Building and Homes Series: Your Tarion Warranty

The home is now yours, but don’t worry, you’re not in this alone! Your home is not just a financial investment – it is a personal and emotional one as well. This is why we believe the relationship we have built with you should last long after you move in.

What is Tarion?

The Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) is the regulator of new home builders, but Tarion administers warranties and protections for purchasers of new homes! After you move in, there are specific statutory warranties: the 30-day, 1-year, 2-year and 7-year warranty, covering major defects. These warranties begin the day you take occupancy.

30-Day and 1-Year Warranty

Within 30-days of closing, you will have the opportunity to complete an inspection of your home and submit the complete warranty form through Tarion. Only one 30-day form can be submitted. If you do not submit this form within the 30-days, your requests will be deferred by Tarion until your 1-year warranty. However, Activa as your builder will still address your concerns once submitted. Typically, only emergency issues are considered between your 30-day and 1-year period.

Within 1 year of closing, you will have the opportunity to complete an inspection of your home and submit a completed warranty form through Tarion. Your 1-year warranty requires the home to be constructed in a workmanlike manner and free from defects in materials. This warranty protects against unauthorized substitutions and Ontario Building Code violations and requires the home to be fit for habitation. This applies for one year, beginning on the home’s date of possession.

NOTE: Brand new homes need time to settle. To allow for settlement, nail pops and cracked corners will be repaired at the 1-year inspection.

2-Year Warranty Your

2-year warranty protects against water penetration through the basement or foundation walls and defects in materials that affect windows, doors and caulking. This mechanical warranty will cover defects in work or materials in the electrical, plumbing and heating delivery and distribution systems. Additionally, this will cover defects in work or materials that result in the detachment, displacement or deterioration of exterior cladding such as brickwork, aluminum or vinyl siding. This applies for two years beginning on the home’s date of possession.

7-Year Warranty

Your 7-year warranty covers major structural defects as defined in The Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act. It covers any significant damage due to soil movement as well as major cracks, distortion or displacement of a structural load-bearing element of the building if it results in failure or majorly affects the ability of a structural load-bearing element. This applies for seven years beginning on the home’s date of possession.

The Activa Bonus!

In 2019, Tarion surveyed over 45 thousand new home buyers and homeowners and asked them about their builder’s level of commitment to their customers and performance before, during and after they moved into their new home. We were pleased to be a 2020 Tarion Homeowners’ Choice Awards finalist in the Large Volume Builder category!

Thank you for joining us in learning about our home building process. Here at Activa, we are proud to develop complete communities with the amenities people want, which means shopping, walking trails and schools are sure to be closeby!

Visit www.activa.ca to learn more about our upcoming communities, and don’t forget to check out the ActivaLearn page for more blog content!