Why do a Tarion New Home Warranty Inspection? – Buying a new home is not the same as buying a re-sale home. While a re-sale home comes with a proven track record of performance, a new home is an unknown quantity.

• Buyers of new houses expect no defects or repair costs in the first few years. They believe that municipal building inspections will catch any significant problems and that the Tarion New Home Warranty Program will cover any repair costs. This is not true!
• You have taken possession and start noticing some deficiencies, do you know what to do and that you only have a certain amount of time?

What we do – In the first year after your new home is built, it will settle into its environment. Changing seasons will also have an effect on the buildings structure. Foundations and walls move, resulting in the movement of numerous components of the buildings system. These natural occurrences create the possibility of damage to building components. It is your responsibility to provide your builder with a list of your concerns prior to your 30 day, (11mth) 1yr, 2yr and 7yr anniversaries of home possession.

Our inspection covers all components of the home, consistent with our professional Standards of Practice and we are specifically trained and registered as New Construction Inspectors (CHAPI – NCI). Additionally, we examine the workmanship and material issues that might affect performance. We encourage our clients to accompany us while we conduct the inspection so that we may explain the features of the installed systems as well as helpful information about the house.

When should the New Home Inspection be done? – The house will have settled in and lived through almost all the seasons. Many parts of the new home warranty expire after 12 months, so it makes sense to do the inspection prior to the first anniversary.

Some people have the inspection performed during the Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI). We prefer to leave this event to the builder, allowing the buyer to focus on the builders message during this process.

Any issues not identified during the Pre-Delivery Inspection process can be picked up within 30 days. The only minor exceptions include scratches, dents and other mechanical damage that may have been caused by the buyer after the Pre-Delivery Inspection. We recommend that the buyer document (and perhaps photograph) these types of issues during the Pre-Delivery Inspection to avoid discussion later about who caused the damage.