Dealing With Your Builder

Builders take after-sales service and their warranty obligations seriously. While it is recommended that you deal directly with your builder over warranty issues, you should always mail or fax your concerns to Tarion in writing so that they have a written record that the issue was raised within the applicable warranty period. For major structural defects, you should contact the warranty program directly.

A list of telephone numbers for various regional Tarion offices can be found at http://www.tarion.com/HOME/Contact+Us/ or you can call the corporate office at 1-877-9-TARION.

If you encounter an emergency, you should contact your builder or the warranty program before proceeding with repairs. If you have no choice, say in the case of a burst water pipe, keep a written record of the problem and repair methods used by whoever makes the repair.  Your builder may have a structured service plan requiring you to submit a list of items at certain periods. Once you provide your list, the builder will arrange to come into the house and make the necessary repairs or adjustments.

If a dispute arises between you and your builder or your builder goes out of business, the warranty program will provide assistance. There is an established complaints process that includes conciliation. If the matter isn’t resolved to your satisfaction, you can appeal the warranty program’s decision to a provincial tribunal.

It’s comforting to know that most disputes are resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. Since the warranty program was launched in 1976, more than one million new home buyers have been protected and some $190 million in claims has been paid to homeowners.