​​In addition to deposit protection and delayed closing compensation, homeowners may be entitled to the following:

One Year Warranty

• Requires a home is constructed in a workman-like manner and free from defects in material;
• Protects against unauthorized substitutions
• Requires the home to be fit for habitation;
• Protects against Ontario Building Code violations; and
• Applies for one year, beginning on the home’s date of possession even if the home is sold.

Two Year Warranty

• Protects against water penetration through the basement or foundation walls;
• Protects against defects in materials that affect windows, doors and caulking and defects in work that results in water penetration into the building envelope;
• Covers defects in work or materials in the electrical, plumbing and heating delivery and distribution systems;
• Covers defects in work or materials that result in the detachment, displacement or deterioration of exterior cladding (such as brickwork, aluminum or vinyl siding);
• Protects against violations of the Ontario Building Code that affect health and safety; and
• Applies for two years, beginning on the home’s date of possession.

Seven Year Warranty

Your home’s seven year warranty covers major structural defects (MSD) and begins on the date you take possession of the home and ends on the seventh anniversary of that date.  For example, if your home’s date of possession is October 23, 2005, the seven year MSD warranty begins on October 23, 2005 and remains in effect until and including October 23, 2012.

A major structural defect is defined in the The Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act as:

In respect of a post June 30, 2012 home, any defect in work or materials in respect of a building, including a crack, distortion or displacement of a structural load-bearing element of the building, if it,

(i) results in failure of a structural load-bearing element of the building,

(ii) materially and adversely affects the ability of a structural load-bearing element of the building to carry, bear and resist applicable structural loads for the usual and ordinary service life of the element, or

(iii) materially and adversely affects the use of a significant portion of the building for usual and ordinary purposes of a residential dwelling and having regard to any specific use provisions set out in the purchase agreement for the home

The seven year MSD warranty includes significant damage due to soil movement*, major cracks in basement walls, collapse or serious distortion of joints or roof structure and chemical failure of materials. In addition to the general exclusions, the seven year MSD warranty specifically excludes: dampness not arising from failure of a load-bearing portion of the building; damage to drains or services; and damage to finishes.

Common Elements

For most condominium projects, warranty coverage also includes the shared areas of the building, referred to as Common Elements.

*Soil movement means subsidence, expansion or lateral movement of the soil not caused by flood, earthquake, “acts of God” or any other cause beyond the reasonable control of the builder.

Coverage Limits

The maximum statutory warranty coverage available for freehold homes and condominium units is $300,000.

The maximum coverage for condominium common elements is $50,000 times the number of units, up to a maximum of $2.5 million.

The maximum combined coverage for a condominium project (units and common elements) is $50 million.

There is a maximum of $15,000 for warranted damage caused by environmentally harmful substances or hazards and a maximum of $25,000 for coverage of septic systems.

This article information collected from: https://www.tarion.com/homeowners/your-warranty-coverage/outline-your-warranty