Super Wants to Be the DC Area's New Handyman

• February 29th 2016

by Nena Perry-Brown

Homeownership can be a rewarding investment in many ways, both financially and through the sense of community it creates. However, it also comes with enormous responsibility to maintain and protect that investment. Renters have the luxury of ceding most maintenance concerns to their landlords, but it can often be stressful as a homeowner to know how to preempt or respond to maintenance emergencies — especially when it comes to finding and paying for trustworthy and qualified contractors.

These are the type of issues that Super, a home maintenance subscription service, hopes to solve for its users. Super launched in the DC area over the past few months and UrbanTurf recently spoke with founder and CEO Jorey Ramer about how the company works.

What Exactly Does Super Do?

Super offers several subscription packages to cover repair and maintenance of household systems and appliances. A homeowner selects a coverage package, and then Super sends an in-house contractor to conduct a preventive maintenance walk-through of the home. “During the walk through, our pros use a special checklist designed by Super,” Ramer explains. “This checklist includes important safety questions, maintenance tips to review, and a way to record model and serial number information.” This checklist helps the company set regular maintenance appointments and keep track of everything that makes your home tick.

Breakdown coverage for specific appliances and systems begins thirty days after you join Super. At that time, depending on your subscription level, you may or may not have a co-pay for the repairs. Subscribers also receive quarterly service rewards which they can use to offset the cost of various repairs that may not fall under their coverage.

Okay, But What Do They Cover?

Super’s breakdown coverage applies to major home appliance and systems, according to Ramer. This also means that even if a covered appliance is still under warranty, Super will coordinate with the manufacturer on your behalf to get the repair done. Super will cover the maintenance and repair for one item in each of the following categories: Air conditioning, heating, built-in microwave, washer, dryer, dishwasher, ductwork, exhaust fan, garbage disposal, internal electrical, internal plumbing, kitchen refrigerator/freezer, range/oven/stovetop, and water heater.

Well, That Was Easy. But What About Stuff Super Doesn’t Cover?

There are limits to Super’s coverage. For example, Super does not cover infrastructure failures at this time (roofing, walls, erosion or foundation damage, etc.) or cosmetic repairs after extensive maintenance work. “[Although] we’ve worked to remove common exclusions, such as unknown pre-existing conditions, to improve transparency and provide a higher level of service to our customers….one exemption that is important to understand is the cost of gaining access to and closing access from a system or appliance,” Ramer said. “While our plans include coverage for systems such as plumbing and electrical, we do not provide coverage for restoration of walls, floor coverings, ceilings, cabinets or other cosmetic items.” For example, if a repair requires the removal of drywall for access, coverage is applicable to the system, but not to the wall.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/say_hello_to_super_your_new_handyman/10925.