Does a Home Warranty Cover Electrical Wiring?

Short answer: many plans cover the electrical system, and that usually includes wiring, but coverage stops well short of your whole electrical setup. The panel, breakers, outlets and switches are commonly in; light fixtures, low-voltage cable and work inside walls are commonly out.

What is usually covered

Where an electrical system is a covered home system, the list typically includes:

• The main panel or breaker box and fuses 6
• Hard-wired electrical lines and internal wiring, including junction boxes and conduit 6
• Outlets and light switches 5

What is usually excluded

• Low-voltage and data wiring: audio, video, computer, intercom, alarm and security cable 2
• Lighting fixtures, ceiling fans, ballasts and dimmers as cosmetic or accessory items 6
• Generators, and systems that only serve structures outside the home 2
• Meter boxes and utility-side equipment, which belong to the utility
• The cost of opening and closing walls, permits, code upgrades and access work 5

The catch that surprises people: money limits

Electrical coverage is often capped at a modest per-contract amount rather than the full repair cost. Published sample contracts show electrical-system limits in the hundreds of dollars per contract term. 5 A rewiring job can exceed that limit on the first visit. Read how coverage caps work before assuming a big electrical repair is fully handled.

Rewires, knob-and-tube and old homes

Homes with aging wiring systems face two extra hurdles: pre-existing condition rules, and the fact that a partial repair may trigger code upgrades nobody pays for. Those are contract questions, not marketing questions. Pre-existing conditions explains how the rule usually reads.

Checklist before you buy electrical coverage

1. Is the electrical system in the base plan or an add-on?
2. Does coverage name wiring, or only the panel and outlets?
3. What is the dollar limit for the electrical system per contract term?
4. Who pays to open and close a wall, and to run new cable to a panel?
5. Are fixtures, fans and dimmers excluded?
6. Do you need an electrician's report, or a recent inspection, to stay eligible?
7. What happens if a repair triggers a code upgrade?

Next step

Enter your ZIP code on our quote form to see which companies serve your area, then read each sample contract for the electrical language above before you choose.