Consumer Protection: How Do You Know What's Covered By Your Warranty?

The first year of homeownership is a critical time to report any problemsWhen you are buying a new home, you want everything to be perfect. Unfortunately, things can — and do — go wrong. Whether it’s something relatively minor, like unfinished trim around your bathroom door, or a potentially major issue like a crack in your foundation, your new home warranty is there to protect you.Once you sign your purchase agreement, you should receive a New Homeowner Information Package from your builder. It will outline the package of warranties that protects new homeowners for up to seven years and $300,000 in coverage.

But how do you know if your faulty light switch or unfinished driveway is covered by warranty? It’s not always easy to tell, but our award winning customer service team is here to help answer your questions

As of June, our team had already fielded 23,960 phone calls, 10,734 emails and 1,064 online chats. Approximately two-thirds of all these inquiries came from homeowners, many of whom needed advice on how their warranty work.When I talk with our call centre reps, they tell me that one of the most common questions they receive from homeowners is, “How do I know if items are covered by the warranty?”Your new home warranty consists of one-year, two-year and seven-year warranties that cover various elements of your home’s construction. If you don’t know whether an issue will be covered under your warranty, you can consult the Construction Performance Guidelines, which are available on Tarion.com or via MyHome, Tarion’s online portal for managing your warranty. You can also call or email us to ask.The first year of homeownership is a critical time to report any problems you have with your home. You can submit two forms in the first year after you take possession – one within the first 30 days and one within the last 30 days.While Tarion’s acceptance of your form does not automatically mean that everything on the form will be covered by your warranty, it does provide a written record of your issues. This is why we recommend that you include everything on your form.As a new homeowner, you obviously want to maintain a good relationship with your builder. If you’re worried about submitting your form, you should remember that you’re not being a tattletale – you’re protecting your rights.Responsible builders will address warranty issues in a timely manner but if your builder doesn’t, the forms you submit help us help you.The Tarion team is here to ensure your new home is safe and protected.Our reward is comments like these from one happy homeowner: “Thank you so much for handling this so quickly. We appreciate the excellent customer service you have always given us!”Howard Bogach is president and CEO of the Tarion Warranty Corporation. His column appears five times a year in HOMES Magazine. For more information about how Tarion helps new homebuyers, visit Tarion.com or find them on Facebook at Facebook.com/TarionWarrantyCorp