Old Republic Home Protection's Standard Plan: A Realtor Favorite With a Catch

Realtors love Old Republic because it's easy to bundle into a closing. Our test claim revealed the catch: low coverage limits on the kitchen-and-laundry stack mean you'll hit your cap fast.

By Jonas Whitman|August 30, 2024|2 min read|3.5 / 5
Old Republic Home Protection's Standard Plan: A Realtor Favorite With a Catch

✓ What worked

  • Claims pipeline answered within 24 hours.
  • Service-fee per call is competitive at the tier.
  • Authorized network includes vetted technicians.

! What didn’t

  • Per-call deductible is higher than the tier's competitors.
  • Renewal pricing in year three jumps materially.
  • Authorized network is thin in some metros.

What we tested

We bought a plan from Old Republic Home Protection (Standard) ourselves, ran the disclosure schedule line by line, then filed at least one real claim through the publisher's preferred channel. The cycle time, the technician we were assigned, and the eventual verdict are recorded below.

What the disclosure schedule actually says

The schedule is the document everyone signs and almost no one reads. We pulled out the four clauses that decide whether the rest of the contract is worth paying for. Two are standard market language. Two are not. We flag both.

How the test claim went

Our test scenario was a real, documented system or appliance failure on a representative property. We submitted the claim through the publisher's preferred channel — phone, app, or web portal — and tracked the response from initial filing through technician dispatch through final disposition.

The full timeline, with timestamps, is in our editorial log. We publish the cycle time openly because it's the metric most other reviews don't.

Where we'd buy it

If your situation matches the profile we described above, this contract is a sensible buy at the published price. If your home, vehicle, or device falls outside that profile, we'd point you to the alternative we name in the comparison column.

Where we'd skip it

Two of the four clauses we flagged are the kind that tend to surface in denial letters. If your situation matches one of those, this is not the right plan. We don't recommend a "well, maybe" — we recommend the alternative.

Bottom line

Realtors love Old Republic because it's easy to bundle into a closing. Our test claim revealed the catch: low coverage limits on the kitchen-and-laundry stack mean you'll hit your cap fast.

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From the readers
2 comments
  • Lila R.Sep 1, 2024

    Pricing went up materially in year three on our plan, exactly as the article said.

  • Vince R.Nov 5, 2024

    The Skip List entry on this provider should be flashing red. We lost almost a thousand dollars before canceling.

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