You’ve done it! You’ve bought your first home, but now you’ve realised that a few walls have cracks, one of the pipes leak and the door in the back lets in a draft. Trust us, this is not the time to say “I’ll fix it later”, now’s the time to check your home warranty. 

When you buy a home from a reputable developer, in most cases you’ll receive a home warranty for a few months or up to a year after closing. At WIHCON, homes built and sold by us afford you a warranty of up to six months. Yet, you may ask what does having a home warranty mean for me and what does it cover? 

Your home warranty is a guaranteed home service plan that ensures you get defects such as leaking windows, cracked tiles or damaged fixtures repaired or replaced, usually at no cost to you. As a first-time homeowner, having to deal with unexpected expenses is not the housewarming gift that you’re looking forward to. Therefore, having those surprise out-of-pocket costs handled by the developer makes the homeownership process that much more appealing. 

Still, it’s important to remember that while your warranty protects your budget from costly repairs and voids you of the responsibility to address defects covered under your warranty, the timing is crucial. 

There are many homeowners who have had to absorb the cost to deal with various home defects because it was just too late. An expired warranty means that the developer is no longer responsible for any defect issues you may have with the property, which is covered under the six-month defects liability period. Defects are captured when you, the customer does the walk through/handing over of the unit. This simple walk through procedure can highlight any issues you may have with plumbing, pests, structure, furnishing or fixtures. A home inspection is important to ensuring that the developer deals with any defects before your home is “out of warranty”. 

Let’s face it, you can expect that with large-scale community building projects there will be a few issues here and there. So, be sure to have your home thoroughly checked before settling in and if there are issues file your claims early and follow up where possible. Protect your biggest investment from the start by understanding your warranty and using it before it’s too late.