Using home warranty plans for maintenance?

[Denise B.]

I'm relatively new to landlording having just bought my first 2 rental units in July, 2010. I've been pretty fortunate in not to having a lot of maintenance issues but feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop at any moment. A landlord friend buys home warranty plans on her units and swears by them. It would be nice to have a single service to call to check things out when there is an issue. I haven't really built my maintenance team yet. My husband is pretty handy and has addressed all the issues so far but he's having some surgery and won't be available as my handyman for a while.

Have any of you used a home warranty plan to mitigate repair costs/hassles and would you recommend this approach?
Thanks,
Denise

[Jon Holdman]

No. A warranty plan provides a warranty, not a repair service. By far the majority of the problems are caused by people living in houses, not by things just failing. Now, if it gives you some peace of mind, and doesn't cost too much, go for it. But it won't eliminate the need to have a handyman.