New Home Warranty

In Ontario, builder warranties are backstopped by Tarion under the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act in a 1-2-7 year structure: one year for general workmanship and habitability defects, two years for items tied to Ontario Building Code health-and-safety requirements, and seven years for major structural defects, with statutory coverage up to $400,000 for freehold homes and $300,000 for condo units on agreements signed on or after July 1, 2023. British Columbia requires 2-5-10 coverage under the Homeowner Protection Act — two years for materials and labour, five for the building envelope, ten for structural defects — administered through BC Housing's Licensing and Consumer Services branch with providers approved by the BC Financial Services Authority.

Alberta's New Home Buyer Protection Act, in force since February 1, 2014, requires a 1-2-5-10 year minimum: one year labour and materials, two years delivery and distribution systems, five years building envelope, and ten years major structural components, with minimum coverage of $265,000 for a single-family home and $130,000 for a multi-family unit. In every province, coverage transfers to a new owner on resale within the coverage window, which matters when a client is financing the purchase of a newer resale home, and new construction generally can't legally be sold without registered warranty coverage in place.