Before COVID-19 made physical distancing the norm, Tarion’s warranty inspections would usually involve a visit to your home by a Tarion representative. Now many inspections are conducted virtually through a video call with a Tarion representative. Instead of walking through your home with the Tarion representative and pointing out issues, you serve as the virtual guide via your phone or tablet. Using your device’s camera, you and the Tarion representative will look at issues within your home together.
If you’ve never participated in a virtual inspection, here’s what you can expect:
Step 1: Five to seven days prior to your inspection, a Tarion representative will reach out to you to discuss the inspection. The Tarion representative will walk you through the platform that is used to conduct the virtual inspection. You can choose to receive the link to the virtual inspection by email or text.
Step 2: Three to five days prior to your inspection, you will receive the link for the inspection by email or text, depending on your choice. If the builder is going to be present, then the inspection will be conducted using a web-based platform similar to Zoom that won’t require any download. If the builder is not going to be present, then the inspection will be conducted using an application. A link will be shared with you so that you can download the application to your device for free.
Step 3: At the start of your appointment on inspection day, open the virtual inspection link or the app you’ve downloaded. The opening screen will allow you to either take offline photos and videos or to join the live meeting. Press the live meeting button. The first thing you will see is a preview of your video feed. When you are ready to start the meeting, connect your video feed to the meeting participants. The Tarion representative will then connect you to an audio call from their end.
Step 4: If the builder has asked to be present for the inspection, the Tarion representative will invite them to connect to the meeting. The Tarion representative and the builder will only be connected through audio.
Step 5: Once the builder has connected, the inspection will begin. The Tarion representative will guide you through the inspection, reviewing the items you’ve reported to Tarion one item at a time. They will ask you questions and provide directions as you progress through the inspection. You and your builder will each have an opportunity to provide your position on each item. During the inspection, the Tarion representative may take screenshots or videos to refer back to when making warranty assessments. If your inspection is done using the downloaded application, the Tarion representative will have the ability to take pictures of your home from your live video feed, control your device’s flashlight, and take measurements using the app’s built-in features. If there are areas of your home that you wish to keep private, cover your camera when in those areas or be careful to not point it in the direction of those areas.
Step 6: After the inspection, the Tarion representative will send you a link or file by email with the photos and videos that were taken during the inspection. If after viewing the photos or videos you feel that the issue was not accurately depicted, contact your Tarion representative. They will discuss next steps with you, which may include an in-person inspection when public health restrictions allow.
Step 7: After the inspection, Tarion will issue its Warranty Assessment Report. This report will inform you and your builder as to whether Tarion has assessed the inspected items as warranted. After the inspection, your builder has a final 30 days to resolve warranted items. Tarion will contact you at the end of this period for an update. If you tell us that the warranted items have still not been addressed, we will schedule a claim inspection. The purpose of the claim inspection is to assess whether warranted items have been resolved by your builder in an acceptable manner. If Tarion determines that your builder failed to resolve a warranted item, we will work with you directly to resolve it.
If you have a virtual inspection scheduled for your home and have questions, you can reach out to the Warranty Representative assigned to your file or contact our Customer Service team at 1-877-982-7466 or email customerservice@tarion.com