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| The warranty period on a new home begins after your purchase of the home has closed and you have moved into the home. Builders' warranties usually cover workmanship and materials for 12 months, but some builders now offer warranties for 2 years or longer. Some builders even provide a structural warranty for as long as 10 years. No matter how talented the homebuilder is, there will be some defects. Minor items typically are corrected 30 days, 180 days and 12 months from the date of completion, but a different schedule might be stated in your contract. Most builders will give you a list of contractors' telephone numbers to call in the event of an emergency (e.g., a gas leak) in your new home. Defects that don't require emergency attention probably should be reported to the builder, who will schedule, coordinate and supervise accordingly. You probably will want to ask about the standards the builder will adhere to when determining the validity of warranty repair requests. |
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| Most manufacturers provide a warranty for the major appliances in new homes. Those warranties and owner's manuals normally would be given to you at closing. There will always be homeowner maintenance responsibilities for your home, and it is safe to say the builder won't be responsible for problems caused by your negligence. An example is, water in the basement. Many home owners subsequently change the grading or add landscaping in such a way that water can be trapped or forced toward the home's foundation. These types of homeowner actions can turn a dry basement into a swimming pool. The builder and homeowner need to work together to solve problems that will have a lasting benefit. Typically, the builder should handle any reasonable warranty requests promptly and to your satisfaction. |
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