Service contracts are written around a buyer, but the person who uses a covered item is often someone else. This happens in rental homes, in shared households where more than one adult uses the same appliance or vehicle, and in properties run by a manager for an owner who lives elsewhere. Before you ask for a quote, decide who the household is and read how the form names each person.
Who is named
Check whether the form names the buyer only, or whether it also covers occupants, household members, tenants, or authorized users. Find out whether a tenant may call for service directly or whether only the named owner may do so. Some forms require the owner's consent before any repair is authorized, and that step can slow a service call if the owner is not reachable.
Counting the covered items and units
Count the items you want covered and the locations where they sit. A multi-unit property or a household with several vehicles may need the form to state how many units or vehicles are covered and whether each one needs its own contract. Ask whether the form limits the number of covered items per household or per property.
When occupants change
Ask what happens when a tenant moves out or a household member changes. Find out whether coverage stays with the item, the owner, or the contract holder, and whether a change in occupant requires a notice. The transfer rule in the form governs a sale, but occupancy changes may be treated differently, so read both.
Where this guide stops
Rules on rental occupancy and on who may request service are set by the contract form and, in some states, by statute. The state pages on this site list the regulator and the rules where they are published. This guide has not read the rules of every state on rental or shared-household use and does not describe the terms of any named provider.