what the contract calls a covered failure versus a maintenance issue.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dishwasher
Relations:
- PART_OF → Kitchen Appliances
- RELATES_TO → Extended Warranty
The dishwasher is a covered item in the base plan of every published sample contract reviewed for this page. It is a permanently installed, plumbed and wired appliance that conveys with the house, which puts it squarely inside what a home service contract is designed to insure. Coverage is not the question. The question is what counts as a covered breakdown. These contracts pay for the mechanical or electrical failure of a covered part, subject to a named exclusion list and a per-item ceiling.
Does a Home Warranty Cover a Dishwasher? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Oven & Range
Covered in the base plan, with a cosmetic-parts exclusion that removes glass, handles, knobs and racks.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_stove
Relations:
- PART_OF → Kitchen Appliances
Range, oven, and cooktop are base kitchen appliances in every published sample contract reviewed for this page. There is no option to buy and no upper tier to reach. A gas range, an electric range, a built-in wall oven, and a cooktop are all inside the grant of coverage, which runs to the parts and components that affect the operation of the unit. Then a clause a paragraph long takes a large piece of it back.
Home Warranty Coverage for Ovens and Ranges | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Electrical Panel
Some panels are an insurance problem before they are a warranty problem. What an inspector flags, and what happens next.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distribution_board
Relations:
- PART_OF → Electrical
- RELATES_TO → National Electrical Code
- RELATES_TO → Consumer Product Safety Commission
The service panel is covered. It sits inside the "all components and parts" grant in two of the sampled contracts and is named outright in a third as the "main breaker or fuse panel/box." If a breaker fails on an ordinary modern load center, that is a routine claim and it is usually paid. That is not what buyers of older houses are actually asking.
Home Warranty Coverage for Electrical Panels | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Ductwork
Covered on paper, restricted in practice: the accessibility clause removes most of the duct run that actually fails.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_(flow)
Relations:
- PART_OF → Heating & Cooling
Ductwork is the clearest case of coverage that exists in the grant and disappears in the qualifier. The typical contract covers ducts running from the heating or cooling unit to the point of attachment at the registers, then defines away any part it cannot easily reach. Whether a duct failure is covered rarely depends on what broke - it depends on where the broken part is.
Ductwork and Home Warranty Coverage | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Garage Door Opener
The opener is covered. The door, the springs, the panels and the tracks are not — and the springs are what break.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garage_door_opener
Relations:
- PART_OF → Garage, Outdoor & Site
A garage door opener — the regulatory and trade term is an automatic residential garage door operator — is usually covered. It is standard coverage in most systems and combination plans and an add-on in others. What is usually not covered is the door: its panels, glazing, hinges, rollers, tracks, cables, drums, bearing plates, and the torsion or extension springs that counterbalance it. That boundary explains nearly every dispute in this category, because of one mechanical fact most homeowners have never been told.
Home Warranty Garage Door Opener Coverage | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Clothes Washer
Frequently an optional add-on rather than base coverage, and the supply hose behind it causes more loss than the machine ever will.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washing_machine
Relations:
- PART_OF → Laundry & Utility
- RELATES_TO → Extended Warranty
A clothes washer is conditionally covered, and the condition is almost always that somebody bought the laundry option. Across the published sample contracts reviewed for this page, the washer is not a base-plan appliance the way a dishwasher or an oven is — it sits in a separately elected option, or on an upper appliance tier that costs more than the entry product.
Does a Home Warranty Cover a Clothes Washer? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Clothes Dryer
The machine is an appliance question. The vent is a fire question, and no home service contract touches it.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothes_dryer
Relations:
- PART_OF → Laundry & Utility
- RELATES_TO → Consumer Product Safety Commission
- RELATES_TO → Extended Warranty
A clothes dryer is conditionally covered: it is an optional appliance on the contracts reviewed here, usually elected together with the washer, and usually limited to one unit. The exhaust duct that carries heat and lint out of the house is excluded by name in every one of those contracts. That split is the entire subject. It matters because the two are not independent.
Does a Home Warranty Cover a Clothes Dryer? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Built-In Microwave
Built-in is covered; countertop is not. The distinction is about attachment to the dwelling, and it recurs across the contract.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven
Relations:
- PART_OF → Kitchen Appliances
A built-in microwave is a covered base-plan appliance in the published sample contracts reviewed for this page. One lists it as "Microwave Oven (built-in only)" in its basic plan. Others name the built-in microwave among kitchen appliances without an option purchase. Over-the-range units that double as the range hood, trim-kit units set into cabinetry, microwave drawers, and wall-oven combination units are all inside that description. A countertop microwave is not covered by any of them, and the reason has nothing to do with the price of the machine.
Does a Home Warranty Cover a Microwave? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Range Hood
Covered as an appliance, but the duct behind it and the roof or wall cap at the end of it are somebody else's problem.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_hood
Relations:
- PART_OF → Kitchen Appliances
The range hood is the one kitchen appliance on this list whose coverage cannot be assumed from the category heading. Where a contract names it, coverage is ordinary: one published contract covers the "kitchen exhaust fan" under kitchen appliances, running to all parts and components that affect the operation of the unit, at the same aggregate per-appliance limit as the other kitchen items and excluding light kits. Another national plan lists kitchen exhaust fans among covered appliances on its upper tiers.
Home Warranty Coverage for Range Hoods | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Well Pump
Optional coverage on most plans, and the pump is only part of the system a lender will ask about.
Relations:
- PART_OF → Plumbing & Water
- RELATES_TO → Home Inspection
- RELATES_TO → Due Diligence
A well pump is conditionally covered: an optional add-on in every mainstream contract reviewed, never base coverage, and written narrowly enough that the components most likely to fail sit outside it. But the more consequential fact about a private well is that the only mandatory diligence most buyers get comes from their loan program — not from their inspector, and not from their warranty. That inversion is worth stating plainly.
Well Pump Coverage and Lender Water Tests | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Water Softener
Whether it is covered matters less than whether it is owned — a leased unit is a contract you inherit, not an appliance you bought.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_softening
Relations:
- PART_OF → Plumbing & Water
A water softener is conditionally covered at best, and the condition that matters most is not in the contract's exclusion list — it is on the seller's disclosure. If the unit is leased or rented , no home service contract will cover it, it does not convey with the house, and the buyer is inheriting a commercial agreement rather than an appliance. If it is owned , it may be eligible for an optional rider where a provider offers one, subject to exclusions that remove most of what actually fails. Mechanically the device is simple.
Water Softener Coverage: Leased vs. Owned | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Toilets & Plumbing Fixtures
Tanks and bowls are usually in. Faucets, shower heads, enclosures and anything the contract calls cosmetic are usually out.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumbing_fixture
Relations:
- PART_OF → Plumbing & Water
Plumbing fixtures are conditionally covered, and the condition is the cleanest organising principle in the whole contract: function is covered, appearance is not. A toilet that will not stop running is a mechanism failure and a routine claim. A toilet that is chipped, stained, scratched or an unfashionable colour is a cosmetic condition and is not covered by any mainstream form.
Home Warranty Coverage: Toilets and Fixtures | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Ceiling Fans
Routinely covered, routinely capped, and routinely confused with light fixtures — which are not.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceiling_fan
Relations:
- PART_OF → Electrical
- RELATES_TO → National Electrical Code
Ceiling fans are covered in every contract sampled for this page, and fan claims are denied or only partly paid more often than almost anything else in the electrical section. Both are true because the contract and the homeowner are not describing the same object. The homeowner means the thing hanging from the ceiling. The contract means a motor and its speed and direction controls, with the light kit carved out as a fixture and the remote as a transmitter.
Does a Home Warranty Cover Ceiling Fans? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Doorbells & Smoke Detectors
Small items with a disproportionate legal weight: smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are a point-of-sale requirement in much of the country.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doorbell
Relations:
- PART_OF → Electrical
- RELATES_TO → National Electrical Code
- RELATES_TO → Consumer Product Safety Commission
Doorbells and smoke alarms are covered in most home service contracts, and the coverage is close to worthless. A doorbell transformer, a chime unit or a smoke alarm costs less than a typical trade service call fee, so the claim almost never clears the fee in the homeowner's favour. That is the whole warranty story, and it takes one paragraph. The reason these items warrant a page is legal, not mechanical.
Are Doorbells and Smoke Alarms Covered? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Central Vacuum
Listed on many plans, tested by almost no inspector, and inherited without an accessory set more often than not.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_vacuum_cleaner
Relations:
- PART_OF → Laundry & Utility
A central vacuum is conditionally covered, and the condition is narrow enough to change the answer in practice. Where a provider offers the option, coverage reaches the parts and components that affect the operation of the power unit — and the exclusions then remove the hose, the attachments, clogged tubing, and the cost of opening a wall or floor to reach any of it. That is the narrowest coverage-to-system ratio of any item on this site. It is also the item most likely to be inherited blind.
Does a Home Warranty Cover Central Vacuum? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Sprinkler System
An add-on where it is offered at all, with a freeze exclusion that removes the most common cause of failure.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrigation_sprinkler
Relations:
- PART_OF → Garage, Outdoor & Site
A lawn irrigation system is conditionally covered where it is covered at all — and frequently it is not. One national sample agreement contains no irrigation section whatsoever; a Texas homeowner contract from another provider offers optional coverage for the sprinkler system and timer. So the first question is not what the rider excludes but whether the plan has an irrigation section at all. The second question is sharper.
Sprinkler System Coverage and Freeze Damage | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Pool & Spa Equipment
Pump, filter and heater can be bought as an add-on. The shell, liner, tile, coping, decking and cleaning system never are.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimming_pool
Relations:
- PART_OF → Garage, Outdoor & Site
- RELATES_TO → Home Warranty (Home Service Contract)
- RELATES_TO → Home Insurance
Pool and spa coverage is conditionally available — an optional add-on essentially everywhere, priced separately, and frequently unavailable in some states and for some pool types. What it reaches is the mechanical equipment pad : the circulation pump and motor, the filter, sometimes the heater, the manifold plumbing and valves at the pad, sometimes the timer, and the electrical serving them. What it does not reach is the pool.
Home Warranty Pool and Spa Equipment Coverage | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Solar Panels
Excluded by every home service contract, and a lien and assumption problem long before it is a maintenance problem.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_panel
Relations:
- PART_OF → Garage, Outdoor & Site
- RELATES_TO → Title Insurance
- RELATES_TO → Due Diligence
A residential photovoltaic array is excluded from home service contracts. There is no rider, no tier and no negotiation. One national provider's direct-to-consumer Nevada sample plan agreement dated July 2024 excludes, at §7.P, solar power systems, and those components necessary to convert or otherwise utilize alternative energy . Another provider's sample form excludes solar heating devices and components and solar heaters, including all parts and components from its heating and water heater coverage grants.
Do Home Warranties Cover Solar Panels? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Gutters & Siding
Exterior cladding and drainage are excluded as a category — and they are where a surprising share of interior water damage begins.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_gutter
Relations:
- PART_OF → Structure & Exterior
Gutters, downspouts, fascia, soffit and every square foot of siding are outside a home service contract. They are not omitted from the schedule by oversight; they are removed by a definitional clause that reaches the whole exterior at once.
Home Warranty Coverage for Gutters and Siding | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Asbestos & Lead Paint
Not a coverage question at all — a federal disclosure question, with the only inspection window in a home purchase that Congress wrote itself.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestos
Relations:
- PART_OF → Environmental & Pest
- RELATES_TO → Lead Paint
- RELATES_TO → United States Environmental Protection Agency
Every other deadline that decides a home buyer's remedies is contractual: the option period exists because a standard purchase form creates it, the waiting period before a new service contract responds because the contract says so, the builder's eleven-month callback window because the builder's warranty says so. All belong to private parties, and all can be negotiated away. One does not. The Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 - Title X of the Housing and Community Development Act - is codified at 42 U.S.C.
Lead Paint, Asbestos, and the 10-Day Federal Window | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Home Warranty (Home Service Contract)
A home warranty is a residential service contract that pays to repair or replace covered home systems and appliances that fail from normal wear, in exchange for an annual fee plus a per-visit service call fee. It is a contract for repair services, not an insurance policy on the property.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_warranty
A home warranty is a residential service contract that pays to repair or replace covered home systems and appliances that fail from normal wear, in exchange for an annual fee plus a per-visit service call fee. It is a contract for repair services, not an insurance policy on the property.
How a Home Warranty Works | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Extended Warranty
An extended warranty is a service contract sold separately from a product that covers repair or replacement after the manufacturer's warranty ends. Home service contracts belong to the same product family and are regulated in most U.S. states as service contracts rather than as insurance.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_warranty
An extended warranty is a service contract sold separately from a product that covers repair or replacement after the manufacturer's warranty ends. Home service contracts belong to the same product family and are regulated in most U.S. states as service contracts rather than as insurance.
Are Home Warranties Worth It? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Home Inspection
A home inspection is a limited, non-invasive visual examination of a property's condition, usually performed for a buyer before purchase. It reports on readily accessible and visible components and does not predict future failures or verify concealed conditions.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_inspection
A home inspection is a limited, non-invasive visual examination of a property's condition, usually performed for a buyer before purchase. It reports on readily accessible and visible components and does not predict future failures or verify concealed conditions.
Home Inspection Checklist for Buyers | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Home Insurance
Homeowners insurance indemnifies an owner against sudden and accidental loss to the dwelling and its contents from named or open perils, plus liability. It generally excludes wear, deterioration and mechanical breakdown, which is the boundary that separates it from a home service contract.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_insurance
Homeowners insurance indemnifies an owner against sudden and accidental loss to the dwelling and its contents from named or open perils, plus liability. It generally excludes wear, deterioration and mechanical breakdown, which is the boundary that separates it from a home service contract.
Home Warranty vs. Homeowners Insurance | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Real Estate Appraisal
A real estate appraisal is an opinion of market value prepared by a licensed appraiser, typically ordered by the lender to support the loan amount. It measures value, not condition, and is not a substitute for an inspection.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_estate_appraisal
A real estate appraisal is an opinion of market value prepared by a licensed appraiser, typically ordered by the lender to support the loan amount. It measures value, not condition, and is not a substitute for an inspection.
Home Inspection vs. Appraisal | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
American Society of Home Inspectors
ASHI is a United States professional association of home inspectors that publishes a Standard of Practice and Code of Ethics. Its standard defines which systems an inspector examines and lists the exclusions that limit the scope of a general home inspection.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_of_Home_Inspectors
ASHI is a United States professional association of home inspectors that publishes a Standard of Practice and Code of Ethics. Its standard defines which systems an inspector examines and lists the exclusions that limit the scope of a general home inspection.
What a Home Inspection Does Not Cover | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Earnest Money Deposit
Earnest money is a deposit a buyer places with a neutral holder to show good faith when a purchase contract is signed. Whether it is refundable usually turns on whether a contingency deadline was met, which is why the contract calendar governs the deposit.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earnest_payment
Earnest money is a deposit a buyer places with a neutral holder to show good faith when a purchase contract is signed. Whether it is refundable usually turns on whether a contingency deadline was met, which is why the contract calendar governs the deposit.
The Home Buying Deadlines That Decide Your Remedies | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Due Diligence
Due diligence is the investigation a party performs before committing to a transaction. In residential real estate it names both the practice of verifying a property's condition, title and costs and, in several states, the contractual period in which a buyer may investigate and withdraw.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Due_diligence
Due diligence is the investigation a party performs before committing to a transaction. In residential real estate it names both the practice of verifying a property's condition, title and costs and, in several states, the contractual period in which a buyer may investigate and withdraw.
Home Buying Due Diligence Checklist | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Truth in Lending Act
The Truth in Lending Act is a United States federal law requiring standardized disclosure of credit terms and costs. Combined with RESPA in the TRID rule, it sets the timing of the Loan Estimate and the three-business-day Closing Disclosure waiting period before consummation.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_in_Lending_Act
The Truth in Lending Act is a United States federal law requiring standardized disclosure of credit terms and costs. Combined with RESPA in the TRID rule, it sets the timing of the Loan Estimate and the three-business-day Closing Disclosure waiting period before consummation.
The Home Buying Deadlines That Decide Your Remedies | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Title Insurance
Title insurance indemnifies an owner or lender against loss from defects in the title to real property, such as undisclosed liens, encumbrances or recording errors. Reviewing the title commitment and its exceptions is part of a buyer's pre-closing investigation.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_insurance
Title insurance indemnifies an owner or lender against loss from defects in the title to real property, such as undisclosed liens, encumbrances or recording errors. Reviewing the title commitment and its exceptions is part of a buyer's pre-closing investigation.
Home Buying Due Diligence Checklist | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Homeowner Association
A homeowner association is an organization within a planned community or condominium that enforces covenants and collects assessments. Many states give a buyer a defined period after receiving the association's governing documents in which to review them and cancel.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeowner_association
A homeowner association is an organization within a planned community or condominium that enforces covenants and collects assessments. Many states give a buyer a defined period after receiving the association's governing documents in which to review them and cancel.
The Home Buying Deadlines That Decide Your Remedies | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Radon
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can accumulate indoors and is a recognised lung cancer risk. Testing for it is a separate specialty test, not part of a general home inspection, and mitigation is a distinct trade.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radon
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can accumulate indoors and is a recognised lung cancer risk. Testing for it is a separate specialty test, not part of a general home inspection, and mitigation is a distinct trade.
What a Home Inspection Does Not Cover | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Lead Paint
Lead paint is paint containing lead compounds, banned for residential use in the United States in 1978. Federal law requires sellers of pre-1978 housing to disclose known lead hazards and to offer the buyer a ten-day opportunity to conduct a lead-based paint inspection or risk assessment.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_paint
Lead paint is paint containing lead compounds, banned for residential use in the United States in 1978. Federal law requires sellers of pre-1978 housing to disclose known lead hazards and to offer the buyer a ten-day opportunity to conduct a lead-based paint inspection or risk assessment.
The Home Buying Deadlines That Decide Your Remedies | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
National Electrical Code
The National Electrical Code is the model standard for electrical installation in the United States, published by the National Fire Protection Association and adopted, often with amendments, by state and local jurisdictions. Inspectors cite it when describing conditions such as missing grounding or bonding.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Electrical_Code
The National Electrical Code is the model standard for electrical installation in the United States, published by the National Fire Protection Association and adopted, often with amendments, by state and local jurisdictions. Inspectors cite it when describing conditions such as missing grounding or bonding.
Does a Home Warranty Cover Electrical Wiring? | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Consumer Product Safety Commission
The CPSC is the United States federal agency that regulates consumer product safety and publishes recalls. Its recall database is the public record for appliances and electrical equipment found in homes, including panels and equipment subject to safety notices.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Consumer_Product_Safety_Commission
The CPSC is the United States federal agency that regulates consumer product safety and publishes recalls. Its recall database is the public record for appliances and electrical equipment found in homes, including panels and equipment subject to safety notices.
Home Warranty Coverage for Electrical Panels | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The EPA is the United States federal agency responsible for environmental regulation. It administers the lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, publishes indoor mold remediation guidance, and sets the action level used in radon testing.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency
The EPA is the United States federal agency responsible for environmental regulation. It administers the lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, publishes indoor mold remediation guidance, and sets the action level used in radon testing.
Lead Paint, Asbestos, and the 10-Day Federal Window | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Caveat Emptor
Caveat emptor, let the buyer beware, is the common-law principle placing the burden of investigating a purchase on the buyer. Modern disclosure statutes and inspection contingencies narrow it, but a buyer who lets an inspection period lapse can be left holding it.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caveat_emptor
Caveat emptor, let the buyer beware, is the common-law principle placing the burden of investigating a purchase on the buyer. Modern disclosure statutes and inspection contingencies narrow it, but a buyer who lets an inspection period lapse can be left holding it.
The Home Inspection Contingency | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Statute of Repose
A statute of repose bars a claim after a fixed period measured from a triggering event such as substantial completion of construction, regardless of when the defect is discovered. In construction defect matters it can extinguish a claim before the owner knows one exists.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_repose
A statute of repose bars a claim after a fixed period measured from a triggering event such as substantial completion of construction, regardless of when the defect is discovered. In construction defect matters it can extinguish a claim before the owner knows one exists.
The Home Buying Deadlines That Decide Your Remedies | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
National Flood Insurance Program
The National Flood Insurance Program is the United States federal program that provides flood insurance for properties in participating communities. Flood damage is excluded from standard homeowners policies and from home service contracts, so it is covered, if at all, separately.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Flood_Insurance_Program
The National Flood Insurance Program is the United States federal program that provides flood insurance for properties in participating communities. Flood damage is excluded from standard homeowners policies and from home service contracts, so it is covered, if at all, separately.
Water Damage: Home Warranty vs. Homeowners Policy | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Implied Warranty
An implied warranty is a warranty imposed by law rather than stated in the contract. In new residential construction, most states recognise an implied warranty of workmanship or habitability that runs alongside the builder's written limited warranty and its own deadlines.
Same as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implied_warranty
An implied warranty is a warranty imposed by law rather than stated in the contract. In new residential construction, most states recognise an implied warranty of workmanship or habitability that runs alongside the builder's written limited warranty and its own deadlines.
Builder Warranties and the 11-Month Inspection | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Home Systems and Appliances Covered by a Home Warranty
The home systems and appliances a home service contract is designed to cover — heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical, kitchen and laundry equipment — subject to per-item caps, add-on requirements and the exclusions that govern each.
Relations:
- INCLUDES → HVAC System
- INCLUDES → Plumbing System
- INCLUDES → Water Heater
- INCLUDES → Electrical System
- INCLUDES → Air Conditioner
- INCLUDES → Furnace
- INCLUDES → Sewer Line
- INCLUDES → Septic System
- INCLUDES → Garbage Disposal
- INCLUDES → Refrigerator
- INCLUDES → Dishwasher
- INCLUDES → Oven & Range
- INCLUDES → Electrical Panel
- INCLUDES → Ductwork
- INCLUDES → Garage Door Opener
- INCLUDES → Clothes Washer
- INCLUDES → Clothes Dryer
- INCLUDES → Built-In Microwave
- INCLUDES → Range Hood
- INCLUDES → Well Pump
- INCLUDES → Water Softener
- INCLUDES → Toilets & Plumbing Fixtures
- INCLUDES → Ceiling Fans
- INCLUDES → Doorbells & Smoke Detectors
- INCLUDES → Central Vacuum
- INCLUDES → Sprinkler System
The home systems and appliances a home service contract is designed to cover — heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical, kitchen and laundry equipment — subject to per-item caps, add-on requirements and the exclusions that govern each.
What a Home Warranty Covers: Systems & Appliances | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Home Warranty Exclusions and Gray Areas
The components and conditions buyers most often assume a home warranty covers and it does not — roof, foundation, windows, siding, mold, wood-destroying insects, water damage, solar equipment and pool structures.
Relations:
- INCLUDES → Roof
- INCLUDES → Mold
- INCLUDES → Water Damage
- INCLUDES → Foundation
- INCLUDES → Windows
- INCLUDES → Slab Leaks
- INCLUDES → Termites & Wood-Destroying Insects
- INCLUDES → Pest Control
- INCLUDES → Pool & Spa Equipment
- INCLUDES → Solar Panels
- INCLUDES → Gutters & Siding
- INCLUDES → Asbestos & Lead Paint
The components and conditions buyers most often assume a home warranty covers and it does not — roof, foundation, windows, siding, mold, wood-destroying insects, water damage, solar equipment and pool structures.
Home Warranty Exclusions: What Is Not Covered | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Heating & Cooling
The equipment that carries the highest replacement cost and the tightest coverage caps within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Relations:
- INCLUDES → HVAC System
- INCLUDES → Air Conditioner
- INCLUDES → Furnace
- INCLUDES → Ductwork
The equipment that carries the highest replacement cost and the tightest coverage caps within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Home Warranty Coverage by Home Area & Trade | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Plumbing & Water
Supply, drain and waste lines, and the equipment that moves and heats water within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Relations:
- INCLUDES → Plumbing System
- INCLUDES → Water Heater
- INCLUDES → Sewer Line
- INCLUDES → Septic System
- INCLUDES → Slab Leaks
- INCLUDES → Well Pump
- INCLUDES → Water Softener
- INCLUDES → Toilets & Plumbing Fixtures
Supply, drain and waste lines, and the equipment that moves and heats water within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Home Warranty Coverage by Home Area & Trade | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Electrical
Service equipment, branch wiring and the devices attached to them within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Relations:
- INCLUDES → Electrical System
- INCLUDES → Electrical Panel
- INCLUDES → Ceiling Fans
- INCLUDES → Doorbells & Smoke Detectors
Service equipment, branch wiring and the devices attached to them within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Home Warranty Coverage by Home Area & Trade | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Kitchen Appliances
The appliances most often bundled into a base plan, and the limits that apply to them within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Relations:
- INCLUDES → Garbage Disposal
- INCLUDES → Refrigerator
- INCLUDES → Dishwasher
- INCLUDES → Oven & Range
- INCLUDES → Built-In Microwave
- INCLUDES → Range Hood
The appliances most often bundled into a base plan, and the limits that apply to them within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Home Warranty Coverage by Home Area & Trade | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Laundry & Utility
Washers, dryers and utility equipment that are frequently optional rather than standard within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Relations:
- INCLUDES → Clothes Washer
- INCLUDES → Clothes Dryer
- INCLUDES → Central Vacuum
Washers, dryers and utility equipment that are frequently optional rather than standard within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Home Warranty Coverage by Home Area & Trade | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Structure & Exterior
The building envelope — almost entirely outside a home service contract within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Relations:
- INCLUDES → Roof
- INCLUDES → Water Damage
- INCLUDES → Foundation
- INCLUDES → Windows
- INCLUDES → Gutters & Siding
The building envelope — almost entirely outside a home service contract within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Home Warranty Coverage by Home Area & Trade | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Garage, Outdoor & Site
Equipment beyond the walls of the house, usually sold as an add-on if at all within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Relations:
- INCLUDES → Garage Door Opener
- INCLUDES → Sprinkler System
- INCLUDES → Pool & Spa Equipment
- INCLUDES → Solar Panels
Equipment beyond the walls of the house, usually sold as an add-on if at all within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Home Warranty Coverage by Home Area & Trade | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation
Environmental & Pest
Conditions rather than components, and excluded on that basis within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Relations:
- INCLUDES → Mold
- INCLUDES → Termites & Wood-Destroying Insects
- INCLUDES → Pest Control
- INCLUDES → Asbestos & Lead Paint
Conditions rather than components, and excluded on that basis within a residential home service contract and a general home inspection.
Home Warranty Coverage by Home Area & Trade | 90 Day Warranty Validation — published by 90 Day Warranty Validation