Builder Warranties

When you hire a builder to build your new home you will usually receive a one year home warranty. Most builders will not let you know when that one year warranty is about to expire. I have come to realize over the years most builders would rather not ever see the new homeowner again. It is up to you the homeowner to keep track of your home warranty anniversary. Don't feel alone if you find problems occurring shortly after that one year warranty expires. It happens every day in all parts of the country.



The best thing you can do for your family is have a home inspection done by a nationally certified home inspector. Done around the 11th month of that builders warranty. Use a certified home inspector. The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI) is the largest Home Inspector certifying body in the world. A NACHI certified Home Inspector is going to find any potential problems your home may have prior to the warranty experation.



I was doing a mold inspection on a 6 month old house in Sw Florida for a young couple, (a separate story) when she asked me about her home warranty. I explained to her that her builder would probably not remind her when her warranty was about to expire. Well I was right. She called me at about 11 and a half months into that warranty all worried about her warranty expiring. I let her know that we had time and scheduled an appointment for a builder warranty inspection. Everything was going smoothly, just a few minor problems when I noticed a couple of problems with the barrel tile roof. Where the ridge tiles met the side of a upper wall the concrete mortar was not covering the tile. You could see a big gap where water could get up underneath that tile and maybe to the plywood sheathing in the attic. This defect appeared in a couple of other areas on the roof. I went into the attic and thankfully there was not any evidence of water getting into the attic. I took pictures and wrote an extensive report that my client gave to her builder. This builder did a great job. He was very concerned with the problem and got a crew on the problem areas immediately. Some builders may take acceptance to a home inspector checking up on there work. The problem is that the building process can take a long time and homeowners and builders work very closely during construction. This is a very expensive purchase. Do not feel bad for your builder if you have problems with your home, even if you have become good friends. Remember this builder probably didn't even mention your expiration date. Your families safety and your investment are allot more important than a builders feelings. My client was very happy that she called me. It made me feel good to know that I may have saved a family from thousands of dollars of future roof problems