Before a contract is sized to a home, a household, or a particular item, check whether the item qualifies at all. Age, condition, make, and prior failures can each decide whether a contract will take the item on, and a fit problem found after signing is harder to fix than one found before.
Age at the start of coverage
Many contracts set an age limit or a condition at the start of coverage. Find the age measured from the install date, the manufacture date, or the purchase date, and find which measure the form uses. Different measures can give different answers for the same item. Ask which measure controls before you assume an older item qualifies.
Condition at the start
Some contracts require an inspection before coverage begins, and some decline an item that shows existing damage or an unrepaired fault. Ask what the inspection covers, who performs it, and what happens if the item fails it. Keep the inspection report with your identifier file.
Make, model, and type
Contracts may name the makes, models, or types they accept, or exclude certain ones. Check the item's make and model against the form before you pay, and confirm the answer in writing. A contract written for one type of item may not fit another that looks similar.
Prior failures
An item with a known failure that has not been repaired may be excluded as a pre-existing condition. Tell the seller about any known problem before you sign, and ask how the form treats it. Silence on that point is not the same as acceptance.
Where the state comes in
State statutes and programs set some baseline rules for service contracts, and they differ from state to state. This site's state pages name the regulator and the statute for each state, so the Florida page is one place to see how a state page is laid out. This edition has not read every state for every point in this article. Where a state page says the state has not been read in this edition, check the regulator directly before you rely on any general statement here.