After one year, your Tarion warranty coverage for defects in work and materials is gone. Every deficiency you haven't documented becomes your problem — and your expense. I find what you've been living with but haven't noticed, before the deadline shuts the door.
When you took possession of your new build, Tarion warranty coverage started. For the first year, your builder is responsible for defects in work and materials, unauthorized substitutions, Ontario Building Code violations, and items from your purchase agreement that are incomplete or missing.
After 12 months, that coverage narrows dramatically. Cosmetic defects, finish issues, minor construction deficiencies, HVAC imbalances, grading problems — if they're not documented and submitted on your Tarion Year-End form before the deadline, the builder has no obligation to fix them. Ever.
You've been living in the house. You've adjusted to the doors that stick, the room that's always cold, the crack in the basement that appeared over winter. You assume these are normal. Many of them aren't — they're construction deficiencies the builder should fix.
The difference between what homeowners notice and what a professional inspector finds is staggering. Most homeowners document 5–10 items on their Year-End form. I typically find 40–80+ issues in the same home. That gap represents thousands of dollars in repairs you'll pay for yourself if the warranty expires without them being documented.
Book at the 11-month mark — one month before your Tarion Year-End deadline. This gives you time to inspect, compile the deficiency list, and submit before the warranty expires.
Ontario's Tarion warranty has three tiers. Understanding what expires when is the key to protecting your investment.
Covers defects in work and materials, unauthorized substitutions, OBC violations, and items from your agreement that are incomplete. This is the widest coverage you'll ever have — and the one that matters most. Once this expires, cosmetic defects, finish issues, and most construction deficiencies are no longer the builder's problem.
After Year One, coverage narrows to: water penetration through the building envelope, defects in electrical, plumbing, and heating delivery and distribution systems, and OBC health and safety violations. Finish work, cosmetics, grading, and general workmanship defects are no longer covered.
The seven-year coverage is limited to major structural defects — foundation failure, load-bearing wall issues, and structural integrity of the building. Nothing else. If your grading issue, HVAC problem, or plumbing defect wasn't caught in Year One, it's yours to fix.
Your Tarion Year-End form must be submitted within 30 days of your 1-year anniversary of possession. If deficiencies aren't on that form, they're not covered. There are no extensions, no exceptions, and no second chances. A $299 inspection at the 11-month mark is the difference between the builder paying for repairs and you paying for them.
After nearly a year in the home, these are the issues I consistently uncover during warranty inspections across Milton, Oakville, Burlington, and the GTA.
Soil settles over the first year, and grading that was adequate at possession may now be directing water toward your foundation. This causes basement moisture, efflorescence, and long-term structural risk. You can't see it happening — but I can measure it.
That room that's always too hot in summer or too cold in winter? It's likely a disconnected duct, closed damper, or unbalanced system. You've adapted to it. But it's a deficiency the builder should fix — if it's on your Year-End form.
Slow drains, running toilets, dripping connections under sinks. After a year of use, plumbing defects that were invisible at possession are now showing up. Left undocumented, a slow leak behind a wall becomes catastrophic water damage.
Seals that have failed (foggy glass), windows that no longer lock, doors that have warped, weatherstripping that's come loose. After a year of thermal cycling, these issues are now visible — and they're covered under Year One warranty.
Nail pops, corner cracks, tape separation, cracks above door frames. New homes settle over the first year and these defects appear gradually. They're cosmetic — but they're covered in Year One. After the deadline, they're yours.
GFCI outlets that have failed, smoke detectors not in code-required locations, exterior outlets missing weather covers, panel labeling errors. Safety issues the builder is obligated to fix — but only if they're documented before the deadline.
I've framed walls, supervised trades, and seen exactly where builders cut corners when timelines get tight. I don't guess at what's behind the drywall — I know how it was built and what fails first.
As an active real estate professional, I understand how deficiency findings impact your position. I write reports that are specific, documented with photos, and formatted so the builder can't dismiss them.
I don't pad reports with irrelevant items. I find deficiencies that actually cost money and create risk — and I prioritize them so you know what matters most on your Year-End submission.
I work for you. Not the builder, not a franchise, not a referral network. My report is honest because I have no reason for it to be anything else.
One missed grading issue costs $5,000 to fix on your own. One plumbing leak costs $8,000 in remediation. One warranty inspection costs $299 — and every deficiency it finds gets fixed on the builder's dime, not yours.
Book Your Warranty Inspection →Same-week availability · Milton, Halton & GTA · Report within 24 hours
$299. Every deficiency documented. Before the deadline shuts the door.
Book Your Warranty Inspection →Or call: (416) 791-3665