A service contract has an end, and the renewal clause tells you what the seller and the contract expect to happen at that point. Many homeowners find the clause only after the coverage has already stopped. Reading it early gives you time to act.
Find the term and the end point
Write down the start and end of the term as the contract states them. Some contracts measure the term in years, some in miles or in uses, and some in both. Note every measure that applies, because the term may end at whichever limit comes first.
Read the renewal wording
Separate renewal that happens automatically from renewal that needs your written agreement. Find out whether the contract says the seller will notify you before renewal, how far ahead that notice must come, and by what route it will be sent. Check that the route matches the contact details you have on file.
Check the renewal price rule
Ask whether the renewal price is stated in the contract or set later. If the price can change, find the notice the seller must give before a change takes effect, and find whether you may decline the new terms without losing the coverage you already have.
Know how to decline before renewal
Confirm how to decline a renewal and whether declining requires a written notice sent to a particular address. Cancellation before the end of the term is a separate question with its own clauses. This guide covers only the renewal route.
Compare the state rule
Some states set their own rules about renewal notices and automatic renewal. The Georgia page shows the format each state page uses: the statute or program it names, whether the state publishes a roster, and the rules this edition has read. Use the page to find the statute for your state, then read the statute itself.
What this guide does not cover
This guide does not state the renewal rule of any state. Each state page says which rules this edition has read and which it has not, and where a page says a rule was not read, that rule is still open for you to check.