Atlantic Home Warranty
The watch on your wrist more than likely came with a warranty. So did the barbeque you purchased, as well as the television in your living room.
However, when it comes to our homes, few of us ever bother to ensure that the biggest purchase of our lives is as well protected as our watch. Atlantic Home Warranty was established to offer comfort and security to both Home Builders and Homebuyers.
How Long Is My Home Protected?
Atlantic Home Warranty members offer their clients a 7-year limited home warranty. The details are listed below.
What Protection Does AHW Give Me?
- Optional Deposit Protection, up to a maximum of $20,000.
- A guarantee that the Builder will repair eligible defects in workmanship or materials supplied by the Builder during the first year of ownership.
- Protection against major structural defects during the remainder of the warranty period.
- A conciliation service to handle any disagreements between you and your builder during the first year.
- A total aggregate limit of liability of $50,000.
Government organizations in Atlantic Canada have no legislation to protect homebuyers in this capacity. Atlantic Home Warranty is the only not-for-profit organization to offer this coverage.
Deposit Protection
For Homes Enrolled After March 1, 2007
- Deposit Protection is an optional coverage available to the Homeowner only through our membership.
- To qualify, money must be paid directly to your Builder. If money is paid to another source, the deposit is not eligible for protection.
- The Builder will request a Deposit Protection Certificate at the time the home is enrolled.
- AHW will provide the Builder with a Deposit Protection Certificate that verifies the amount of the deposit.
- You will also receive a copy of the Deposit Protection Certificate, along with assurance from AHW that your down payment is protected until you take possession of your home.
- Deposit certificate provides protection due to the bankruptcy, insolvency or fraud on part of the Builder up to a maximum of $20,000.00
Your First Year of Protection
Your home's first year of coverage includes protection against defects in materials and workmanship provided by the Builder.
During the first year, your Builder takes the lead role in addressing and repairing warranty defects and concerns. Please note the time frames required for submitting first-year warranty items.
Step 1:
Contact your Builder during the first year to have your defects repaired or other concerns that you may have addressed.
Step 2:
If your defects are not resolved, send your builder a registered letter prior to the end of the first year of warranty coverage. Your date of possession is found on your warranty certificate.
Be sure to include your R and H Warranty numbers (also found on your Warranty Certificate) in the letter.
- The letter must be sent to the builder by Registered Mail (see a Canada Post outlet).
- The same letter must be copied to the AHW office. Both the AHW copy and the builder's letter must be postmarked prior to the end of the first year warranty expiry.
AHW will respond in writing to both you and your builder. You will be sent a Request for Conciliation form.
Step 3:
If the defects you identified in your letter remain outstanding after a reasonable period of time, then you can request further assistance from AHW through the conciliation process.
Submit the "Request for Conciliation" form (which was accompanied by AHW's letter) to the AHW office. The form can either be sent by fax or mail. This must be received within sixty days (60) after the one year anniversary of your date of possession. This specific date will be quoted in the letter that accompanied the request for conciliation form.
Upon receipt of the form, an AHW representative will meet with you and your builder at your home and inspect the complaint items as soon as conveniently possible.
Step 4:
Following the conciliation inspection, a conciliation award will be sent to you and your builder outlining the complaint items, the observation of the complaint items along with the decision.
The decision of the conciliator will include, if applicable, any necessary work to be carried out to meet the requirements of the Builder Warranty. All conciliation decisions are final and binding upon the Builder and the Homeowner.
In the event that the builder is deemed responsible for any defects in the home, and fails to respond by the dead-line given by the conciliator to repair these defects, you are required to notify AHW in writing by the deadline indicated in the conciliation award. Steps will be taken to have your warranty items repaired through other means.
Major Structural Defects
A Major Structural Defect means a defect in workmanship or materials, including soil movement, which has resulted in actual physical damage to, and failure of, a Load-Bearing Portion of the home. The defect must both materially and adversely affect its load-bearing function and vitally affect the use of the home for residential purposes.
A Load-Bearing Portion means a structural component essential to the structural stability of the home. This performs the function of transmitting dead and/or live loads to the supporting ground.
Examples are:
- Roof rafters and trusses
- Ceiling and floor joists
- Structural floor systems and slabs in the living area of the home
- Load-bearing partitions and walls
- Supporting beams and headers, supporting columns
- Foundation systems
Non Load-Bearing portions of your home include:
- Roof shingles and sheathing
- Exterior siding and sheathing
- Exterior siding
- Non-load-bearing partitions
- Sub-floor and flooring materials
- Wall tile or other wall coverings
- Non-structural concrete floors in attached garages
- Decks
To be eligible, a structural defect in the Load-Bearing portion of the home does not have to render the home dangerous or otherwise uninhabitable. However, it must be of such a serious nature that it vitally affects the use of the home for residential purposes.
Addressing Major Structural Defects
Before the expiry of the warranty the homeowner should notify AHW in writing of any defects which the homeowner claims are Major Structural Defects. AHW will acknowledge the homeowner correspondence and advise the homeowner of the procedure to follow to process a potential claim for a Major Structural Defect.
Austin Homes is dedicated to not only building the safest and healthiest homes possible but also to ensuring that the environmental impact of constructing those homes is kept to an absolute minimum.
Our homes include a number of standard green features that help to ensure the safety and health of your family and also to reduce household energy costs. Some of these features include Low E Argon windows, high quality insulation (including in the basement), low flow toilets, high efficiency hot water heaters and much, much more...
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