Warranty Inspections

Warranty Expiration Inspection

Pre-warranty Expiration Inspections are performed before the New House Warranty ends with the objective of identifying builder-responsible deficiencies so that they can be properly resolved.  The Ontario New Home Insurance Plan covers (see What is the new home warranty | Tarion.com for more information):

  • Problems caused by poor workmanship or defective materials within one year;

  • Outside leakage to inside within two years;

  • Problems with plumbing, electricity and HVAC systems; and

  • Major structural issues within seven years.

  

The benefits of home inspection before your warranty expires.

As a new homeowner, you may believe that nothing can go wrong because your home is new. The truth is that many things can go wrong. Some of these might have been obvious during the first couple months of occupancy, but there are many hidden defects that the average homeowner doesn’t have the experience or knowledge to find. Statistically, most problems that occur with homes that are up to 10 years old began when the home was new within the first year of occupancy (17 New House Construction Problems that Buyers Should Understand (homelight.com))!

A home inspection before you closed on your home doesn’t guarantee that the systems will work at optimal performance levels after the first year of ownership. Building materials often expand and contract with weather changes and as the new construction settles. Problems may appear during the first year of occupancy that were not immediately apparent when you first moved into your home. Therefore, it is recommended to get an inspection before that 2nd year and 7th year warranty period.

Why should I get a home inspection on such new construction?

  • Ultimately, the builder is responsible for repairs to your home within the first year of construction; therefore, it is to your advantage to identify issues so they can be addressed;

  • The cost of the warranty repairs are already part of the purchase price of your new home; in essence, you have already paid for the repairs so it makes sense to take advantage of a builder warranty inspection before the warranty runs out; and

  • The cost of an inspection will be far less than the cost of repairs that you might incur in the future.