“Ooooh, that smell, can’t you smell that smell” is a classic Lynyrd Skynyrd lyric, but not the question you want visitors to ask as they enter your home.

At Old Republic Home Protection (ORHP), we protect your home from untimely system and appliance breakdowns. Sometimes malfunctioning systems or appliances emit unpleasant smells; however, not all odors are due to an appliance malfunction.

How Old Republic Home Protection Responds to Odors

According to the ABCs of Coverage (see the When You Need Us section of your state plan brochure or your Declaration of Coverage), ORHP provides service for covered systems and appliances that have become inoperable due to normal wear and use.

While we dispatch service providers when a covered component breaks, ORHP does not dispatch contractors to diagnose the cause of a smell if the system or appliance is still functioning properly.

For instance, imagine your washing machine starts to smell like mildew. If the washing machine still cycles and cleans laundry as intended, we would not dispatch an independent service provider to diagnose the source of the smell.

However, if the smell is the result of a failure, such as a tear in the door boot allowing moisture to collect, we would send a contractor to diagnose the failure and repair or replace the covered component.

In many cases, the smell dissipates after the service provider repairs the broken component. We do not provide additional coverage if the smell persists after the contractor addresses the breakdown.

How Old Republic Home Protection Responds to Sewage Odors

Sewage odor is an exception to the rule above. If you smell sewer fumes in your home, we dispatch an independent service provider to diagnose the cause of the odor.

Because drain lines and sewer vent pipes are usually out of sight, sewage odors are often the only indication of a covered malfunction.

Sewage odors can be present in places you may not expect, such as the shower or laundry room. If you report a sewage smell anywhere inside your home, we send a contractor to diagnose the failure. Once the contractor locates a sewage malfunction, we repair or replace the covered components according to the terms and conditions of your plan.

In summary, your Old Republic home warranty plan does not provide coverage for odors alone. However, if odors are the result of a covered system or appliance failure, repairing or replacing the covered malfunction may eliminate the odor.

When your covered home systems and appliances break down, ORHP is here to help!