Home warranty on a Sub-Zero, Wolf or Viking: what the contract pays.
On paper a home warranty covers a Sub-Zero, Wolf or Viking, up to a limit. None of the four Arizona home warranty contracts we read on October 5, 2026 names Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking or Monogram, and two of them list a built-in refrigerator as a covered type, on some plans only as a separately bought option. What each one sets is a dollar limit per appliance, from $2,000 to $7,000 by provider and plan. A new Sub-Zero Classic is $12,055 to $16,745 on Sub-Zero’s own site.
The rest is in the terms. The provider chooses and sends the contractor, and reimbursement for anyone else depends on its approval beforehand. It may pay cash in place of the work. None of the four promises a replacement of the same brand. Homeowners insurance is a different instrument: it answers for fire, wind and the other perils a policy lists, not for a compressor that wore out. This page is information, not legal or insurance advice.
On This Page
- What a home warranty is in Arizona law
- Who regulates it, and where to complain
- What the contracts actually say
- The clauses that matter for a built-in
- Whether the limit is enough
- What homeowners insurance covers
- Protection plans from the makers
- What to read before filing a claim
- Where an independent repair fits
- Questions
- Sources
What is a home warranty, in Arizona law?
A service contract. The Federal Trade Commission says it in four words: home warranties “are really service contracts.” Arizona’s statute agrees. A.R.S. § 20-1095 defines a home warranty or home protection contract as a service contract, sold for a separately stated price, for the service, maintenance, repair or replacement of a home’s structural components, appliances, and electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling systems. The company obligated under it is a service company.
The maker’s warranty is a different thing in the same statute: a written promise made in connection with the sale, and exempt from the service company article apart from its section on unfair practices. What the four makers’ own warranties cover.
The FTC’s advice to buyers is short. Weigh the price together with the fee paid each time something is serviced. Ask what the limits are, which appliances are left out, and what canceling costs. Search the company’s name with words like review or complaint. A home warranty, it adds, can duplicate coverage you already have. Its page on extended warranties and service contracts says money put aside in a savings account may be a better option for paying for repairs.
Who Regulates Home Warranty Companies in Arizona?
The Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions: in Title 20 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, “the director” means that department’s director (§ 20-102). The sections below are what the service company article asks of a company and of its contract.
| Section | What it requires |
|---|---|
| § 20-1095.01(A) | No service contract may be offered or issued without a permit from the director |
| § 20-1095.01(D) | On request before the sale, the provider supplies a specimen copy of the terms, or a website carrying the complete sample |
| § 20-1095.03 and .04 | For a permit: a surety bond of at least $100,000 or securities in its place, or a reimbursement insurance policy. A permit indicates only that the company appears financially sound and to have satisfactory claims practices, and that the director has no credible evidence to the contrary |
| § 20-1095.06 | Forms are filed with the director before use. Clear, readable language. The contract names the obligor and says whether its obligations are backed by reimbursement insurance or by its own full faith and credit. It states the price, any deductible, the limits, and whether preexisting conditions are covered. Exclusions are in bold-faced type |
| § 20-1095.06(D)(9) | On cancellation, at least a pro rata refund, less benefits paid and an administrative expense of no more than $75 or ten percent of the price, whichever is less |
| § 20-1095.08 and .09 | Unfair practices include misleading statements, and failing to perform promised services within a reasonable time and in a competent or workmanlike manner. After notice and a hearing the director may order a company to cease and desist, or suspend or revoke its permit |
The contracts print where a complaint goes. American Home Shield’s Arizona agreement says it is issued under a permit from the department and gives (602) 364-2499, difi.az.gov and 100 N. 15th Ave., Suite 261, Phoenix, AZ 85007; First American’s prints the same number and street address. Whether a company holds a permit is the department’s question to answer: difi.az.gov.
What Do the Contracts Actually Say?
Four providers publish Arizona terms we could open on October 5, 2026: five documents, named here with their form numbers. All are samples, and three were written for homes bought through a real estate sale. The contract issued to you governs.
| Provider and document | Limit per appliance | Service fee | Who does the work | Cash in place of repair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Home Shield of Arizona, Home Warranty Plan Agreement, two samples (© 2024): form SHAZ24, homeowner plans, and form REAZ24, real estate plans | Homeowner plans: ShieldGold $2,000, ShieldPlatinum $4,000. Real estate plans: ShieldPlus $4,000, ShieldComplete $7,000. The lowest tier of each lists no appliances. Per covered item, for the first term, then each 12 months | Stated in the Plan Summary; collected with the request, not refundable | A Service Contractor it provides. Your own only where it authorizes that in advance; the agreed price is then reimbursed on proof of payment | May be offered: what it would have paid, likely less than retail by its own wording. May be required when a repair is not feasible or would exceed the limit: its estimate of retail cost, within the limit |
| First American Home Warranty, Northern Arizona plans brochure with sample contract, N. AZ 11/24, Ver. RE25NAZ | $3,500 per appliance, in the aggregate; the kitchen refrigerator is listed as covered if purchased, at the same $3,500; $7,000 with the Appliance Plus option | Disclosed on the Home Warranty Summary page; due when the claim is placed | The company alone chooses the Service Provider. An outside provider only with approval in advance, generally when it cannot find one; reimbursement up to the authorized amount | By agreement, at its negotiated supplier rates, “which may be less than retail.” The item is not covered again until proof of repair is sent |
| Old Republic Home Protection, Home Warranty Plan, Arizona, AZ 7.2 (12/2025) | $3,000 per appliance per plan term; $5,000 on Gold; $7,000 on Platinum with Total Care; an optional upgrade adds $2,000 | $100 Trade Call Fee per request, by trade; due whether service is covered or denied | It selects and dispatches a Service Provider. It may authorize another contractor, who calls in the diagnosis before any work; reimbursement is at its own cost, which may be less than the bill | Payment in Lieu at its actual cost when age or obsolescence prevents the work, in an emergency, or when the cost exceeds the limit |
| Choice Home Warranty, Terms of Service Agreement, sample on its site, undated; in Arizona the obligor is Home Warranty Administrator of Arizona, Inc. | $3,000 per covered item per 12 months, for access, diagnosis and repair or replacement | Set in Your Coverage Details; paid to the Service Provider for each request | It keeps the sole right to select the Service Provider, and does not reimburse services performed without prior approval | Cash at its actual cost, which it says may at times be less than retail, without shipping, tax or installation; no further claim on that item for 12 months |
None of the five documents names Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking or Monogram, and none uses the words professional series.
Does a Home Warranty Cover a Built-In Refrigerator?
In two of the documents, in so many words. Below, the same documents read for what a built-in kitchen has and an ordinary one does not.
| The question | What the documents say |
|---|---|
| A built-in refrigerator | First American: one kitchen unit, freestanding or built-in, a built-in pair of an all-refrigerator and an all-freezer unit included, covered if purchased. Old Republic: one freestanding or one built-in unit, single or dual compressor, with its built-in ice maker, an option on Silver and included on Gold and Platinum. American Home Shield: refrigerators, all parts and components, the ice maker inside included. Choice: all components and parts, and one covered item unless more is paid for |
| Ice maker and dispenser | First American and Old Republic repair or replace them only when parts are available |
| Wine storage, undercounter and second units | American Home Shield’s homeowner plans leave out bar refrigerators, wine chillers, kegerators and drawer refrigerators; its real estate plans offer the built-in ones as an option, limit $1,000. First American and Old Republic: an option for up to four additional units, $1,000 for all of them together; Old Republic’s takes single-compressor units only. Choice: a second refrigerator is an option, and a stand-alone ice maker is limited to $500 |
| Thermal shell and refrigerant recovery | First American and Old Republic exclude interior thermal shells, insulation, shelves, drawers, handles and lights, and the cost of recapturing or disposing of refrigerant on a kitchen refrigerator. First American’s First Class Upgrade pays that cost when the company is replacing the appliance |
| A maker’s warranty still running | American Home Shield: a breakdown otherwise covered by a manufacturer’s warranty is not covered. First American and Choice: not responsible for repairs to an item under a manufacturer’s or distributor’s warranty. Old Republic: not the costs such a warranty covers; its Gold tier adds labor on items under a manufacturer’s warranty |
| Commercial equipment | First American: domestic or commercial grade, and specified by the manufacturer for residential use. Old Republic excludes appliances the manufacturer classifies as commercial; Choice, commercial grade appliances. American Home Shield covers items designed for residential use by the manufacturer’s specifications |
| Ranges, ovens and cooktops | Covered as kitchen appliances under the same per-appliance limits |
| A replacement | Choice and First American: similar features, capacity and efficiency, without matching dimensions, brand or color. American Home Shield and Old Republic: reasonable efforts toward similar dimensions and capacity, with no promise as to brand |
| Cabinetry and access | First American will not alter structure or replace cabinets and countertops. Old Republic does not restore cabinets, and allows up to $1,000 toward carpentry modifications on its Platinum tier. American Home Shield does not pay for construction or carpentry |
| Food lost | Three of the four say it is not paid: First American and Old Republic list food spoilage as not covered, and American Home Shield lists it among secondary costs. Choice’s sample does not mention food |
Read the row on makers’ warranties beside the makers’ own terms. Sub-Zero, Viking and Monogram all publish parts coverage on the sealed system into a twelfth year, so a built-in well past its second year can still carry a maker’s warranty. How a provider applies its clause to that is a question for the provider. The four makers’ periods, side by side · what refrigerant recovery involves.
Is the Coverage Limit Enough for a Luxury Appliance?
The limits above run from $2,000 to $7,000 per appliance. Beside them, figures already published on our own pages, each with its source and date. They are market prices and makers’ list prices. None of them is ours.
| Published figure | Amount | Beside the limits |
|---|---|---|
| Compressor replacement on refrigerators in general, three cost guides | $300 to $1,250 | Under every limit. None of the guides prices a built-in |
| A Sub-Zero compressor, the part alone, at retail | $430.30 to $621.01 | The part only: the drier, the refrigerant and the labor come on top |
| Viking and Monogram compressors, parts alone, at retail | $888.94 and $857.95 | The part only |
| A Wolf control or relay board, the part alone, at retail | $411.80 to $608.34 | The part only. Fixr puts a board replacement on ovens in general at $200 to $600 |
| A new 30-inch Wolf E Series single oven | $5,730 | Above the limits of $2,000 to $5,000; under $7,000 |
| A new Sub-Zero Classic, six models | $12,055 to $16,745 | Above every limit, before installation, and before panels on the panel-ready ones |
In our view, the limit decides little on a single repair and nearly everything on a replacement. The most any of these documents puts toward a new machine is its limit, and two of them say a replacement is not matched for dimensions. A built-in was fitted to its opening. Where the figures come from: the compressor guides and Sub-Zero’s prices · parts for all three refrigeration makers · Wolf boards and new ovens · repair or replace, in numbers.
Does Homeowners Insurance Cover a Refrigerator?
Against the perils the policy lists, yes. Against wearing out, no. The statements below come from the regulators’ national association, an industry institute and five state bodies, none of them Arizona’s. They describe policies in general: your own policy and its endorsements govern.
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| NAIC, A Consumer’s Guide to Home Insurance, 2022 | A homeowners policy is not a maintenance contract: it insures against damage from perils such as fire, wind and hail. A home warranty covers mechanical breakdown, may or may not cover appliances, and might not be regulated as insurance in your state |
| Insurance Information Institute | A standard policy pays for damage from the disasters it lists, fire and lightning among them, and not for routine wear and tear |
| California Department of Insurance | Wear and tear or maintenance is among the perils generally not covered. A home protection contract does not overlap or replace the policy: if a water heater bursts, the contract repairs the heater and the insurance pays for the wall and floor |
| Florida Department of Financial Services, Insurance Consumer Advocate | An equipment breakdown endorsement covers equipment that breaks down suddenly and accidentally, from an electrical or mechanical failure, refrigeration systems included, and reimburses food spoiled by the failure. Its example: $100,000 of coverage for an average premium of $50 a year. It does not apply to wear and tear, rust or corrosion |
| Texas Department of Insurance, updated 9/15/2025 | Most homeowners and renters policies pay up to $500 or more for spoiled food if the power fails under certain circumstances, often with no deductible |
| Connecticut Insurance Department; North Carolina Department of Insurance | Connecticut: the standard policy usually does not include spoiled food. North Carolina: food lost in a power outage is probably not covered without extra coverage. Both say the coverage may be bought separately, and by Connecticut’s account some insurers include a limited amount |
So two instruments, and a gap between them. Wear is the home warranty’s ground and is excluded from the policy; a listed peril is the policy’s ground. Food belongs to neither by default: three of the contracts above exclude spoilage, and a policy pays for it only where its terms or an endorsement say so. What to keep and what to throw out after an outage.
Is there a protection plan from the maker?
Sub-Zero says it does not offer extended product warranty plans for purchase. What it documents is Sub-Zero Care Plus, an extended service contract offered only as a choice within its Grand Kitchen Event or Full Suite Savings promotions, on products bought on or after July 1, 2018. It adds three years of service protection, taking the full coverage to five, and transfers to a new owner at no charge. It includes surge protection from the first day, and food and wine loss coverage up to $500 per incident, subject to its terms.
Sub-Zero adds that local dealers often offer extended warranty options at the time of sale, and that a local Factory Certified Service company may offer annual plans for products past the full warranty. Those are the dealer’s or the service company’s own contracts. GE Appliances, which publishes Monogram’s warranty, sells Bodewell Care protection plans on its site: they begin after the manufacturer’s warranty and include up to $300 for food spoiled by a covered failure. The page we read does not name Monogram, so ask before assuming it applies.
What Should You Read Before Filing a Claim?
Six lines in the contract. Find them before the call, because a service request starts the fee.
- 01
The limit for this appliance
Per appliance, and for what period. Whether an upgrade raises it, and whether a second refrigerator, a wine unit or an ice maker sits under a smaller shared limit.
- 02
The fee, and when it is owed
Old Republic’s is due whether service is covered or denied. In three of the documents, a second opinion you ask for can bring another fee.
- 03
Who may do the work
Ask whether your own technician can be authorized, and get the answer and an authorization number before anything is opened.
- 04
What a cash offer is worth
Ask how it is calculated, the provider’s cost or a retail price, and whether taking it closes the item to later claims.
- 05
The maker’s warranty clause
On a Sub-Zero, Viking or Monogram refrigerator inside twelve years, ask how the clause on manufacturers’ warranties applies to the sealed system.
- 06
Refrigerant and the sealed system
Whether recovery and disposal of refrigerant are paid, and whether a dual-compressor unit is covered.
The paperwork the documents ask for: the brand, model number, serial number and age at the request, and, for work by anyone outside the network, the diagnosis with parts and labor set out before any work, then an itemized invoice or paid receipt. Where the model and serial tag sits.
Where does an independent repair company fit?
Outside the contract. We are an independent service company, and our price is quoted to you and paid by you. What a visit produces is a document: the failed part named and one fixed price in writing, labor and genuine parts on separate lines, before any work begins. The diagnostic visit is $119 for the first appliance and $69 for each additional appliance on the same visit, both waived if you go ahead with the repair. What the visit consists of · what a repair costs.
Whether a home warranty provider or an insurer pays any part of that is decided by your contract or your policy, and nothing here is a promise that one will. The contracts above tie reimbursement to approval beforehand: in each of them, the provider’s approval comes before the repair. Repairs we make on Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking and Monogram with the genuine parts we supply carry our own twelve months on parts and labor.
Questions
Does a home warranty cover a Sub-Zero refrigerator?
On paper, yes, within a limit. None of the four Arizona contracts we read on October 5, 2026 names Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking or Monogram, and two of them list a built-in kitchen refrigerator as a covered type, on some plans only as a separately bought option. Each sets a limit per appliance, from $2,000 to $7,000 by provider and plan, and each has a clause on appliances still under a manufacturer’s warranty.
What is the coverage limit on a luxury appliance?
In the documents we read: $2,000 or $4,000 on American Home Shield’s Arizona homeowner plans and $4,000 or $7,000 on its real estate plans; $3,500 at First American, or $7,000 with its Appliance Plus option; $3,000, $5,000 or $7,000 at Old Republic by tier; and $3,000 per 12 months at Choice Home Warranty. Each limit covers diagnosis, access and the repair or replacement together.
Can I use my own technician and be reimbursed?
Only with the provider’s approval beforehand, in the four contracts we read. Choice Home Warranty and First American keep the sole right to choose the service provider and do not reimburse work done without prior approval. Old Republic may authorize another contractor and reimburses its own cost, which may be less than the bill. American Home Shield may allow it in limited situations it determines.
Does homeowners insurance cover a refrigerator that stops working?
Not for wearing out. The NAIC’s consumer guide says a homeowners policy is not a maintenance contract and insures against perils such as fire, wind and hail. An equipment breakdown endorsement, as Florida’s insurance consumer advocate describes it, covers sudden and accidental electrical or mechanical failure, not wear and tear. Food lost in a failure or an outage depends on the policy: Texas’s regulator says most policies pay up to $500 or more in certain circumstances, and Connecticut’s says the standard policy usually does not.
Who regulates home warranty companies in Arizona?
The Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions. Under A.R.S. § 20-1095.01 a service company may not offer or issue a service contract without a permit from its director, and § 20-1095.06 sets what the contract must disclose, exclusions in bold-faced type among them. The Arizona contracts we read print the department’s complaint number: (602) 364-2499 in American Home Shield’s, First American’s and Choice’s, 602.364.3100 in Old Republic’s. American Home Shield’s and Old Republic’s also give its site, difi.az.gov.
Sources
- Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 20, on the Arizona Legislature’s site: § 20-102 (director), § 20-1095 (definitions), § 20-1095.01 (permit, specimen copy), § 20-1095.02 (exemptions), § 20-1095.03 and § 20-1095.04 (qualifications, the surety bond), § 20-1095.06 (forms, disclosures, refunds), § 20-1095.08 and § 20-1095.09 (permits revoked, unfair practices).
- Federal Trade Commission, consumer alert So what’s the deal with “home warranties”? (February 2023), and Extended Warranties and Service Contracts (March 2023): the savings account.
- American Home Shield of Arizona, Inc., Home Warranty Plan Agreement, sample, form SHAZ24, © 2024 (file ahs-dtc-az-july-2024), and the real estate sample, form REAZ24 (file ahs-re-az-july-2024), both on the provider’s plan agreements page on October 5, 2026: appliance limits, Service Fee, refrigerator terms, general exclusions, the Service Contractor and Cash-in-Lieu sections, and the department’s contact details.
- First American Home Warranty Corporation, Northern Arizona home warranty plans brochure with sample contract, N. AZ 11/24, Ver. RE25NAZ, from the provider’s product brochures page (file dated July 30, 2026): appliance and refrigeration limits, the two upgrades, limits of liability 7, 10, 12 and 15, the Service Provider terms and the Arizona complaint paragraph. The Southern Arizona edition, Ver. RE25SAZ, prints the same limits and clauses.
- Old Republic Home Protection Co., Inc., Home Warranty Plan, Arizona, AZ 7.2 (12/2025), from the provider’s current-brochure page: the Trade Call Fee, appliance limits, refrigerator terms, Gold Coverage item 12, the Service Provider terms, Payment in Lieu and the universal exclusions.
- Choice Home Warranty, Terms of Service Agreement, the undated sample on the user agreement page of its site, read October 5, 2026: sections A to E, the limitations on manufacturers’ warranties and commercial grade appliances, the definition of Replace, and the Arizona obligor.
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners, A Consumer’s Guide to Home Insurance, 2022. Insurance Information Institute, What is covered by standard homeowners insurance?
- State insurance regulators: California Department of Insurance, Residential Insurance: Homeowners and Renters; Texas Department of Insurance, FAQ: Homeowners insurance and disaster claims, last updated 9/15/2025; Connecticut Insurance Department, Homeowners Storm Claims; North Carolina Department of Insurance, FAQs About Homeowners Insurance; and Florida Department of Financial Services, Office of the Insurance Consumer Advocate, Homeowners Insurance Policy Endorsements (Equipment Breakdown Coverage).
- Sub-Zero answers, Extended Warranty for Purchase and Sub-Zero Care Plus (SZCP). GE Appliances, Bodewell Care Protection Plans.
- Our own pages, for the price figures and their sources: the Sub-Zero compressor guide, the parts guide and the Wolf control board guide; and our published terms on the pricing page.
Written from these sources and checked on (checked again ) by Aphelion Appliance Repair, Phoenix. Contracts, fees and limits change, and a sample is not your contract: the document issued to you, and your own insurance policy, govern. This page is information, not legal or insurance advice. The department’s contact details are given as the contracts print them. We are an independent service company and do not interpret a contract or a policy for anyone.
Read Next
- Is the built-in still under warranty?The four makers’ own terms, side by side.
- Sub-Zero compressor failed: replace it, or the refrigerator?What the part, the whole job and a new Classic cost.
- Buying a house, built-ins includedTen checks with a flashlight before you close.
- After a power outage: keep it, or throw it out?The USDA’s four hours and 40°F, food by food.
- A genuine OEM part, or an aftermarket one?What the warranty law says about a maker’s own parts, and what each maker publishes.
A fixed price, in writing?
Have the model and serial from the tag ready, and tell us what the machine is doing. We answer every day, 7am–6pm.