A renovation can change what a service contract covers while the contract stays the same on paper. A furnace moved to a new closet, a range swapped for a different model, or a water heater relocated to make room for an added bath each changes the unit. Before you commit, decide which unit the contract is for: the unit in the house now, the unit planned for the finished house, or both.
Who installs what, and when
Write down the order of the work. Note which equipment is being removed, which is being reused, and which new equipment will be installed, along with who does each step, whether the owner, a general contractor, or a licensed trade. Many contracts describe covered equipment by its model and serial labels, and a unit installed under a different permit or by a different installer may be described differently in the contract's terms. Ask the seller whether a unit installed during a renovation is eligible for enrollment and what proof it must show.
Questions for the installer and the seller
Ask whether the contract covers equipment installed by someone other than the seller. Ask whether an install done to a code or permit standard is treated differently from one done without a permit, and whether the contract excludes modified or altered systems. Ask whether a unit that sat disconnected or in storage during the work must be inspected before coverage applies. Ask what happens if the finished house uses a different fuel, size, or location than the old one.
Match the contract to the finished house
Size the contract to the house you will live in when the work is done, not only the house you live in now. If the plan changes partway through the project, send the new labels and the new installation details to the administrator in writing and ask whether the contract will be updated. Photograph each label before the walls close, and keep the permit record, the installation invoice, and the signed contract together. This page does not state what any named contract covers or requires, and it has not read the paper of any single company. The state pages on this site name the regulator, cite the statute, and show whether a roster is published and where its as-of mark sits, so you can check the rules that apply where the home is located.