Home Warranty for your Rental/Investment Properties

Being a landlord has many benefits, but it is also has many challenges. One of the most time-consuming challenges can be taking care of malfunctions and breakdowns at the property.

In a perfect world, the only time you would hear from your tenant is when they send the rent check. In the real world, you hear from them, probably more than you would like. And at the same time, you want to make sure that the property is well maintained while keeping the tenants happy.

How would you like to avoid those middle-of-the-night phone calls when the plumbing backs up? Wouldn’t it be great to only pay a small service fee, instead of the whole bill? Well, you can make managing your rental properties easier when you use home warranties.

Just a few of the benefits of using home warranties on your rental properties:
• Less hassle – you call the warranty company and they take it from there
• Cost savings when a problem occurs – the warranty pays the bill for covered items
• Your Tenant can call the warranty company directly for service, especially in an emergency – just let the company know that is OK and they’ll add the tenant to your home warranty plan

Because all home warranty companies are not created equal, be sure to check coverage (standard and optional), price, exclusions and limits when selecting the company to best service your property.

By the way, if you get a call from your tenant asking you to send a plumber to fix the garbage disposal, try the following:

If the disposal won’t turn on:
• Press the reset button, usually located on the bottom or side of the unit.
• Verify the unit is plugged in and the outlet is receiving power (you can plug a hair dryer or other small appliance in to test the outlet).
• Check for a tripped GFI and push the reset button.
• Re-set the circuit breaker at the panel box.

If the unit only “hums”:
• Use an allen wrench to un-jam the unit. Insert it into the bottom of the disposal with the unit turned off. Turn clockwise and counter-clockwise to loosen the jammed item. This tool costs $2-$3 at your local hardware store. Ask for the garbage disposal allen wrench (the standard size is ¼ inch.)

For limited time, Old Republic Home Protection is offering a special price on the Ultimate_Protection_Plan which includes the Silver, Gold and Platinum Upgrades along with Air Conditioning!! This Home Warranty Plan offers coverage on many items that had been denied on “traditional” home warranty coverage.

Should we get a Home Warranty?

A home warranty is very beneficial to have especially during the listing and sale of a property. A home warranty will protect the major systems and appliances that are listed in our brochure for the new homeowner for the length of a year and it is renewable yearly. You can also get coverage for the length of the listing and escrow period when your house is on the market.

Each company covers different items so you will want to review the home warranty that you receive. After you have reviewed several companies, like those of Old Republic Home Warranty, First American, and others, ask your agent which one they have the best relationship with.

In our brochure we outline the different items we cover as well as our limits and exclusions so there are no surprises. We also list all of the different options you have the ability to purchase as we know not all homes have for example air conditioning or pools and spas! You can check out our brochure on our website at http://www.orhp.com/. You can also get a quote online and once you have a plan on your home you can even place service requests online with a click of a button!

At Old Republic Home Protection we are focused on GREAT service and taking excellent care of our clients! You also have two Account Exectuives here to work with you and your agent to make sure you get the best plan and best service around!